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A & P By John Updike

1078 Words5 Pages

The subject of women's attire has been a conversation topic for decades. From the unrealistic expectations of the clothing itself to the idealization of the "perfect" body, clothing standards have oppressed women. John Updike's short story "A&P" captures this injustice and demonstrates to the audience how this kind of judgment can affect someone. The story is told from the perspective of a 19-year-old boy and tells of his experience throughout a troubling moral situation. Readers are guided through his path to maturity and are shown the perspective of someone not yet tainted by the wrongs of beauty standards. The story was set in the 1950s-1960s meaning that World War II has just ended and the baby boom has just begun. Women are expected …show more content…

He watches the girls throughout the entirety of their shopping experience and makes a note of almost every minute fact. However, not once in Sammy's speculation does he mention anything negative about the girls. He doesn't comment on the "correct" body shape, he doesn't mention that their bathing suits were breaking cultural customs, and he doesn't overtly sexualize them in any way. He only watches the girls, and by the end of their shopping excursion, he has become attached to their story. As the girls head in the direction of the cash register, they are stopped by the store manager, Lengel. "He comes over and says, "Girls, this isn't the beach."" (Updike pg. 163). Lengel tells the girls that their outfits go against store policy and that they must dress differently the next time they enter the shop. This embarrassed the girls and enraged Sammy. He tells Lengel that he quit and that Lengel didn't have to embarrass the girls the way he did. Lengel attempts to convince Sammy to stay by saying things like, " "Sammy, you don't want to do this to your Mom and Dad…," and "you'll feel this for the rest of your life…" (Updike pg. 165). However, Sammy is unconvinced and leaves with a

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Upon seeing the three girls enter the store, Sammy instantly sizes them up. One is more chunky than the other two, the other girl is just average but “looks better from behind”. According to Sammy, “[She is] the kind of girl other girls think is very “striking” and “attractive” but never quite makes it, as they very

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167 Words | 1 Pages

Sammy has the stereotypical view of women in A&P referring to them as “house-slaves in pin curlers” and the younger girls through his vivid descriptions of what the girls appearance in their bathing suits. Do you think when the store manager approaches the girls letting them

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1069 Words | 5 Pages

In “A&P,” Sammy shows his support for the three girls by quitting his job. After Lengel confronts the girls, Sammy says, “I quit” (Updike 159) to Lengel showing his support. According to a critic, “Sammy feels ashamed of Lengel and the “crummy” mentality he represents” (Saldivar). Later, when Lengel questions him, Sammy says that Lengel should not have embarrassed the girls in front of everyone (Updike 159). As Sammy feels bad for the girls, he stands up for them thinking they might notice him (Updike 159).

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1261 Words | 6 Pages

From the moment the girls walked into the supermarket Sammy was checking them out. The ladies were walking towards the meat department, being led by "Queenie" of course. They stopped and asked McMahon a question about somethings whereabouts in the supermarket. The moment the girls turned and started walking away from McMahon, Sammy noticed that McMahon was checking them out from head to toe. Sammy said, "Poor kids, I began to feel sorry for them, they couldn 't help it" (498).

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1505 Words | 7 Pages

John Updike’s story “A & P” was written in 1961 and takes place in a small town in Massachusetts. In a supermarket named “A & P,” which is on the town’s Central Street and is across from typical small-town stores – “two banks and the Congregational church and the newspaper store and three real-estate office” (Updike 748) – a cashier-clerk named Sammy witnesses three girls walking into his store wearing bathing suits, and he recounts his perceptions of them, their actions, and how they contrast with his relatively bland setting. Since he objectifies these women throughout the story (using phrases such as “sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it” (Updike 746-7)), it could be suggested that “A & P” is a satire

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1033 Words | 5 Pages

A girl can be seen as beautiful and attractive, but continued to be shunned - all because they don’t wear the latest trends in fashion (but what if they like wearing solid colors or nerdy shirts from Walmart?). They may have a great personality that would attract many suitors in the nineteenth century, but if it is not up to the status of some people, they’re deemed unworthy. It is honestly one of the saddest things I have witnessed and experienced. Through The Body Project, Brumberg explains how American girls have shifted from judging a girl through her personality and internal character to judging through her appearance.

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855 Words | 4 Pages

To Begin with, Sense the moment the girls have arrived in the store, Sammy has been objectifying their body and judging them in a sense of humor. They seem to attract the gaze of Sammy and now, he sees the power of their sexuality. The narrator talks about how one of the girls had first caught his attention. In the story the narrator stated ‘’ The one that caught my eye first was the one in the plaid green two-piece. She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it,

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815 Words | 4 Pages

In the short story, “A&P” written by the late author, John Updike, a nineteen year old cashier named Sammy is faced with a societal conflict. As Sammy is working the register on a particularly mundane day, three teenage girls walk into the grocery store clad in nothing but their bathing suits. Sammy considers this odd because the beach is a whole five miles from the beach. He lusts after the girls, especially the leader, whom he referred to as “Queenie”. Excitingly enough for Sammy, the girls choose his lane to check out at.

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941 Words | 4 Pages

“A&P” by John Updike is a short story expressing the issues of female objectification and degradation in society by following a young A&P employee’s views (Sammy) as they change through experiences second hand. Sammy goes from stereotyping objectifier to a form of a public defender, standing up for girls who can’t really do so for themselves. Sammy initially characterizes and describes all of the people in the store based on their looks and his initial opinion of them, rather than waiting to make judgements based on their personality, or not at all. He is very critical of looks, and is judgmental about why and how they look or act the way they do.

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1254 Words | 6 Pages

here is my essay , my professor says that my basic idea is that conflict between generations produces culture. this needs back up. who esle thinks this Rebellion and youth Cultures relate to our lives in a way that affects our behaviors, feelings, and emotions unconsciously. It constantly shapes our view of the world and our own personal identities. However, it arises from cleavages of generation all the time.

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694 Words | 3 Pages

As a matter of fact, Sammy could have easily reneged on his word. He could have taken back what he said with Lengel’s questioning, “I don’t think you know what you are saying” (Updike 4). He pleaded with Sammy to reconsider his actions for the sake of his parents. Lengel blatantly mentions, “You don’t want to do this to you mom and dad” (Updike 5).

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1224 Words | 5 Pages

Lengel states, “We want you decently dresses when you come in here”. Which the girls respond, “We are decent”. Blushing, the girls seem to feel embarrassed and uncomfortable. Disliking how Lengel speaks to the girls, Sammy decides to take a dramatic step and quits his job. He tries to impress the girls with this gesture, but the girls had already left.

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796 Words | 4 Pages

The short story “A&P” by John Updike introduces us to a young teenager named Sammy who worked at the A&P grocery store looking to find his freedom. Throughout reading A&P, I 've noticed the main character Sammy had a very keen eye that spotted every minor detail. When Sammy saw the three teenage girls only wearing bathing suits enter the grocery store, he perceived the girls dressed as if they were going to the beach. Sammy explained to us in detail the different bathing suits that the girls were wearing and their physical appearances. The primary symbol represented in this story is the bathing suits worn by the three teenage girls.

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763 Words | 4 Pages

When Lorraine says that she has been hanging out with kids at a local diner after school, her mother tells her that she is no longer allowed to go because there are always boys hanging around there. She does not want Lorraine hanging around boys because she believes that boys " 'only [have] one thing on their minds '" (46). Mrs. Jensen also tells her daughter that she is " 'not a pretty girl '" (11). Lorraine hearing this from her mother makes her become very insecure about her body image. Many girls can understand how Lorraine feels because many of them struggle with the same problems.

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876 Words | 4 Pages

In every culture throughout time, there has always been a dress code of what to wear and what not to wear. Fashion is always changing, and sometimes what might be considered as a “fashion crime” in one era, would later on be picked up again by a younger generation and go from being “fashion crime” to the new dress code for people. However, fashion is a personal opinion and what one person might consider as cool, others might see it as ridiculous, and as a result some people are shunned from social interactions, and can even be looked down upon. In the short story “School Run”, written by Kate Marsh in 2013, where the protagonist falls in love with a boy, named Magnus.

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