A & P By John Updike Analysis

Chasing After Women And His Youth The story “A&P” by John Updike weaves major literary theories, such as feminism and historicism, into a seemingly simplistic tale. The story takes place inside the mind of a nineteen year old boy at his job at the grocery store. A mundane experience that is interrupted by the entrance of three teenage girls clad in nothing but swimsuits. Throughout the story, the reader comes to understand what Sammy thinks about certain genders, and age groups. He objectifies not just the three girls, but also the older women and regular customers at the grocery store. He objectifies women, and in doing so glorifies the idea of adolescent innocence over the harsh reality of adulthood. Sammy’s objectification of the women

Sammy sees the girls as symbols for the joys of being youthful. He sees all the other miserable shoppers, and perceives them as the woes of adulthood. This is why the reader sees Sammy depicted as captivated by the girls. Watching them walk around is much more than him being turned on. He tries to vicariously live through them, and recapture his youth. He watches the girls walk around the store, and as they make their exit, so does his childhood. He has now become one of the “miserable” adults that he had been observing all along. The life he had been dreading is now upon him. Ultimately, Sammy ends up quitting his job. Sammy quitting his job, and going after the girls without any luck symbolizes him running from his adulthood. He tried to chase the last of his youth, but knew that it was pointless. He was an adult now, and life was going to be hard. Updike writes, “my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (“‘A & P’ - John Updike” 5). Sammy decided to quit his job because he feared what his life might become. Even before the girls left, Sammy had to watch them get embarrassed by Lengel. He took this personally and saw it as his adulthood going after his youth. This small commotion was the perfect scapegoat for Sammy. He could quit his job over something meaningful, but for his own selfish gain. Research shows, “Presumably he

The women are objectified and symbolized by Sammy, so he chases after both them and his childhood. Sammy doesn’t have many good adult role models so he dreads his upcoming future. This negative outlook on life is what makes him quit his job and go chasing after something he knew he could never obtain. However, he objectifies not just the young women, but the older women as well. Through the first person point of view, the reader gets to learn how Sammy feels about particular age groups of women. The introduction of the three scantily clad girls walking into the grocery store changes Sammy’s mundane job into one where he must fight for his youth. Upon losing the battle, he now realizes that life will only be troublesome from here on out. The seemingly simple story of “A & P” by John Updike is far more complex with its undertones of feminism, symbolism, and