A & P By John Updike Analysis

Three girls walk into a grocery store wearing nothing but their bathing suits. “A&P” by John Updike is in a New England town where three teenage girls wearing bathing suits walk into a grocery store. Queene is the leader out of all three girls. Sammy is the 19 year old boy who works at the checkout line in the grocery store and finds Queenie attractive the minute he sees her. Stokesie is Sammy’s co worker, and notices the girls that walk in the grocery store just like Sammy. But Stokesie is married and has two children and also trying to make a career working at A&P. Lengel is the store manager at A&P, and the girls want to purchase something, they move into Sammy’s checkout lane. Once this happens Lengal points out store policy because the girls are wearing bathing suits. Queenie replies to Lengal by telling him her mother wanted her to come in and buy some herring snacks. Sammy changes and overcomes by being trapped working at a grocery store to finding his freedom because of Queenie wearing a bathing suit. Sammy is the narrator of “A&P” and tells the story about Queenie in his own way. Sammy is very descriptive about the three girls who walk into the grocery store as he states “There was this chunky one, with the two piece-it was bright green and the

Sammy escapes A&P because of who he surrounds himself with in his circle. Stokesie is someone who will work at the grocery store until he retires, and Lengal is a strictly according to the rules manager. Sammy sees freedom because unlike Stokesie, Sammy is young, single, and doesn’t have kids. If Sammy was Stokesie’s age or Stokesie himself it’ll be too late to escape. The affection of Queenie changed Sammy while Lengal told the girls how bathing suits is against store policy. Sammy could’ve stayed and be like Stokesie, and eventually be manager like Lengal. But this is not what Sammy wants for himself and quits to be free from an A&P grocery