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A & P By John Updike Analysis

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The unwritten law that thoughts inevitaby define someone’s actions has taken root in society over the years. This further begs the question of whether people should be judged by their thoughts rather than their actions. Some even believe that since most individuals act on what they have think about, then there is little to no significant difference between having certain thoughts and acting on them, where the end result is concerned. However, this generalization is clearly flawed as human thoughts are not within our immediate control and that there is no immediate causal relationship between how one thinks and acts. John Updike’s “A & P” suggests how action speaks louder than thoughts, which is depicted through Sammy, who is inspired by three unconventional girls to quit his job. First and foremost, Sammy is under the delusion …show more content…

He firmly confronts Lengel and says that he “didn’t have to embarrass them” (289). At this point, Sammy puts his thoughts into action by directly expressing his dislike for absurd rules that don’t make sense, especially ones concerning the need to judge someone based on what they wear. Some may argue that Sammy was once again being a hypocrite as he objectifies the girls from the very beginning, and even compares their body parts innappropriately to “two [of] the smoothest scoops of vanilla” (289). There is no doubt that if Sammy had expressed his thoughts to the girls, then Lengel and him would not be any different. However, Lengel acts on his beliefs while Sammy does not. Their decisions had distinct consequences. Therefore, to penalize him for having indecent thoughts is unfair because he was merely being human. While Sammy does not act on his perverted thoughts of the girls, he is able to muster the courage to face an authoratative figure and this is key to his escape from the life of a

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134 Words | 1 Pages

In “A&P”, John Updike wrote a short story about a male clerk at A&P grocery, named Sammy, who worked at a hot summer day shift when three young women in his age entered the store only in swimsuits to purchase some snacks. Even though shirts and shoes are required, Sammy did not report on the girls to the manager, but instead he allowed them to continue shopping as he looked and imagined the girls based on their appearance. As Sammy watched, Lengel, the store manager, felt that the three girls did not had shirts and shoes on, reprimanded them the rules, which the manager thought Sammy reported on them. Sammy did sign out after the girls left, which he not just realized the three girls’ affection, also was disappointed on this

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371 Words | 2 Pages

The use of various and different archetypes such as the threshold guardian and the defiant anti-hero in “A&P” coveys John Updike’s changing perception of women and the values in today’s society. When the reader is first introduced to Sammy, they see him observing “three girls in nothing but bathing suits” and privately starts pointing out distinct physical features such as their “sweet broad soft-looking can” and how “the third one wasn’t so tall. She was the queen.” (Updike 1). Sammy is a very atypical person and doesn’t fall under society’s norm of a gentleman or one who shows any form of chivalry towards women..

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739 Words | 3 Pages

Porter analyzes “A & P” by relating the story to a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson regarding the consequences and benefits of nonconformity. Porter views Sammy as nothing short of a hero who rebels against the oppressive nature of policy and monotony. Porter explains that Sammy has “an eye for quality” (Porter 1) amidst the insincerity of his small town. He is surrounded by groups of people who mindlessly follow the rules that are set before them, and is angered by their blind obedience, often referring to the customers as “sheep pushing their carts down the aisles” (Updike 621) and remarks that they would not even notice if the entire grocery store exploded. This, Porter elaborates, is why Sammy is so drawn to the girls who saunter into the

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902 Words | 4 Pages

Everyone is the victim of someone else’s judgements at least once. In addition to that, everyone has also at some point or another, been the perpetrator and passed judgement. In John Updike’s short story entitled A&P, three bikini clad girls on errand to purchase herring snacks are subject to Sammy’s seemingly harsh internal criticism. As they traverse the store, none of the girls are free from Sammy’s ever watchful eye. As he watches the girls, his internal monologue gives readers a rather unique perspective about himself, and his morality.

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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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527 Words | 3 Pages

As they walk in Sammy is the main one judging them by the way they look. “The one that caught my eye first was the one in the plaid green two-piece, she was a chunky kid”( Updike). People are always going to judge someone that dresses inappropriately. As they are wearing inappropriate clothes, they are also not setting a good example for the kids that may see

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1453 Words | 6 Pages

Although Sammy quit, he found a sense of freedom in these girls, He wanted to be different just like them and that is what he pursued after the right motivation. The Author used Sammy to show that being different is a good thing, but making irrational decisions in pursuit of non-conformity can leave you with

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1852 Words | 8 Pages

3 The story of “A&P” by John Updike adopts the uses of figurative language to embellish the critical moments of transitions of people’s lives, particularly in the life of Sammy. Updike utilizes crafts of plot, character, setting, point of view, theme, and symbol to constitute the story, and to project the idea of "life passages. " Also, Sammy undergoes a series of events that enables him to transition as a person in his life. 3

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255 Words | 2 Pages

John Updike's short story "A&P" is about a 19-year-old boy “Sammy” who is going through changes in his life, and has to make crucial decisions that are going to affect his job and his future in the long run. The story is set in an A&P grocery store, in a town north of Boston, and begins with Sammy’s description of the three girls that enter the store. Sammy decides to quit his job in order to impress the girl “Queenie.” Unfortunately, his gentlemanly act goes unnoticed by Queenie and her friends, and he has no choice but to face the consequences of his action. The author of the story clarifies that Sammy’s immaturity comes from his judgmental attitude, sexist beliefs, and disrespectful attitude.

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610 Words | 3 Pages

In this passage from “A&P” in which Sammy has just quit his job and takes in the consequences suggests that he regrets making his impulsive decision. The author shows this through the use of contrasting, word choice, and imagery. In the first part of the passage the author is trying to show the terrible way the situation Sammy was in ended up with. He was looking for “his girls” in the beginning of the passage showing that he wished that “his girls” would have stayed to watch the so called heroic move he made.

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500 Words | 2 Pages

They represent the personal freedom that they can dress anything they like in public. Then, there comes Lengel who is the most traditional person in the story. He judges the girls’ bathing suit, and calls that indecent. It means at that time people’s freedoms are still under oppressed. People should be conformed and obey authority.

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868 Words | 4 Pages

Humans make decisions every day, ranging from the little insignificant things to huge, life-changing things. Each person has unique thought processes and values that shape their behavior. In John Updike's short story A&P, the reader takes a deep dive into the mind of Sammy. He is a teenager who works at the local grocery store north of Boston. One day, he was working the register when a group of three girls walked into the store in bathing suits.

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941 Words | 4 Pages

As made apparent by Sammy’s first thought outside, “I look around for my girls, but they’re gone of course” (pg. #7), Sammy initially quit his job in the moment to gain praise from the girls and hopefully to have them swooning over him, but all along he knew the chances of gaining praise from them was slim. Although Sammy was hoping the girls would be waiting for him after he quit his job to stand up for them, he wasn’t really surprised by their absence; He expected it. As Sammy stated “I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter,” (pg.#7) without a job and without any form of reward for his somewhat heroic act, Sammy finally realized the challenges women in society face. Overall, A&P by John Updike is a short story raising awareness for women’s rights as well as proving that you shouldn’t judge someone based on their appearances.

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289 Words | 2 Pages

Part 1 of “The Reader” explores the earlier concepts of Michaels’ moral dilemmas when he starts thinking that he is being disloyal to Hannah. Michael believes that by not exposing anything about him & Hannah to his friends, he disowns her and doesn’t acknowledge her. Michael argues with himself that he is being considerate or just being discrete but realizes that these are just excuses he is making up for himself and acknowledges what he’s doing, “But you, who is doing the disowning, you know what you 're doing.” Even though he recognizes what he is doing is wrong he continues to do so for his own sake. He pretended that he was waiting for a right time, but missed the opportunity to tell his friends about his lover, “At first I told myself

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1085 Words | 5 Pages

While quitting his job is not the most practical course of action, Sammy forcefully acts upon Lengel’s injustice in hopes Queenie will see his heroism. His attack on Lengel’s paternalism and embarrassment is to no avail for this hope, however; as Sammy follows outside, he is met by vast openness. Such a defiant act marks the descent from a small A&P to the expansive world, and discovers a new talent for the young adolescent; regardless of motivation, Sammy is willing to fight against wrongdoing - and rebel against established

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