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A + P John Updike Analysis

473 Words2 Pages

Clouded judgement. Desperate. Attraction. These are all of the traits that Sammy experiences in the story “A+P” by John Updike. Sammy has a very original way of thinking like most teenage boys but his reactions lead to him being irresponsible, rude, and lonely. Sammy is a idiotic boy who shows immature acts for a teenager. He loses his job over being attracted towards a female; yet he still quits his job for her and he doesn't even know her real name. “ Not this queen” (Updike); he calls her queen because he has a crush on her. Even though he doesn’t know her or the other three girls he is so loved struck that he overlooks the fact he doesn’t know the girl. Teenage boy sometimes mistake love from lust. He shows lust for the girls. “ Remembering how he made that pretty girl blush makes me so scrunchy inside.” As well as being irresponsible, he is also blunt and rude. …show more content…

Sammy chose to do the complete opposite; others that are in the store face this from him. Information in the text states, “ sheep's pushing their carts down the aisle” (Updike). He called the customers sheep!! It's incredibly disrespectful to talk about people when they did nothing towards him. “a few house slaves in pin curlers”, he judged the women in the store because they gave eerie glances at the females from their choice in clothing. The golden rule is treat others the way we would want to be treated,and sammy wouldn’t want others to judge him and talk badly of him; he should respect that and do the same for others. As a result of being rude, karma may have came back to haunt him as a consequence because he also becomes

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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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In the short story “A & P”, John Updike tells a story about a boy named Sammy who works at a Grocery store. He explains how this young man watches girls his age and how they were treated in the store one day. Sammy made the decision to quit on the spot because of that and he was hoping the girls would notice his action but they didn’t. The reader is allowed to understand the story and predict the life lesson because of the first person point of view Updike used.

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The short story A & P by John Updike is written in the first person point of view. Sammy is the narrator of the story. Sammy is a teenage boy who works at a supermarket. He is a cynical and sarcastic boy. Sammy appeared to think of himself as “more” than the customers who where in the store and the other employees.

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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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