Admiring And Critical Language Of John Updike

John Updike includes both admiring and critical language to emphasize how Sammy feels confined within the grocery store, but the encounter with the girls in the store inspires him to break free and leave a stagnant place of employment. The narrator mentions how one of the girls is a leader and she seems to show the other girls how to move with confidence despite the fact that they stand out in the grocery store. He admires this as they are challenging what is normal in his town, inspiring him to act. To contrast with this, critical language is utilized to demonstrate what will happen to Sammy if he continues to work at the grocery store as he has a critical opinion of his coworker and how they possess the same position and relative age despite

The longer they stayed, his attitude started to shift and he noticed their actions in addition to their physical features. To demonstrate this, he first described them using words such as “striking” or “more than pretty.” These are superficial observations but soon he began to notice how the girls entered the store and showed how to “walk slow and hold yourself straight” by “Queenie.” They are challenging what is normal during this era, especially considering this store is not all too close to the beach. The narrator picks up on their challenge of society and gains a sense of admiration for these girls. When they check out at his register and his manager comes over to intervene, he describes the fact that Lengel, his manager, views himself as “head lifeguard” of the store. These girls are reprimanded for their attire, but it further inspires the thoughts and actions of Sammy. He realizes that he is also controlled by this figurative lifeguard and is inspired by the girls’ challenge to not just the store but to societal norms. The narrator first only uses superficial language to describe the girls, but his description shifts when he realizes that they are challenging what entraps him as

He observes how he and Stokesie possess the same job and a relative age, but Stokesie is “married, with two babies.” This critical language reveals how he is now conscious of his situation at the grocery store and he must take a leap to change his future. In addition, the narrator further criticizes Stokesie by mentioning how he “thinks he’s going to be manager some sunny day.” This statement reveals how Sammy knows that there is not much opportunity for a promotion at his job. To become manager it would take a lifetime of work, and he does not want to work under the figurative “lifeguard” of the store for that long. The entrance of the girls into the store is quite important for the narrator's actions as their actions and encounter with Lengel inspire him to take a leap of faith and quit his job. He knows that he will soon befall the same fate as Stokesie as he will eventually have a family and will have to support them by being a cashier with no chance of becoming manager. After he exits from the store he utilizes some dismal language and knows how “hard the world was going to be to me.” He escaped his dead-end job, but he realizes how he lost his security. His job gave him security but his new freedom will offer him opportunities as he describes his surroundings, no longer entrapped in the