John Updike A & P Essay

The reader of John Updike’s short story, “A&P”, is privy to a small turning point in the life of the young protagonist, Sammy. Coinciding with the dawn of the second-wave of feminism, “A&P” is set in 1961. The reader of “A&P” catches a glimpse into a small but poignant revolt of three young women who quietly yet overtly challenge the defined and heralded parameters of decency. In so doing, the young women make way for Sammy’s own disputations and open the door through which he walks as his own man and, perhaps, a budding feminist in his own right.
The beginning lines of “A&P” give little indication of the impending metamorphosis of Sammy. Written in first person limited, the reader views the environs, including the characters and speculations

Still intently monitoring the three young women as they are addressed by the stern patriarch, Sammy notices a slight blush come over Queenie and then hears her voice waver (26). His thoughts of them shift from objects of his desire to fellow, multi-dimensional human beings who protest the inequities to which he is also subject. A defensive posture is assumed by Queenie but quickly dismissed as Lengel assigns terms of judgment to the trio. He counsels them to return only when decent which, by his definition of the term, involves having their “shoulders covered” (27) then refuses to further engage or otherwise note their act of defiance. The debate is over as Lengel, in this time and place, is judge, jury, and defender of social norms. As the one with the power and privileged status, he need not trouble with disputations but simply set right and dismiss objections with condescending indifference and assume his claim to righteousness with an infusion of iron (28). Sammy, in his own way, understands what it means to be on the receiving end of this misuse of power and it is during this exchange that he decides to enlist with a revolt of his