Judgement In A & P By John Updike

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.
Upon seeing the three girls enter the store, Sammy instantly sizes them up. One is more chunky than the other two, the other girl is just average but “looks better from behind”. According to Sammy, “[She is] the kind of girl other girls think is very “striking” and “attractive” but never quite makes it, as they very

“I look around for my girls, they’re gone, of course.” (273) That being said, Sammy is now outside the store looking in. Even though he chooses to leave, it probably feels lonely to be shut out of something he used to be a part of. With his girls gone, he is also outside the society the girls are in, a society that might encourage daring acts like wearing a bathing suit in public. But what contributes most to the story's sad ending is Sammy's observation of Lengel in the last sentence: “His face was dark gray and his back stiff, as if he'd just had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter.” (273). Because Sammy had the courage to quit his job, he is like the girls in the bathing suits, refusing to conform. Because of his non conformity, Sammy's fear of a hard life to come seems to have a lot to do with Lengel. Lengel shows Sammy that life will be taxing for him if he quits, but Lengel’s actions prove that continuing to work at A&P is difficult as