Transition Into Adulthood In John Updike's A & P

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“True adulthood occurs the moment we grasp that the people who raised us do not exist solely for our comfort and reassurance. From that point on, the steady stream of unconditional love and support we've expected from them all our lives has to flow both ways.”-Lynn Coady. This quote from Lynn Coady implies that true adulthood occurs when one grasps the concept that unconditional love not only has to flow to you but also from you. This is represented in coming of age stories when the protagonist flows into adulthood through the author’s choice of tone and symbols. In the following coming of age stories, the protagonist transitions into adulthood through the selected symbols and tone utilized by the author. One story where the protagonist starts to transition into adulthood through the author’s choice of symbols and tone is “The Passage” by Dalton Trumbo. This story is about a teenage boy that wants to …show more content…

This story is about a young man named Sammy that works in a grocery store named A&P. One day while he is cashiering a group of girls that he was fancied by walked in with not much clothing on. His manager was not pleased by the way that they dressed and Sammy tried to be the hero but it did not go as planned for him. “The girls, and who'd blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say "I quit" to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero.” The tone of Sammy and his need to be noticed by the girls shows that although attempting to act like an adult he still has childish behavior and does not think through his decisions. “I look around for my girls, but they’re gone, of course.” The author utilizes the girls as a symbol of adulthood and how Sammy isn’t quite there yet. John Updike used Sammy’s character to show that although transitioning, he still has moments of