Concerning both Updike's setting and themes, I saw the grocery store as a sterile environment--a bubble detached from the outside world that people only enter when they have to, never for fun, but for practicality. Sammy participates in the monotony of the store, and sees the girls that walk in as a taste of the outside world. They represent opportunity, a flavor of a different lifestyle that contrasts the aprons and shiny floors of a supermarket. Sammy seems to realize all the hours he has spent mindlessly scanning items, and through impulse--a key word that represents the climax of the story--quits his job to pursue opportunity. However, once opportunities leave they do not return.
The imagery of the people John Updike uses in A & P is very descriptive and reveals a lot of detail about the character’s personality, especially when he is describes the three girls. There is the fat one, chubby berry faced one, and the tall one. The tall one is known as, what Sammy calls her, “Queenie.” She is the leader of the pack; Updike displays her as a stuck up arrogant girl who thinks she can do whatever she wants. While stalking her with his eyes, his hormones play a major factor in making decision for him and unfortunately he makes a terrible decision. He thinks quitting his job will impress the girls and he will end up being the shining knight in armor. But he was completely wrong, he receives no girls, and in the end has no job. He knows this decision will stay with him for the rest of his life. He realizes the world is different outside of the store and will be much more difficult.
In the short story, Updike contrasts both voluptuous and fragile imagery to objectify the women in the story. The women in the bathing suits represent the working man (possibly even the working class)'s elusive and volatile fantasies, whereas the old Salem-bound witch woman brings Sammy back to the reality of his monotonous life.
As far of a stretch as the following idea will seem, I think that the author is creating a modern interpretation to the story of Adam and Eve, if not alluding to it slightly. The women who enter the store hardly dressed represent the carnal desire that plagues mankind and distracts him from his daily obligations. The fact that Sammy quit, and left in search of the girls (with the sweet cans) parallels Adam's expulsion from Eden in which he is led astray by a woman. Ironically, they have more confidence about their nakedness than the classic story of Eve- creating a social reversal.
Because the novel is placed in the 1960s, the girls' attire represent a daring, sensual expression. Hopefully Updike was trying to convey the idea that man's fantasies and objectified ideas of women lead them away from productivity, criticizing Sammy's decisions and not the girls who were basically starving.
I'm all for individualist expression and what not, but Sammy was totally idiotic in quitting his job to merely impress the girls. Besides, if you're a woman in the 1960's, and you have to pick up some grindz, put some clothes on and avoid all this drama to begin with. Not to mention Sammy was just gushing over them like they were all that and a bag of chips.
And to end, I think its ironic that the woman who was buying the Hi-Ho snacks was thought of as a witch, but the girls who came in, due to their beauty, were seen as completely innocent- yet THEY were the ones to lead him to his demise. Mhhmmm..that's what I THOUGHT YOU SAID.
John Updike has set up a very interesting scenario in which Sammy makes a folly. Being like any other normal teenager, Sammy becomes victim to his overpowering hormones and loses control of his actions. He makes a foolish mistake that was solely based on short term gain. However, the thing that struck me was not his mistake, but the fact that he recognized what he was doing was a mistake, and yet he stuck by it. Sammy's mistake is not that he said he was going to quit, but that he stuck by his decision even though he knew it was wrong. In terms of symbolism, I did notice one image that kept reappearing: sheep. Multiple times throughout the story, Sammy calls the people in the store "sheep." I think that Sammy means the people in the store are so uninteresting, that they are as boring and ordinary as sheep. That is why he is so interested when the girls walk in. They are not sheep. They are distinguished from the rest. John Updike has set up a very interesting scenario in which Sammy makes a folly. Being like any other normal teenager, Sammy becomes victim to his overpowering hormones and loses control of his actions. He makes a foolish mistake that was solely based on short term gain. However, the thing that struck me was not his mistake, but the fact that he recognized what he was doing was a mistake, and yet he stuck by it. Sammy's mistake is not that he said he was going to quit, but that he stuck by his decision even though he knew it was wrong. In terms of symbolism, I did notice one image that kept reappearing: sheep. Multiple times throughout the story, Sammy calls the people in the store "sheep." I think that Sammy means the people in the store are so uninteresting, that they are as boring and ordinary as sheep. That is why he is so interested when the girls walk in. They are not sheep. They are distinguished from the rest.
Sammy is set in a grocery store that seems to be a safe bubble for him. He goes through his daily routine however, these girls that walk in tempts Sammy to do something out of the ordinary. Because Sammy tried to impress them he ends up suffering. These girls represent an evil figure, Sammy is tempted by something from the outside world that he is not used to. Lengel represent order and consciousness of Sammy’s decisions. Updike creates a fairly obvious theme of temptation and presents the randomness of life. Everyone in the world goes through something like this, such as being tempted by an easier way out only leading to our own suffering. Updike portrays these women as an item, something that walks into a store, ruins a man's life, and then walks out like nothing happens. The way this story is told it seems as if Updike has a view of women being no good.
This short story by John Updike seems to be a critique on the monotonous day to day lifestyle of the post industrial American Workforce. The store is an metaphor for the sterile and unnatural environment that comprises the modern workplace. totally devoid of nature or freedom, sammy lives from day to day, unaware of the world outside the whitewashed walls of the supermarket.
The old woman in line that Sammy rings up implies that ugliness is a bi product of the sterile lifestyle. She is angry and harsh and cold; presenting an unpleasant figure that must be dealt with in the world of the synthetic.
The young women who walk into the store represent a chance at escape and exotic adventure. their barely clad tan bodies stand in stark contrast to the pail fragile form of Sammy. They present Sammy with a chance to escape the daily grind of unpleasant work that only separates him from the natural world around him.
When Sammy recklessly quits his job in an attempt to impress the young women it seems as though Updike is making a point that foolishly abandoning the world you know in a hail mary escape can have dire consequences. Sammy's choice was foolish and lead to his demise. Although he made a valient attempt to free himself, he must find an alternative to the life he has been living. The true question that Updike presents might be as to whether or not their is a viable alternative to the unnatural world that has become the foundation of the modern age.
It seems to me that in the story “A&P” the way the author treats female imagery is some of the most interesting. The author describes the older woman who is heckling Sammy as a “witch” and because of her momentary burden in his situation, makes her out to be evil, troublesome, and takes her complaints as a personal attack. It seems as though this woman is a symbol for reality and the melancholy world that Sammy experiences in the lackluster job that is working as a cashier. Although she is in Sammy’s immediate situation, she is not brought up until later on in the first paragraph so as to serve as a snap back to reality from Sammy’s other distractions. The bikini clad girls in the store serve as the objects of Sammy’s lusts, and mid-work distraction. They represent potential and Sammy’s less certain ambitions and desires. It seems that the story as a whole is a metaphor for someone (lower middle class working man) taking a risk for a far more frivolous, yet rewarding option (say pursuing a career in something less safe, entrepreneurial ambitions?) and failing. Sammy gives up a small source of comfort (or steady income) in hopes of something more gratifying, and instead does not act cautiously, and fails to accomplish or maintain either of his goals.
In response to Arta's above comment, I would have to disagree on the idea that his hormones are solely to blame for Sammy acting like an idiot. As Arta and I are both guys I think we can look back on our lives and realize that we have the awesome power of free will. we are not so controlled by our hormones that a man becomes lost in some weird sense of reality where every decision he makes, no matter how drastic and disadvantageous it is to his life becomes acceptable if it is in the name of bagging a girl. I believe that Sammy's actions are a sign of his stupidity and youthful recklessness rather than a loss of reason to the powers of testosterone.
In Updikes story we see the mistakes and assumptions of a foolish young man named sammy who takes a leap of faith. The idea of risk taking can be either good or it can be bad, and in this case it turned out to be a bad thing. With any risk; the positives and negatives need to be taken into account. Sammy only saw the positives of what would happen if he accomplished his mission. If he had taken the negatives into account he might have thought through his actions a little better and realized the chances were not worth taking. Everyone has the choice to make a decision so making every last one count is important.
I feel that Sammy deserves a round of applause for quitting after Lengel embarrassed the girls the way he did. It was a stupid and thoughtless act on his part, but it seems like an honorable thing for someone to do even if Sammy only did it to try to get the girls’ attention. This one action did not redeem Sammy’s objectification of women in the story, although that is something that has been done continuously though out history. That he turned the fifty year old customer into a witch because she scolded him for ringing her crackers up twice wasn’t that surprising because most people working at a cashier would probably describe irritating or difficult customers as the batty old hag who doesn’t have a life. Sammy’s view of the girls was also interesting since he saw them as innocent, pretty objects with nice butts. I just kind of find it funny that he wanted to impress them even though he considered them to be more like objects. The last time I checked, it’s pretty hard to impress an object, so it isn’t really surprising that the girls just kept on walking even after he said, “I quit.”
responding to Aaron's comment, I like the way he interpreted Sammy being locked in an inclosed environment and was released when he quit. His response reminds me of the "Allegory of the Cave." The girls were his way of breaking free of the chains and allowing him to be able to make that leap into the light of the another world he has never seen before. It is an interesting perspective. -----Alek
In John Updikes story, the main character Sammy is working at the grocery store. in his boring job, he is constantly being under watch by customers that eat him alive at every mistake that he makes at the register. After any long period of time, anyone would grow bored. but his interest is piqued when three girls enter the supermarket. He watches them as they make their way down the isles following their 'queen bee' at the head. after the girls have paraded throughout the entire supermarket, they finally head towards the check out counter. As he is ringing up their item, Sammy manager sees the girls and heads over. After his boss had humiliated them infront of the entire store, Sammy suddenly quit his job. he did this because he wanted to feel like the hero that saves the damsel in distress. Before he exits, his boss says that he will regret this decision and as soon as he walks out of the store, he did. In a typical act of heroism like this, the damsel is there waiting for the hero and they live happily ever after. but in Sammys case, the girls were no where in sight and he did not have a job anymore.
In response to Dillon’s comment, I would like to say that I don’t think that the girls are necessarily evil just because Sammy doesn’t think before he follows after them. I think that they are more of a representation of Sammy’s ability to have free will, although he does seriously mess his life up with it. With out free will and the ability to make mistakes, we can’t be our own selves, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. Sammy made the choice to step out of his bubble and, while the girls can be viewed as a temptation of sorts, they shouldn’t be condemned as evil. They weren't the ones who made the choice to quit, Sammy was.
As Sammy sits on his trown and peers out across his endless land of stalked isles and grazing human sheep his imagination is forced to create amusing and distracting thoughts. AS he endlessly rings up items, he is able to mentally turn a harmless old woman into a red-cheeked witch, and more importantly, a giggle of three half naked girls into a trophy that must be won at all cost. So as they peruse the food stuffed isles, he mentally prepairs himslef for what was about to be the ultimate display of manliness. Then, when the time came to ride to the rescue of his fair maidens, he quite conspicuously quit his job in hopes that they would notice, and procede to carry him out of the store and into bikini bliss. But to Sammy's supprise, his trophis didnt care about his manly display, and continued to walk out of the store. From this, I think both Sammy and the reader learned alot about womenkind, and the mental effects caused by working a check out counter. From these lessons, I blieve that Sammy will sonsider the long term consicuences of his future actions.
i disagree completly with mark suzuki. As i look back on my testosterone filled years, i have realized that all my actions have been based purley on how manly i was feeling at that time. In reflection, i cannot remember one time where i acutally thought something through. I, just like most teenage boys, have no power of free will, and believe that mark is completly lying. We are all mindless zombies, controlled soley by our drive to "bag" girls. there is no such thing as recklessness, for we teenage men are have all lost to the powers of testosterone.
In response to Ashley's comment, I agree that this is a story that has been repeated many times throughout history. The guy that tries to get the girl. but i dont quite find it that honorable. perhaps if John Updike gave more insight to how strongly Sammy felt about the girls then maybe it would be more plausible. but From my perspective, he saw these girls as nothing more than objects.
I don't think Sammy was trying to impress Queenie, Chubbz, and Chin Girl by quitting his job. I think that when he felt his boss was mistreating them and making them feel uncomfortable, he felt like he should defend them. Although he was checking them out in the beginning, I think it turned into a moral thing towards the end. He was concerned I guess about making an impression, but I don't think his drive was so he could "bag" them...
And in response to Michael, there is such thing as recklessness. You can't blame your behavior solely on hormones. Men, as hard as it is to fathom, DO have the ability to think before acting.
In the short story “A & P” by John Updike; Sammy spends his days working behind a cash register. He continually swipes the random assortment of everyday goods across the counter and is constantly criticized by the ‘cash-register-watchers.’ His existence appears to be supported solely by his imagination. As his work hours turn into days and then into weeks and then into months, he becomes enveloped by boredom and is unable to break away from his monotonous lifestyle. However, he is finally able to break away when three girls wearing nothing but bathing suits stride into the store. He is captivated by them and begins to fall for the ‘queenie’ of the group. In the end, he ends up quitting his job in order to chase after what he saw as the opportunity he was waiting for. But he ultimately realizes that the choices he makes and the paths that he chooses to follow are what layout the life ahead of him.
Updike's story seems to be about the recklessness and rebellion of youth. He uses his imagery to describe how a nineteen year old boy thinks about his environment. These three girls walk into a store not thinking about how people will react upon seeing them, and all he does is focus on one girl's “can.” The usual customers are unlike the three barefoot girls. The lesson Sammy learns is that his rebellion in trying to seem cool was spontaneous, and will not benefit him. He is derogatory to everyone that shops at the A&P, calling them house slaves and sheep, except for “Queenie.” At first he calls the girl in the green plaid “chunky” but near the end “the fat one.” He wants to be better and get the attention of Queenie, who he believes lives an upper-class life. He becomes aggravated when his boss, reprimands the girls for not putting clothing on before coming to shop at the A&P. Trying to get Queenie's attention he quits. It does not work, but he believes that once he has started a gesture “it's fatal not to go through with it.” He has to prove his point. When he goes outside to the parking the girls are gone, and he looks back in the window to see Lengel at his former cash register. He sees how replaceable he is, and that his decision as a nineteen year old was irrational, based on getting the attention of a girl.
-Amy Singleton
In Alek's response I agree with him about how the imagery reveals much about Updike's different characters. By describing the three girl's variation from each other, we get insight to their dynamic as a group, and why Sammy wants to impress the tall one. As the leader she represents his desire of a better position in life, in lifestyle and control.
In John Updike's story "A&P", Updike describes one of his antagonists, the "cash-register-watcher"(Gardner et al. 300), with repulsive imagery and incites a feeling of angst in his readers by involving her in a conflict with Sammy, the righteous protagonist. When Sammy notices the old lady, he unappealingly describes her as, "a witch about fifty with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrows"(300). The woman later gives Sammy a hard time about a mistake that he made when he was ringing up her purchases. Updike's diction creates a feeling of disgust and dislike in his readers as their imaginations fill with unflattering pictures of hags flying on brooms and rude elderly women who lack facial hair. I felt myself building a sort of resentment in my mind against this woman simply because her image was not pleasing in my imagination and she was not friendly to Sammy. In response to Valentin's comment, I thought that Sammy was attracted to Queenie the whole time and was really going after her when he left the store, although he really did like looking at those cans.
Because A & B short story is set in the 1960’s it is very odd for three young girls to be uncovered in the urban public. Updike focuses on images like the hot girl’s neck compared to other two girls less attractive features to elevate her as a character. He labels her as “Queenie,” and paired with her beauty in somewhere mundane like a supermarket, she becomes almost divine. Sammy see’s her bare shoulders and neck, “naked as the day they we born,” and feels like her can see her for her true beauty. When Lengel scolds her for being undressed, Sammy feels like he is insulting her beauty, her holiness. This story makes a true statement in its setting, challenging the common conceptions of beauty and social standards. Sammy repercussion to Lengel’s lecture is a major development of character for Sammy; He goes from being bullied by a register-watching witch to rejecting a family friend for the beauty of a stranger.
In the short story "A&P" by John Updike, the theme of judgment is very present. Sammy immediately judges each person he sees who enters the grocery store. He is very harsh and superficial in his assumptions and looks at women in a way that is common among teenagers. As he observes the three young girls, he sees beauty, style, and greatness within the one he is fond to, and when he views the old women, he sees a wicked witch who is impatient and evil. Sammy seems to be very immature and desires to be a man that impresses women and one that always acts in a “macho” way. After salivating over the girls while they explored the supermarket, Sammy witnesses his boss scolding the bikini girls for wearing their bathing suits in the store. Thinking that an act of manly courage would sway the girls to notice him, he suddenly quits his job in front of them. However, instead of jumping into Sammy’s arms, they barely notice what he had done and leave the store. I think that Updike wrote this short story to illustrate how teenage boys react on instinct and immaturity rather than keen judgment. Also, the story exemplifies how superficial we can be when dealing looks and status in American society. I really enjoyed Maddi’s point that Sammy takes a risk in hopes of something fun and exciting but ends up acting incautiously and losing his job.
I found the imagery that John Updike wrote about the "queenie" girl to be very interesting. Mostly because I am unable to relate to the "beauty" that Sammy sees. Really, the description of all of the girls sort of threw me off because I could see the imagery, but instead of thinking, "that does seem pretty to see her with her straps off of her shoulders," I just wanted her to pull them back up at some point. Almost as if I was afraid of her chest area. I also found this interesting, because I am so used to making sure that the strap of my bathing suit, or even the strap of a dress or tank top doesn't come off my shoulder because I feel like it looks bad, or it is uncomfortable. So it makes me wonder what the girl's motives behind keeping her straps down were.
It was definitely hard to understand why Sammy quit because of the same reason: I did not empathize with his feelings about the girls. It was interesting to read the story and not really feel any emotion towards it. Without any emotional relation to Sammy, I can say that I did not particularly enjoy the story. I mean, there may have been a phrase or two that I thought were funny, or something insignificant that I could feel a response to (like being scared of a girl's chest), but not much beyond that.
The most interesting passage for me was when, on page 274, Updike writes about the siren song of the cash register and Queenie's frozen dairy treat-like breasts. The sudden digression away from the action of the story to follow the empty musings inside Sammy's head as he rings up their order and idolizes the paper currency emerging from the front of her bathing suit. I mean really, I have a hard time imagining being so hot and bothered by some exposed shoulders that I would quit my job because I have been raised in a world with much more lax standards when it comes to promiscuity. Updike used this sidetrack in plot in order to illustrate for the reader how irresponsible Sammy was being when he quit his job without thinking about it first at all. He just got caught up in the drama in the moment like one of his "sheep" and felt like he HAD to do it. The hero of the story always stands up for the underdog and gets the girl. But Sammy is hit hard in the face by reality when he walks out of the store with no job, no girl, and no turning back. I think that because Updike showed what the hopelessly deranged adolescent was thinking (and singing) right before he quit his job provides a contrast to the sobered individual who stands outside the store at the end of the story. For me, that passage is the highlight of the writing because it is well written in the way it follows the thought-path of a 19 year old, and how it helps show the growth that Sammy undergoes.
In response to Dillon, I disagree with the claim that Updike viewed women negatively. Rather, he viewed men as weak and easily hypnotized by crescent moons and scoops of ice cream. Valentin was spot on when he compared the story to Adam and Eve; Queenie and her forbidden fish tempt Sammy into abandoning the duties and rituals of a pious existence in favor of a lusty and carnal relationship.
I like how you explain how he objectifies everyone in the store and gives them names. Even the girl that he wants to impress. I agree with the way you described his thoughts as derogatory. And I also agree with that last bit you said about him being replaceable. Sammy definitely gets a reality check when he's finally cooled down enough to think logically, but it's too late and he doesn't want to give up his "dignity" to go back in and say he made a mistake.
Sammy's overly-analytical observations of women in the story "A&P" by John Updike demonstrate the effects of man's hormonal evolution on the recognition of women as apart of the same specie. As the author takes us into the eyes of a nineteen-year-old man, he allows the reader to explore the teenage world in which women appear as strangers in an observational environment. Sammy feels detached from women, leading him to perceive them as animals in a zoo. From behind the cash register, Sammy witnesses three girls perform regular grocery shopping tasks, yet reacts to each act with foreign ignorance. Sammy thinks to himself, "You never know for sure how girls' minds work (do you really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?)" (Gardner 301). Sammy ponders upon the mental capacity of women, as many might of an animal. Perhaps this is due to the stage of sexual evolution that the protagonist is experiencing at the moment. A natural increase in sexual desire could be to blame for the objectified view that Sammy beholds of women. His analyses of everything anatomical about women, from skin tone to foot behavior, only exemplifies his belief that he is an outsider in the world of women and hold no relation to them whatsoever. The sexually charged aspect of Sammy's view is most apparent in his reaction to "Queenie". As she places her item on the counter, Sammy thinks it "was so cute" (303). Even the most average of actions from a woman could spark a sexual interpretation, due to his view that women are foreign objects and a source of pleasure. Through Sammy, we learn about the hormone-tainted view of teenage men towards women and how it objectifies them.
In response to Amy's comment, I believe that the source behind Sammy's rude behavior towards women has less to do with rebellion, and more to do with a misunderstanding due to a sexually-controlled mindset. Sammy only sees women for their physical attributes. Like an animal, Sammy instinctually choses the leader of the pack of girls to fixate on because of her strong attitude and less "chunky" features. For the rest of the women in the grocery store, he deems useless, but not because he is angry, it is because he finds no pleasure in their appearance.
The lesson that Sammy learns in Updikeʻs short story A&P is that you cant always be the "knight in shining armor" or savior. Although Sammy did attempt to protect these girls they did not acknowledge the fact that he did. His preoccupation with the physical aspects of the girls distracted him from their mental attributes. This is also something that is true in life. If one is too worried about the physical aspects of a person then other areas will be compromised. Another thing is that by jumping to conclusions and assuming that by quitting his job he would gain the girlsʻ admiration, he actually ended up loosing his job as well as the girls. These lapses in judgment will affect Sammy for many years to come not only through his learning from this experience but also financially and occupationally. By Quitting his job he no longer has a means of earning money and he cant use his prior job as a good resource for getting another job. I think that these lessons are a part of life and Sammy learning them at a younger age is better.
In response to Dylan Kingʻs comment, I agree in that Updike may have written this short story as an insight into the teenage boy psyche and in some ways it seems to be true. As teenagers we often make rash decisions and are quick to categorize and judge people before we truly get to know them. There are also times when teenagers make good sound decisions. This is why I feel that the short story only gives half of a true insight into the typical teenage boy.
Updike’s story hinges on his use of descriptive language both to comment on the female form and to transform the reader into the story’s world. In an effect, Updike places us in Sammy’s shoes, allowing us to better understand his point of view and his situation. Updike’s language revolving around the girls allows us to better see how Sammy views the girls—he focuses on their “cans” and their appearances, labeling one as a “chunky kid,” revealing a bit about how society links weight and beauty. At one point he describes Queenie’s legs as “primadonna” revealing her spoiled-bratness. With descriptions about the girls’ appearances allow the reader to better get a feeling for who they are and how Sammy views them. By taking us into Sammy’s world, we see through his eyes as the girls go from aisle to aisle. One image that sounds out is the “cat-and-dog-food-breakfast-cereal-macaroni-rice-raisins-seasonings-spreads-spaghetti-soft-drinks-crackers-and-cookies aisle” (301). I find this string of words together to be a fascinating image as Updike is transforming language to his own use; he uses the language to create a definitive image in the reader’s mind. Product name details such as “Diet Delight peaches,” “Kingfish Fancy Herring Snacks,” and “Pure Sour Cream” give me a sense of detail that allows me to fully grasp the nuances of the scene.
Regarding Updike’s message in the story through the lesson Sammy learns—Updike seems to be commenting on the implication of standing up for what is right. While it may not be best for Sammy to quit because it will jeopardize his future, it is what he views as right—he sees himself standing up for the girls and protecting them. He feels that Lengel treated them unfairly and did not treat them with the respect that each customer deserves. Sammy’s action to stand up to his boss and to stand up for what is right is a great message—it is more important to do what is right than to do what is popular.
In response to Rain’s comment, I agree that Updike does a great job of using diction to create a certain feeling in the reader’s mind. He is able through upsettingly harsh language, to instill in the reader a sense of distaste for the cash-register-lady. I found myself really hating this character because Updike portrayed her as so and seems to have wanted us to not like this character. Similarly, Updike uses diction and word choice to convey Sammy’s point of view toward the girls. He somewhat objectifies the women, but in a seemingly innocent fashion, revealing his immature feelings for women as a 19-year-old boy. Thus, throughout the short story, Updike uses his descriptive language to reveal certain beliefs and attitudes toward characters.
Updike’s story hinges on his use of descriptive language both to comment on the female form and to transform the reader into the story’s world. In an effect, Updike places us in Sammy’s shoes, allowing us to better understand his point of view and his situation. Updike’s language revolving around the girls allows us to better see how Sammy views the girls—he focuses on their “cans” and their appearances, labeling one as a “chunky kid,” revealing a bit about how society links weight and beauty. At one point he describes Queenie’s legs as “primadonna” revealing her spoiled-bratness. With descriptions about the girls’ appearances allow the reader to better get a feeling for who they are and how Sammy views them. By taking us into Sammy’s world, we see through his eyes as the girls go from aisle to aisle. One image that sounds out is the “cat-and-dog-food-breakfast-cereal-macaroni-rice-raisins-seasonings-spreads-spaghetti-soft-drinks-crackers-and-cookies aisle” (301). I find this string of words together to be a fascinating image as Updike is transforming language to his own use; he uses the language to create a definitive image in the reader’s mind. Product name details such as “Diet Delight peaches,” “Kingfish Fancy Herring Snacks,” and “Pure Sour Cream” give me a sense of detail that allows me to fully grasp the nuances of the scene.
Regarding Updike’s message in the story through the lesson Sammy learns—Updike seems to be commenting on the implication of standing up for what is right. While it may not be best for Sammy to quit because it will jeopardize his future, it is what he views as right—he sees himself standing up for the girls and protecting them. He feels that Lengel treated them unfairly and did not treat them with the respect that each customer deserves. Sammy’s action to stand up to his boss and to stand up for what is right is a great message—it is more important to do what is right than to do what is popular.
In response to Rain’s comment, I agree that Updike does a great job of using diction to create a certain feeling in the reader’s mind. He is able through upsettingly harsh language, to instill in the reader a sense of distaste for the cash-register-lady. I found myself really hating this character because Updike portrayed her as so and seems to have wanted us to not like this character. Similarly, Updike uses diction and word choice to convey Sammy’s point of view toward the girls. He somewhat objectifies the women, but in a seemingly innocent fashion, revealing his immature feelings for women as a 19-year-old boy. Thus, throughout the short story, Updike uses his descriptive language to reveal certain beliefs and attitudes toward characters.
Sammy makes a foolish decision in the story by quitting his job because he tries to impress the girls that walk in the store. He ends up regretting his decision because the girls leave the store, and he is left with nothing now. Sammy is also prodded by the old, annoying lady at the register that criticizes him for scanning the items at the register wrong. I think that the author tries not to create to much of an emotional attachment between Sammy and the reader, so that we do not feel too much pity when he loses his job. In my opinion, the author wants us to criticize Sammy for his foolishness, and learn from his mistakes. Because in the end, Sammy regrets his decision, and wants his job back.
Sammy loses control of his hormomes when the girls walk in the store. He then made the stupid decision to quit his job just to for the short term gain of impressing the girls. He knew what he was doing was stupid, and yet he did it anyway. The setting takes place in a grocery store, mostly by a cash register. Sammy calls the employees of the store "sheep" because they are all the same, nothing special. So when the girls enter the store he becomes very interested in them. As a reader we dont feel sorry for him at all because he was well aware what he was doing.
In John Updike's short story, A&P their lies an overbearing theme of individualism. Each person in their own right goes against the grain of 1960's american suburbia. Sammy the jaded young man working behind the grocery store register passes judgement on the people around him. Sammy's angry and opinionated personality, "she gives me a little snort in passing, if she'd been born at the right time they would have burned her over in salem," cause him to be an unfit candidate in the service industry. The three nekkid ladies who walk into the grocery store are expressing their individualism by going against the accepted customs in their part of America. Sammy speaks out as an idnividual when he quits his job at the grocery store. Their are many incidents in the brief pages displaying Sams general contempt for everything around him except for the three young girls. When he quits and realizes they arent waiting for him with open arms Sam comes back to reality and remembers the harshness found in quick decisions.
Concerning both Updike's setting and themes, I saw the grocery store as a sterile environment--a bubble detached from the outside world that people only enter when they have to, never for fun, but for practicality. Sammy participates in the monotony of the store, and sees the girls that walk in as a taste of the outside world. They represent opportunity, a flavor of a different lifestyle that contrasts the aprons and shiny floors of a supermarket. Sammy seems to realize all the hours he has spent mindlessly scanning items, and through impulse--a key word that represents the climax of the story--quits his job to pursue opportunity. However, once opportunities leave they do not return.
ReplyDelete-Aaron
The imagery of the people John Updike uses in A & P is very descriptive and reveals a lot of detail about the character’s personality, especially when he is describes the three girls. There is the fat one, chubby berry faced one, and the tall one. The tall one is known as, what Sammy calls her, “Queenie.” She is the leader of the pack; Updike displays her as a stuck up arrogant girl who thinks she can do whatever she wants. While stalking her with his eyes, his hormones play a major factor in making decision for him and unfortunately he makes a terrible decision. He thinks quitting his job will impress the girls and he will end up being the shining knight in armor. But he was completely wrong, he receives no girls, and in the end has no job. He knows this decision will stay with him for the rest of his life. He realizes the world is different outside of the store and will be much more difficult.
ReplyDelete----- Alek Stefanov---------
In the short story, Updike contrasts both voluptuous and fragile imagery to objectify the women in the story. The women in the bathing suits represent the working man (possibly even the working class)'s elusive and volatile fantasies, whereas the old Salem-bound witch woman brings Sammy back to the reality of his monotonous life.
ReplyDeleteAs far of a stretch as the following idea will seem, I think that the author is creating a modern interpretation to the story of Adam and Eve, if not alluding to it slightly. The women who enter the store hardly dressed represent the carnal desire that plagues mankind and distracts him from his daily obligations. The fact that Sammy quit, and left in search of the girls (with the sweet cans) parallels Adam's expulsion from Eden in which he is led astray by a woman. Ironically, they have more confidence about their nakedness than the classic story of Eve- creating a social reversal.
Because the novel is placed in the 1960s, the girls' attire represent a daring, sensual expression. Hopefully Updike was trying to convey the idea that man's fantasies and objectified ideas of women lead them away from productivity, criticizing Sammy's decisions and not the girls who were basically starving.
I'm all for individualist expression and what not, but Sammy was totally idiotic in quitting his job to merely impress the girls. Besides, if you're a woman in the 1960's, and you have to pick up some grindz, put some clothes on and avoid all this drama to begin with. Not to mention Sammy was just gushing over them like they were all that and a bag of chips.
And to end, I think its ironic that the woman who was buying the Hi-Ho snacks was thought of as a witch, but the girls who came in, due to their beauty, were seen as completely innocent- yet THEY were the ones to lead him to his demise. Mhhmmm..that's what I THOUGHT YOU SAID.
John Updike has set up a very interesting scenario in which Sammy makes a folly. Being like any other normal teenager, Sammy becomes victim to his overpowering hormones and loses control of his actions. He makes a foolish mistake that was solely based on short term gain. However, the thing that struck me was not his mistake, but the fact that he recognized what he was doing was a mistake, and yet he stuck by it. Sammy's mistake is not that he said he was going to quit, but that he stuck by his decision even though he knew it was wrong. In terms of symbolism, I did notice one image that kept reappearing: sheep. Multiple times throughout the story, Sammy calls the people in the store "sheep." I think that Sammy means the people in the store are so uninteresting, that they are as boring and ordinary as sheep. That is why he is so interested when the girls walk in. They are not sheep. They are distinguished from the rest.
ReplyDeleteJohn Updike has set up a very interesting scenario in which Sammy makes a folly. Being like any other normal teenager, Sammy becomes victim to his overpowering hormones and loses control of his actions. He makes a foolish mistake that was solely based on short term gain. However, the thing that struck me was not his mistake, but the fact that he recognized what he was doing was a mistake, and yet he stuck by it. Sammy's mistake is not that he said he was going to quit, but that he stuck by his decision even though he knew it was wrong. In terms of symbolism, I did notice one image that kept reappearing: sheep. Multiple times throughout the story, Sammy calls the people in the store "sheep." I think that Sammy means the people in the store are so uninteresting, that they are as boring and ordinary as sheep. That is why he is so interested when the girls walk in. They are not sheep. They are distinguished from the rest.
Arta Shirkhodai
Sammy is set in a grocery store that seems to be a safe bubble for him. He goes through his daily routine however, these girls that walk in tempts Sammy to do something out of the ordinary. Because Sammy tried to impress them he ends up suffering. These girls represent an evil figure, Sammy is tempted by something from the outside world that he is not used to. Lengel represent order and consciousness of Sammy’s decisions. Updike creates a fairly obvious theme of temptation and presents the randomness of life. Everyone in the world goes through something like this, such as being tempted by an easier way out only leading to our own suffering. Updike portrays these women as an item, something that walks into a store, ruins a man's life, and then walks out like nothing happens. The way this story is told it seems as if Updike has a view of women being no good.
ReplyDelete-Dillon George
This short story by John Updike seems to be a critique on the monotonous day to day lifestyle of the post industrial American Workforce. The store is an metaphor for the sterile and unnatural environment that comprises the modern workplace. totally devoid of nature or freedom, sammy lives from day to day, unaware of the world outside the whitewashed walls of the supermarket.
ReplyDeleteThe old woman in line that Sammy rings up implies that ugliness is a bi product of the sterile lifestyle. She is angry and harsh and cold; presenting an unpleasant figure that must be dealt with in the world of the synthetic.
The young women who walk into the store represent a chance at escape and exotic adventure. their barely clad tan bodies stand in stark contrast to the pail fragile form of Sammy. They present Sammy with a chance to escape the daily grind of unpleasant work that only separates him from the natural world around him.
When Sammy recklessly quits his job in an attempt to impress the young women it seems as though Updike is making a point that foolishly abandoning the world you know in a hail mary escape can have dire consequences. Sammy's choice was foolish and lead to his demise. Although he made a valient attempt to free himself, he must find an alternative to the life he has been living. The true question that Updike presents might be as to whether or not their is a viable alternative to the unnatural world that has become the foundation of the modern age.
It seems to me that in the story “A&P” the way the author treats female imagery is some of the most interesting. The author describes the older woman who is heckling Sammy as a “witch” and because of her momentary burden in his situation, makes her out to be evil, troublesome, and takes her complaints as a personal attack. It seems as though this woman is a symbol for reality and the melancholy world that Sammy experiences in the lackluster job that is working as a cashier. Although she is in Sammy’s immediate situation, she is not brought up until later on in the first paragraph so as to serve as a snap back to reality from Sammy’s other distractions. The bikini clad girls in the store serve as the objects of Sammy’s lusts, and mid-work distraction. They represent potential and Sammy’s less certain ambitions and desires. It seems that the story as a whole is a metaphor for someone (lower middle class working man) taking a risk for a far more frivolous, yet rewarding option (say pursuing a career in something less safe, entrepreneurial ambitions?) and failing. Sammy gives up a small source of comfort (or steady income) in hopes of something more gratifying, and instead does not act cautiously, and fails to accomplish or maintain either of his goals.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Arta's above comment, I would have to disagree on the idea that his hormones are solely to blame for Sammy acting like an idiot. As Arta and I are both guys I think we can look back on our lives and realize that we have the awesome power of free will. we are not so controlled by our hormones that a man becomes lost in some weird sense of reality where every decision he makes, no matter how drastic and disadvantageous it is to his life becomes acceptable if it is in the name of bagging a girl. I believe that Sammy's actions are a sign of his stupidity and youthful recklessness rather than a loss of reason to the powers of testosterone.
ReplyDeleteIn Updikes story we see the mistakes and assumptions of a foolish young man named sammy who takes a leap of faith. The idea of risk taking can be either good or it can be bad, and in this case it turned out to be a bad thing. With any risk; the positives and negatives need to be taken into account. Sammy only saw the positives of what would happen if he accomplished his mission. If he had taken the negatives into account he might have thought through his actions a little better and realized the chances were not worth taking. Everyone has the choice to make a decision so making every last one count is important.
ReplyDeleteI feel that Sammy deserves a round of applause for quitting after Lengel embarrassed the girls the way he did. It was a stupid and thoughtless act on his part, but it seems like an honorable thing for someone to do even if Sammy only did it to try to get the girls’ attention. This one action did not redeem Sammy’s objectification of women in the story, although that is something that has been done continuously though out history. That he turned the fifty year old customer into a witch because she scolded him for ringing her crackers up twice wasn’t that surprising because most people working at a cashier would probably describe irritating or difficult customers as the batty old hag who doesn’t have a life. Sammy’s view of the girls was also interesting since he saw them as innocent, pretty objects with nice butts. I just kind of find it funny that he wanted to impress them even though he considered them to be more like objects. The last time I checked, it’s pretty hard to impress an object, so it isn’t really surprising that the girls just kept on walking even after he said, “I quit.”
ReplyDeleteresponding to Aaron's comment, I like the way he interpreted Sammy being locked in an inclosed environment and was released when he quit. His response reminds me of the "Allegory of the Cave." The girls were his way of breaking free of the chains and allowing him to be able to make that leap into the light of the another world he has never seen before. It is an interesting perspective.
ReplyDelete-----Alek
In John Updikes story, the main character Sammy is working at the grocery store. in his boring job, he is constantly being under watch by customers that eat him alive at every mistake that he makes at the register. After any long period of time, anyone would grow bored. but his interest is piqued when three girls enter the supermarket. He watches them as they make their way down the isles following their 'queen bee' at the head. after the girls have paraded throughout the entire supermarket, they finally head towards the check out counter. As he is ringing up their item, Sammy manager sees the girls and heads over. After his boss had humiliated them infront of the entire store, Sammy suddenly quit his job. he did this because he wanted to feel like the hero that saves the damsel in distress. Before he exits, his boss says that he will regret this decision and as soon as he walks out of the store, he did. In a typical act of heroism like this, the damsel is there waiting for the hero and they live happily ever after. but in Sammys case, the girls were no where in sight and he did not have a job anymore.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Dillon’s comment, I would like to say that I don’t think that the girls are necessarily evil just because Sammy doesn’t think before he follows after them. I think that they are more of a representation of Sammy’s ability to have free will, although he does seriously mess his life up with it. With out free will and the ability to make mistakes, we can’t be our own selves, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. Sammy made the choice to step out of his bubble and, while the girls can be viewed as a temptation of sorts, they shouldn’t be condemned as evil. They weren't the ones who made the choice to quit, Sammy was.
ReplyDeleteAs Sammy sits on his trown and peers out across his endless land of stalked isles and grazing human sheep his imagination is forced to create amusing and distracting thoughts. AS he endlessly rings up items, he is able to mentally turn a harmless old woman into a red-cheeked witch, and more importantly, a giggle of three half naked girls into a trophy that must be won at all cost. So as they peruse the food stuffed isles, he mentally prepairs himslef for what was about to be the ultimate display of manliness. Then, when the time came to ride to the rescue of his fair maidens, he quite conspicuously quit his job in hopes that they would notice, and procede to carry him out of the store and into bikini bliss. But to Sammy's supprise, his trophis didnt care about his manly display, and continued to walk out of the store. From this, I think both Sammy and the reader learned alot about womenkind, and the mental effects caused by working a check out counter. From these lessons, I blieve that Sammy will sonsider the long term consicuences of his future actions.
ReplyDeletei disagree completly with mark suzuki. As i look back on my testosterone filled years, i have realized that all my actions have been based purley on how manly i was feeling at that time. In reflection, i cannot remember one time where i acutally thought something through. I, just like most teenage boys, have no power of free will, and believe that mark is completly lying. We are all mindless zombies, controlled soley by our drive to "bag" girls. there is no such thing as recklessness, for we teenage men are have all lost to the powers of testosterone.
-Michael Brown
In response to Ashley's comment, I agree that this is a story that has been repeated many times throughout history. The guy that tries to get the girl. but i dont quite find it that honorable. perhaps if John Updike gave more insight to how strongly Sammy felt about the girls then maybe it would be more plausible. but From my perspective, he saw these girls as nothing more than objects.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Sammy was trying to impress Queenie, Chubbz, and Chin Girl by quitting his job. I think that when he felt his boss was mistreating them and making them feel uncomfortable, he felt like he should defend them. Although he was checking them out in the beginning, I think it turned into a moral thing towards the end. He was concerned I guess about making an impression, but I don't think his drive was so he could "bag" them...
ReplyDeleteAnd in response to Michael, there is such thing as recklessness. You can't blame your behavior solely on hormones. Men, as hard as it is to fathom, DO have the ability to think before acting.
ReplyDeleteIn the short story “A & P” by John Updike; Sammy spends his days working behind a cash register. He continually swipes the random assortment of everyday goods across the counter and is constantly criticized by the ‘cash-register-watchers.’ His existence appears to be supported solely by his imagination. As his work hours turn into days and then into weeks and then into months, he becomes enveloped by boredom and is unable to break away from his monotonous lifestyle. However, he is finally able to break away when three girls wearing nothing but bathing suits stride into the store. He is captivated by them and begins to fall for the ‘queenie’ of the group. In the end, he ends up quitting his job in order to chase after what he saw as the opportunity he was waiting for. But he ultimately realizes that the choices he makes and the paths that he chooses to follow are what layout the life ahead of him.
ReplyDelete~Zach
Updike's story seems to be about the recklessness and rebellion of youth. He uses his imagery to describe how a nineteen year old boy thinks about his environment. These three girls walk into a store not thinking about how people will react upon seeing them, and all he does is focus on one girl's “can.” The usual customers are unlike the three barefoot girls. The lesson Sammy learns is that his rebellion in trying to seem cool was spontaneous, and will not benefit him. He is derogatory to everyone that shops at the A&P, calling them house slaves and sheep, except for “Queenie.” At first he calls the girl in the green plaid “chunky” but near the end “the fat one.” He wants to be better and get the attention of Queenie, who he believes lives an upper-class life. He becomes aggravated when his boss, reprimands the girls for not putting clothing on before coming to shop at the A&P. Trying to get Queenie's attention he quits. It does not work, but he believes that once he has started a gesture “it's fatal not to go through with it.” He has to prove his point. When he goes outside to the parking the girls are gone, and he looks back in the window to see Lengel at his former cash register. He sees how replaceable he is, and that his decision as a nineteen year old was irrational, based on getting the attention of a girl.
ReplyDelete-Amy Singleton
In Alek's response I agree with him about how the imagery reveals much about Updike's different characters. By describing the three girl's variation from each other, we get insight to their dynamic as a group, and why Sammy wants to impress the tall one. As the leader she represents his desire of a better position in life, in lifestyle and control.
In John Updike's story "A&P", Updike describes one of his antagonists, the "cash-register-watcher"(Gardner et al. 300), with repulsive imagery and incites a feeling of angst in his readers by involving her in a conflict with Sammy, the righteous protagonist. When Sammy notices the old lady, he unappealingly describes her as, "a witch about fifty with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrows"(300). The woman later gives Sammy a hard time about a mistake that he made when he was ringing up her purchases. Updike's diction creates a feeling of disgust and dislike in his readers as their imaginations fill with unflattering pictures of hags flying on brooms and rude elderly women who lack facial hair. I felt myself building a sort of resentment in my mind against this woman simply because her image was not pleasing in my imagination and she was not friendly to Sammy.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Valentin's comment, I thought that Sammy was attracted to Queenie the whole time and was really going after her when he left the store, although he really did like looking at those cans.
Because A & B short story is set in the 1960’s it is very odd for three young girls to be uncovered in the urban public. Updike focuses on images like the hot girl’s neck compared to other two girls less attractive features to elevate her as a character. He labels her as “Queenie,” and paired with her beauty in somewhere mundane like a supermarket, she becomes almost divine. Sammy see’s her bare shoulders and neck, “naked as the day they we born,” and feels like her can see her for her true beauty. When Lengel scolds her for being undressed, Sammy feels like he is insulting her beauty, her holiness. This story makes a true statement in its setting, challenging the common conceptions of beauty and social standards. Sammy repercussion to Lengel’s lecture is a major development of character for Sammy; He goes from being bullied by a register-watching witch to rejecting a family friend for the beauty of a stranger.
ReplyDeleteIn the short story "A&P" by John Updike, the theme of judgment is very present. Sammy immediately judges each person he sees who enters the grocery store. He is very harsh and superficial in his assumptions and looks at women in a way that is common among teenagers. As he observes the three young girls, he sees beauty, style, and greatness within the one he is fond to, and when he views the old women, he sees a wicked witch who is impatient and evil. Sammy seems to be very immature and desires to be a man that impresses women and one that always acts in a “macho” way. After salivating over the girls while they explored the supermarket, Sammy witnesses his boss scolding the bikini girls for wearing their bathing suits in the store. Thinking that an act of manly courage would sway the girls to notice him, he suddenly quits his job in front of them. However, instead of jumping into Sammy’s arms, they barely notice what he had done and leave the store. I think that Updike wrote this short story to illustrate how teenage boys react on instinct and immaturity rather than keen judgment. Also, the story exemplifies how superficial we can be when dealing looks and status in American society. I really enjoyed Maddi’s point that Sammy takes a risk in hopes of something fun and exciting but ends up acting incautiously and losing his job.
ReplyDeleteDylan King
I found the imagery that John Updike wrote about the "queenie" girl to be very interesting. Mostly because I am unable to relate to the "beauty" that Sammy sees. Really, the description of all of the girls sort of threw me off because I could see the imagery, but instead of thinking, "that does seem pretty to see her with her straps off of her shoulders," I just wanted her to pull them back up at some point. Almost as if I was afraid of her chest area. I also found this interesting, because I am so used to making sure that the strap of my bathing suit, or even the strap of a dress or tank top doesn't come off my shoulder because I feel like it looks bad, or it is uncomfortable. So it makes me wonder what the girl's motives behind keeping her straps down were.
ReplyDeleteIt was definitely hard to understand why Sammy quit because of the same reason: I did not empathize with his feelings about the girls. It was interesting to read the story and not really feel any emotion towards it. Without any emotional relation to Sammy, I can say that I did not particularly enjoy the story. I mean, there may have been a phrase or two that I thought were funny, or something insignificant that I could feel a response to (like being scared of a girl's chest), but not much beyond that.
-Fern Young
The most interesting passage for me was when, on page 274, Updike writes about the siren song of the cash register and Queenie's frozen dairy treat-like breasts. The sudden digression away from the action of the story to follow the empty musings inside Sammy's head as he rings up their order and idolizes the paper currency emerging from the front of her bathing suit. I mean really, I have a hard time imagining being so hot and bothered by some exposed shoulders that I would quit my job because I have been raised in a world with much more lax standards when it comes to promiscuity. Updike used this sidetrack in plot in order to illustrate for the reader how irresponsible Sammy was being when he quit his job without thinking about it first at all. He just got caught up in the drama in the moment like one of his "sheep" and felt like he HAD to do it. The hero of the story always stands up for the underdog and gets the girl. But Sammy is hit hard in the face by reality when he walks out of the store with no job, no girl, and no turning back. I think that because Updike showed what the hopelessly deranged adolescent was thinking (and singing) right before he quit his job provides a contrast to the sobered individual who stands outside the store at the end of the story. For me, that passage is the highlight of the writing because it is well written in the way it follows the thought-path of a 19 year old, and how it helps show the growth that Sammy undergoes.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Dillon, I disagree with the claim that Updike viewed women negatively. Rather, he viewed men as weak and easily hypnotized by crescent moons and scoops of ice cream. Valentin was spot on when he compared the story to Adam and Eve; Queenie and her forbidden fish tempt Sammy into abandoning the duties and rituals of a pious existence in favor of a lusty and carnal relationship.
Miles Kelsey
In response to Amy:
ReplyDeleteI like how you explain how he objectifies everyone in the store and gives them names. Even the girl that he wants to impress. I agree with the way you described his thoughts as derogatory. And I also agree with that last bit you said about him being replaceable. Sammy definitely gets a reality check when he's finally cooled down enough to think logically, but it's too late and he doesn't want to give up his "dignity" to go back in and say he made a mistake.
Sammy's overly-analytical observations of women in the story "A&P" by John Updike demonstrate the effects of man's hormonal evolution on the recognition of women as apart of the same specie. As the author takes us into the eyes of a nineteen-year-old man, he allows the reader to explore the teenage world in which women appear as strangers in an observational environment. Sammy feels detached from women, leading him to perceive them as animals in a zoo. From behind the cash register, Sammy witnesses three girls perform regular grocery shopping tasks, yet reacts to each act with foreign ignorance. Sammy thinks to himself, "You never know for sure how girls' minds work (do you really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?)" (Gardner 301). Sammy ponders upon the mental capacity of women, as many might of an animal. Perhaps this is due to the stage of sexual evolution that the protagonist is experiencing at the moment. A natural increase in sexual desire could be to blame for the objectified view that Sammy beholds of women. His analyses of everything anatomical about women, from skin tone to foot behavior, only exemplifies his belief that he is an outsider in the world of women and hold no relation to them whatsoever. The sexually charged aspect of Sammy's view is most apparent in his reaction to "Queenie". As she places her item on the counter, Sammy thinks it "was so cute" (303). Even the most average of actions from a woman could spark a sexual interpretation, due to his view that women are foreign objects and a source of pleasure. Through Sammy, we learn about the hormone-tainted view of teenage men towards women and how it objectifies them.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Amy's comment, I believe that the source behind Sammy's rude behavior towards women has less to do with rebellion, and more to do with a misunderstanding due to a sexually-controlled mindset. Sammy only sees women for their physical attributes. Like an animal, Sammy instinctually choses the leader of the pack of girls to fixate on because of her strong attitude and less "chunky" features. For the rest of the women in the grocery store, he deems useless, but not because he is angry, it is because he finds no pleasure in their appearance.
The lesson that Sammy learns in Updikeʻs short story A&P is that you cant always be the "knight in shining armor" or savior. Although Sammy did attempt to protect these girls they did not acknowledge the fact that he did. His preoccupation with the physical aspects of the girls distracted him from their mental attributes. This is also something that is true in life. If one is too worried about the physical aspects of a person then other areas will be compromised. Another thing is that by jumping to conclusions and assuming that by quitting his job he would gain the girlsʻ admiration, he actually ended up loosing his job as well as the girls. These lapses in judgment will affect Sammy for many years to come not only through his learning from this experience but also financially and occupationally. By Quitting his job he no longer has a means of earning money and he cant use his prior job as a good resource for getting another job. I think that these lessons are a part of life and Sammy learning them at a younger age is better.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Dylan Kingʻs comment, I agree in that Updike may have written this short story as an insight into the teenage boy psyche and in some ways it seems to be true. As teenagers we often make rash decisions and are quick to categorize and judge people before we truly get to know them. There are also times when teenagers make good sound decisions. This is why I feel that the short story only gives half of a true insight into the typical teenage boy.
This is Clyde:
ReplyDeleteUpdike’s story hinges on his use of descriptive language both to comment on the female form and to transform the reader into the story’s world. In an effect, Updike places us in Sammy’s shoes, allowing us to better understand his point of view and his situation. Updike’s language revolving around the girls allows us to better see how Sammy views the girls—he focuses on their “cans” and their appearances, labeling one as a “chunky kid,” revealing a bit about how society links weight and beauty. At one point he describes Queenie’s legs as “primadonna” revealing her spoiled-bratness. With descriptions about the girls’ appearances allow the reader to better get a feeling for who they are and how Sammy views them. By taking us into Sammy’s world, we see through his eyes as the girls go from aisle to aisle. One image that sounds out is the “cat-and-dog-food-breakfast-cereal-macaroni-rice-raisins-seasonings-spreads-spaghetti-soft-drinks-crackers-and-cookies aisle” (301). I find this string of words together to be a fascinating image as Updike is transforming language to his own use; he uses the language to create a definitive image in the reader’s mind. Product name details such as “Diet Delight peaches,” “Kingfish Fancy Herring Snacks,” and “Pure Sour Cream” give me a sense of detail that allows me to fully grasp the nuances of the scene.
Regarding Updike’s message in the story through the lesson Sammy learns—Updike seems to be commenting on the implication of standing up for what is right. While it may not be best for Sammy to quit because it will jeopardize his future, it is what he views as right—he sees himself standing up for the girls and protecting them. He feels that Lengel treated them unfairly and did not treat them with the respect that each customer deserves. Sammy’s action to stand up to his boss and to stand up for what is right is a great message—it is more important to do what is right than to do what is popular.
In response to Rain’s comment, I agree that Updike does a great job of using diction to create a certain feeling in the reader’s mind. He is able through upsettingly harsh language, to instill in the reader a sense of distaste for the cash-register-lady. I found myself really hating this character because Updike portrayed her as so and seems to have wanted us to not like this character. Similarly, Updike uses diction and word choice to convey Sammy’s point of view toward the girls. He somewhat objectifies the women, but in a seemingly innocent fashion, revealing his immature feelings for women as a 19-year-old boy. Thus, throughout the short story, Updike uses his descriptive language to reveal certain beliefs and attitudes toward characters.
-Clyde W. Engle, Jr.
This is Clyde:
ReplyDeleteUpdike’s story hinges on his use of descriptive language both to comment on the female form and to transform the reader into the story’s world. In an effect, Updike places us in Sammy’s shoes, allowing us to better understand his point of view and his situation. Updike’s language revolving around the girls allows us to better see how Sammy views the girls—he focuses on their “cans” and their appearances, labeling one as a “chunky kid,” revealing a bit about how society links weight and beauty. At one point he describes Queenie’s legs as “primadonna” revealing her spoiled-bratness. With descriptions about the girls’ appearances allow the reader to better get a feeling for who they are and how Sammy views them. By taking us into Sammy’s world, we see through his eyes as the girls go from aisle to aisle. One image that sounds out is the “cat-and-dog-food-breakfast-cereal-macaroni-rice-raisins-seasonings-spreads-spaghetti-soft-drinks-crackers-and-cookies aisle” (301). I find this string of words together to be a fascinating image as Updike is transforming language to his own use; he uses the language to create a definitive image in the reader’s mind. Product name details such as “Diet Delight peaches,” “Kingfish Fancy Herring Snacks,” and “Pure Sour Cream” give me a sense of detail that allows me to fully grasp the nuances of the scene.
Regarding Updike’s message in the story through the lesson Sammy learns—Updike seems to be commenting on the implication of standing up for what is right. While it may not be best for Sammy to quit because it will jeopardize his future, it is what he views as right—he sees himself standing up for the girls and protecting them. He feels that Lengel treated them unfairly and did not treat them with the respect that each customer deserves. Sammy’s action to stand up to his boss and to stand up for what is right is a great message—it is more important to do what is right than to do what is popular.
In response to Rain’s comment, I agree that Updike does a great job of using diction to create a certain feeling in the reader’s mind. He is able through upsettingly harsh language, to instill in the reader a sense of distaste for the cash-register-lady. I found myself really hating this character because Updike portrayed her as so and seems to have wanted us to not like this character. Similarly, Updike uses diction and word choice to convey Sammy’s point of view toward the girls. He somewhat objectifies the women, but in a seemingly innocent fashion, revealing his immature feelings for women as a 19-year-old boy. Thus, throughout the short story, Updike uses his descriptive language to reveal certain beliefs and attitudes toward characters.
~Clyde
Sammy makes a foolish decision in the story by quitting his job because he tries to impress the girls that walk in the store. He ends up regretting his decision because the girls leave the store, and he is left with nothing now. Sammy is also prodded by the old, annoying lady at the register that criticizes him for scanning the items at the register wrong. I think that the author tries not to create to much of an emotional attachment between Sammy and the reader, so that we do not feel too much pity when he loses his job. In my opinion, the author wants us to criticize Sammy for his foolishness, and learn from his mistakes. Because in the end, Sammy regrets his decision, and wants his job back.
ReplyDeleteSammy loses control of his hormomes when the girls walk in the store. He then made the stupid decision to quit his job just to for the short term gain of impressing the girls. He knew what he was doing was stupid, and yet he did it anyway. The setting takes place in a grocery store, mostly by a cash register. Sammy calls the employees of the store "sheep" because they are all the same, nothing special. So when the girls enter the store he becomes very interested in them. As a reader we dont feel sorry for him at all because he was well aware what he was doing.
ReplyDeleteIn John Updike's short story, A&P their lies an overbearing theme of individualism. Each person in their own right goes against the grain of 1960's american suburbia. Sammy the jaded young man working behind the grocery store register passes judgement on the people around him. Sammy's angry and opinionated personality, "she gives me a little snort in passing, if she'd been born at the right time they would have burned her over in salem," cause him to be an unfit candidate in the service industry. The three nekkid ladies who walk into the grocery store are expressing their individualism by going against the accepted customs in their part of America. Sammy speaks out as an idnividual when he quits his job at the grocery store. Their are many incidents in the brief pages displaying Sams general contempt for everything around him except for the three young girls. When he quits and realizes they arent waiting for him with open arms Sam comes back to reality and remembers the harshness found in quick decisions.
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