Adopting Social Norms In John Updike's A And P

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As dependents of their parents, young people do not understand the world they live in. Young people are always told to wait until they get into the real world to understand. Parents often shelter their children from the real world because they want their children to be prepared for it. Young people often expect many situations to go their way because of their viewpoints they hold. Sammy the main character of the short story “A and P” by John Updike, is a closed-minded teenager who becomes aware that childlike decisions have tough consequences in the real world. Sammy does not see why people adopt social norms. From a cross section, he views the customers as sheep. The teenager is a person who wants freedom from the adult life social norms …show more content…

Ken Partch writes that, “The store manager is a tactless and stuffy man, over-blown with his own importance, who thinks that the way to handle young people is with the "put down’ (lines 40-42) which makes Sammy become even more rebellious. Sammy thoughts were the same as Queenie. He thought they were dressed decent for the supermarket. Because of the situation, Sammy does not like the adult life. He does not want to become like any of the men at work. The store manager did not mean any harm but to educate the young characters. Even though Sammy observed the girls, he did so with sexual bias. The store manager wanted the girls to know that they should not be using their sexuality to attract negative attention. Sammy being a young male does not see his viewpoint of the argument. At this point of the story, Sammy is fed …show more content…

The toughest stage is transitioning from a teenager to an adult. Teenagers are bound to make mistakes and that is a part of life. In the final analysis, Updike’s main character Sammy is a teenager who learns a great deal from his mistake. Sammy believes adults and society are the enemies of young people. He quits his job to impress three girls who used their sexuality for negative attention. Overall, he goes from being a closed-minded teenager to being aware what the real world is about. Transitioning is not always an easy process. Works Cited Updike, John. "A & P." Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories, by John Updike, Fawcett Crest, 1963, p. 130+. LitFinder, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do? Accessed 10 Apr. 2017. "John Updike." Britannica Academic, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Feb. 2017. academic.eb.com/levels/collegiate/article/John-Updike/74386. Accessed 3 Apr. 2017. Partch, Ken. "The Updike story, redux." Supermarket Business, Dec. 1987, p. 5. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do. Accessed 3 Apr.

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