Corporate Mentality In John Updike's A & P

“A&P” by John Updike is a short story that explains more than just a simple conflict between Sammy and his unhappiness at his job. It is an exploration of human nature and of the corporate mentality. Updike shines light on the expectations of society, whether or not people will obey the rules and regulations of the system, or become rebels like Sammy and Queenie. Sammy actions also raises the question on whether a person is defined by his or her actions.
Human nature would not exist if it wasn’t for society. Society sets rules and guidelines we should follow in order to fit in and have a stable life. A&P is more than just a simple store. It is an example of the corporate mentality. Sammy, who is just a 19 year old boy, describes the customers

who walk through the aisles as “sheep” and “houseslaves”. His contempt toward the customers at A&P are immediately present in the beginning of the story, where he describes one customer who catches him making a mistake at the register: “She’s one of these cash-register-watchers, a witch about fifty with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrows, and I know it made her day to trip me up. She’d been watching cash registers for fifty years and probably never seen a mistake before” (Updike 163). Sammy is quick to judge all the customers in A&P and implies that they are bland and incredibly compliant to corporate mentality.
The employees in A&P also follow the typical rules of the corporate mentality and society.

The character Stokesie is an example of a person who follows both. He is a married 22 year old man who has two children and hopes to make a career at A&P by slowly climbing the ladder of management. Sammy views Stokesie as an example of how he might end up if he continues to work at A&P. Another character who is conforming to society and embraces the corporation mentality is Lengal, the manager of A&P. He supports and enforces the ideals of society to his employees and customers. He is described as being stiff, uptight and hiding behind his door all day with the label MANAGER on it. Lengal poses a threat to Sammy on how horrible his future could be if he were to continue working at

A&P.
A&P is a store that houses all the rules of society and the corporate mentality. But when Queenie and her two friends enter the store, they create a shockwave that disrupts everything the store stands for. They immediately cause Sammy to make an error on his register which he never does. They walk against the usual flow of traffic in the store, disturbing the customers and distracting the workers. Sammy describes the customer’s reactions to the girls as pretty hilarious, stating “A few houseslaves in pin curlers even looked around after pushing their carts past to make sure what they had seen was correct” (Updike 165). Queenie and her friends are rebels to society and the corporate mentality. They are beautiful, carefree, and follow no rules.
Sammy and Queenie’s actions in “A&P” defines who they are.

Any person in general can be defined by his or her actions. When Sammy tells Lengal he quits, Lengal asks Sammy to repeat what he said, even though he heard him the first time. Sammy saying he quit did have an impact, but it’s when Sammy took of his apron that it set him apart from everyone else in the store. He wasn’t a “sheep” or a corporate follower. His removal of his apron, just like Queenies bathing suits, expresses freedom from the chains of society and the corporate mentality. Sammy's decision to quit places him on an uncertain path for his future, but at least he has a future where he can be true to

himself.
So in conclusion, “A&P” is story that explores human nature and the corporate mentality in the store A&P, and in people’s daily lives. Updike shines light on how our society behaves and the lack of originally and creativity. Sammy should be an example for everyone. He went from complaining about a problem to actually doing something about it while being honest with himself. That’s something a lot of people don’t do.