John Updike A & P

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Summary & Analysis: “A&P” by John Updike In the short story “A&P” by John Updike, the author portrays Sammy as a store cashier who faces challenges of growing up and standing up for what he thinks is right. When three scantily clad girls enter the A&P, the vernal clerk gives an account of their interactions within the store. By the end of the story, Sammy makes a decision that forces him to feel “how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (Updike 22). In the story by John Updike, titled “A&P”, he interprets the inner thoughts of an adolescent who is holding down a summer job that he is not that satisfied with. Is there a better way for a nineteen year old guy to pass the time than to focus his gaze on three gals in bathing suits?

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