Power Of Choice In John Updike's A & P

As Ayn Rand once said “Every man builds his world in his own image. He has the power to choose, but no power to escape the necessity of choice”. In the short story A & P, by John Updike, the power of choice is explored through an 18 year old Sammy who quits his job after witnessing three girls in bikinis come into an A & P. Sammy quits his job upon seeing these girls because their boldness make him realize how dull his daily life is, as well as showing him that he is wasting his youth away in the store, and that his parents have a very large role in him being a cashier.
Sammy’s mundane environment influenced him quitting because he saw his youth when the young girls came into the store in their bikinis. Sammy perceives himself as unique and

separates himself from his coworkers by stating that Stokesie is “married, with two babies”, “he’s twenty-two”, and that he is a fool for wanting “to be manager” someday (Updike 432). Sammy does not care about raising a family or climbing the corporate ladder. Sammy is only 18 and believes he is a free spirit since he is not tied down to any commitment like Stokesie. Sammy’s belief that he is different is revealed from the way he perceives the customers who are watching the three girls “All this while, the customers had been showing up with their carts but, you know, sheep, seeing a scene, they had all bunched up on Stokesie” (Updike 434). Sammy describing the customers as sheep reveals that he believes the people who surround him are monotone and not unique. By contrasting the rebellious girls in bikinis to the average family who shops at a store, Sammy felt that he different and above the corporation he worked for. However, he did not solely quit to get the girls but because he wanted to change his environment “As I say, we're right in the middle of town, and if you stand at our front doors you can see two banks and the Congregational church and the newspaper store and three real-estate offices” (Updike 432). Sammy’s depiction of the area paints a very bland picture because his region is filled with dull corporate and religious buildings. Everyday Sammy goes through the same motions in the same conservative town, but when he sees three vibrant young girls he realizes how dull his area really is. The three young girls were simply a catalyst to Sammy quitting his life as a cashier rather than the goal of quitting.
It can be argued that Sammy quit his job because of his infatuation with the three girls, however his thoughts and interactions with the girls reveal a much deeper motivation.

Sammy does not describe the three young girls in a loving manner but more so in astonishment, “ She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it, where the sun never seems to hit, at the top of the backs of her legs” (Updike 430). Upon witnessing the girls, Sammy throws out insults and compliments based off of the girl’s appearances in his head which shows that he is not in complete infatuation with them. Sammy’s description of the girls paints them as incredibly average with the only thing really popping out about them is the swimsuit they wear. Sammy’s fixation on the girl’s swimsuit shows that he loves the idea of boldness the girl’s brought into the store. Before the girls came in, A & P was deserted which amplified his feeling for the girls “The store's pretty empty, it being Thursday afternoon, so there was nothing much to do except lean on the register and wait for the girls to show up again” (Updike 433). Sammy’s career is dull and the only thing he has to look forward to is staring at three random female customers. Sammy, bound behind a register in uniform, is mesmerized at seeing how the girls broke store rules by wearing a bikini in the middle of town. However, the memorization does not lead to any deeper connections with the girls “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” (Updike 434). Sammy quietly quits to his boss while the three girls are leaving the store in order to receive attention. Had Sammy defended the girls publically, it would be clear that he felt some emotional connection to them. However, Sammy cowardly quits to his boss after the girls were done defending

themselves, which shows that he was trying to be bold like the girls rather than winning their hearts. It is clear that Sammy wanted the freedom the young girls had symbolized through them wearing bikinis in a store.
Seeing the girls at A & P in their bikinis made Sammy realize how much control his parents had in his life. Sammy’s family sees his choice in quitting as “the sad part of the story” despite Sammy thinking otherwise (Updike 433). Sammy’s family being upset of over his decision to quit being a cashier at the age of 18 shows that the family does not expect anything better to come from Sammy. This clearly shows that Sammy is told what he can and can’t do by his family since they believe that all he can be is a cashier. This is the reason why he envies the girl’s boldness so much. When the girls are gone, he is given a second chance to redeem himself but he does not take it "Sammy, you don't want to do this to your Mom and Dad," he tells me. It's true, I don't. But it seems to me that once you begin a gesture it's fatal not to go through with it (Updike 435). Lengel reminding Sammy of his parents shows the role and authority the store has over Sammy, since the store has a personal connection. Sammy choosing fully to go through the gesture shows that he is finally breaking away from his family and the store. He becomes bold and free like the girls since he stuck to his own words and actions. Quitting the job is important to Sammy since his mother still dresses him for work in the “white shirt that (his) mother ironed the night before” (Updike 435). By leaving the job, Sammy is escaping the needs for parent involvement in his daily tasks since they no longer need to make sure he is fit for being a cashier. Sammy’s description of “the sunshine... skating around on the asphalt” (Updike 435) contrasts with his earlier statement of the town being dull. Sammy finds a hopeful outlook on life through his newly gained freedom as compared to the carefully constructed mundane days when he was doomed to remain a cashier.
Overall, the girls in the bikinis made Sammy aware of the liberties he could have if his parents and his job did not hold him back. His choice to leave the store behind and disappoint his family gave him the hope of a better future. Despite being aware of hard life will become, he knows that he now has the power of choice.