There are certain rules in our society which people have to consider. Some people try to deny the regulations of the society, although, their rebellion is an illusion due to the fact that the system of norms is more powerful than they think. Sammy, the main character of A&P by John Updike is among those people whose way of live is standard. He is not poor, but his opportunities do not allow him to reach a higher position in society. Sammy is nineteen-year-old boy who works as a cashier at a grocery store in a small town. His values and convictions change after he meets higher-class girls who want to rebel and challenge the norms imposed by the society. This essay is aimed to analyze how the aspect of rebellion is demonstrated through the social …show more content…
background of the main character. Sammy’s protest against the class differences is depicted by John Updike using the literary means such as plot, style, imagery and language.
The first-person narration is used by the writer in order to disclose the narrator’s true character. Moreover, the narration flows in such a way which gives the reader some food for thought. There cannot be a common view on the flow of narration, because John Updike wants the readers to pose questions about the genuine reasons of Sammy’s motivation and behavior. The writer uses the language means that precisely identify Sammy’s personality, his lifestyle and social status, however, the message that the writer wants to transmit is not apparent. In addition, the first person narration is significant in order limit Sammy’s point of view. This makes him accept wrong judgments and think positively about the girls who visit the …show more content…
store. Sammy is delighted by the freedom which the girls have and wants to break public rules as they do. He thinks they have a sense of liberty which Sammy does not have and this makes him to rebel. When the owner of the store drives the girls away, Sammy openly takes their side because he wants to become one of them: “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 100) Despite Sammy’s efforts, his unexpected impulse to rebel is not successful, because freedom does not only depend on one’s willingness to achieve it.
The finale of the short story is ironic because Sammy never meets the girls again and his strive to join them is not appreciated. In addition, the author wants the readers to understand that Sammy cannot break the social norms and rules because he belongs to a lower class than the girls and his desire to rebel is not supported by the same stability and position. Moreover, the writer underlines that Sammy is influenced by the illusion of freedom. The one who is ready to break the norms is certain about what to do next, but Sammy is not: “…my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (Updike 101). Thus, it is evident that his rebellion is doubtful. The sense of the rebellion is also visible in the way Sammy treats the store visitors. He thinks they are like sheep which make a crowd in the shop. Sammy thinks he is different from them, although, his position in society and the job he has indicate the opposite. Thus, the protagonist decides to quit the job in order to show that he is different and he can take control over his
future. There is an aspect which Sammy did not consider when showing his rebellion. He did not think about the consequences of his non conformity. In case of upper-class girls who are treated badly in Sammy’s view, there is no strong negative effect on their lives. They know that their status will not be affected, so they can afford being brave and break the social norms. Due to their high position, they have more opportunities, unlike Sammy whose rebellion will have negative consequences. The finale of the story is open, but it is evident that there is no solution to the problem in Sammy’s mind. He realizes that his strive to freedom was illusionary and the outcome of his action cannot be predicted. Thus, the end of the story is a turning point where Sammy begins his own struggle against the societal norms and rules. To conclude, the story A&P by John Updike shows an attempt of the main hero to deny the social norms and follow his own path. However, Sammy’s age and outlook shapes his action of rebellion, his social background puts some limitation on his chances to survive. The writer states that society is quite rude with the people who try to rebel, especially when they do not belong to higher and more powerful classes. In fact, Sammy can achieve a victory in this struggle but he understands that the outcome can be unpredictable because Sammy is not sure which benefits and risks can the freedom bring.
The main character in John Updike's short story “A&P” is Sammy. The story's first-person context gives the reader a unique insight toward the main character's own feelings and choices, as well as the reasons for the choices. The reader is allowed to closely observe Sammy's observations and first impressions of the three girls who come to the grocery store on a summer afternoon in the early 1960s. In order to understand this short story, one must first recognize the social climate of the era, the age of the main character, and the temptation this individual faces.
Updike chose to have Sammy speak with colloquial language. By having Sammy speak in this manner it expresses to the reader his age and allow them to connect with him. For example in the beginning of the story Sammy describes one of the girls, “There was this chunky one, with the two-piece -- it was bright green and the seams on the bra were still sharp…” Sammy’s description of the girl as “chunky” reveals his age to the reader and how much he progresses later on in the story. Furthermore, Sammy’s informal speech provides the reader with the understanding that he is an average teenager, thus,
In his short story "A & P" John Updike utilizes a 19-year-old adolescent to show us how a boy gets one step closer to adulthood. Sammy, an A & P checkout clerk, talks to the reader with blunt first person observations setting the tone of the story from the outset. The setting of the story shows us Sammy's position in life and where he really wants to be. Through the characterization of Sammy, Updike employs a simple heroic gesture to teach us that actions have consequences and we are responsible for our own actions.
Sammy is a rebel because he quits just because he wanted to stand up for the girl. He said,"I quit". The girls in the story are rebels also, they go around the store in their bikinis not having a care in the world what people think.
The negative way that Sammy describes his place of work and some of the people that he works with
...s that Sammy is taking a stand and that Lengel cannot change his mind about quitting. When Sammy left the store, the girls where long gone. "His face was dark gray and his back stiff, as if he's just had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter." This quote illustrates that Sammy knows that his parents will not like the fact that he quit, but he realizes that he has to take charge with his life, and make his own chooses without being afraid of what his parents would think. He is very happy that he had taken a stand, and he let no one change it.
At first glance, Sammy, the first-person narrator of John Updike's "A & P," would seem to present us with a simple and plausible explanation as to why he quits his job at the grocery store mentioned in the title: he is standing up for the girls that his boss, Lengel, has insulted. He even tries to sell us on this explanation by mentioning how the girls' embarrassment at the hands of the manager makes him feel "scrunchy" inside and by referring to himself as their "unsuspected hero" after he goes through with his "gesture." Upon closer examination, though, it does not seem plausible that Sammy would have quit in defense of girls whom he quite evidently despises, despite the lustful desires they invoke, and that more likely explanations of his action lie in his boredom with his menial job and his desire to rebel against his parents.
Sammy’s immature behavior is predominant throughout the short story in multiple occasions. He is judgmental
He wants more out of life and his fantasy about being Queenie's "unsuspected hero" (p.36) allows him to escape. Sammy comes to the conclusion that life is not going to be easy and he is going to make decisions for himself that the people around him will not necessarily support. Work Cited Updike, John. A great idea. "
The story unfolds when, “Lengel, the store’s manager” (2191) confronts the girls because they are dressed inappropriately. To Sammy, it is a moment of embarrassment and in defiance he quits his job. The student suggests that in quitting, “Sammy challenges social inequality and is a person who is trying to
This story represents a coming-of-age for Sammy. Though it takes place over the period of a few minutes, it represents a much larger process of maturation. From the time the girls enter the grocery store, to the moment they leave, you can see changes in Sammy. At first, he sees only the physicality of the girls: how they look and what they are wearing, seem to be his only observations. As the story progresses, he notices the interactions between the girls, and he even determines the hierarchy of the small dynamic. He observes their actions and how they affect the other patrons of the business. Rather, how the other people view the girl's actions. His thought process is maturing and he starts to see things as an adult might see them.
Sammy worked a typical boring job and what seemed to be in a typical small town. The only person in the store he really related to was Stokesie, which is the foil to Sammy, because Stokesie is married, has kids and eventually wanted to be manger one day. Something Sammy did not want to stick around and see. The customers in the store were all pretty much the same, in which Sammy did not show much emotion towards except he referred to them as “the sheep pushing their carts down the aisle” (Updike 261). It is easy to tell Sammy did not like his job, but it also seemed he had no other option, as if he was stuck in his small town and there was no way out. Then out of the blue he saw three girls wearing only their bathing suites walk in the store. Sammy noticed something different about them, like they were liberated from the conservative values of those times; they were part of a new generation. Especially Queenie, he referred to...
Within every story or poem, there is always an interpretation made by the reader, whether right or wrong. In doing so, one must thoughtfully analyze all aspects of the story in order to make the most accurate assessment based on the literary elements the author has used. Compared and contrasted within the two short stories, “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid, and John Updike’s “A&P,” the literary elements character and theme are made evident. These two elements are prominent in each of the differing stories yet similarities are found through each by studying the elements. The girls’ innocence and naivety as characters act as passages to show something superior, oppression in society shown towards women that is not equally shown towards men.
From the beginning of the story, it is clear that Sammy in no way likes his job, nor is he fond of the customers and people he is surrounded by each day. To Sammy, they are nothing more than "sheep" going through the motions of life. "I bet you could set off dynamite in an A&P and the people would by and large keep reaching and checking oatmeal off their lists and muttering Let me see, there was a third thing, began with A, asparagus, no, ah, yes, applesauce!' or whatever it was they do mutter." (Updike, 693). He view them negatively; to him they are boring and useless, living mundane and unimportant lives and it's obvious through Sammy's portrayal of them that he doesn't want to ever become one of them, nor does he want to be around them any longer.
John Updike's A&P provides numerous perspectives for critical interpretation. His descriptive metaphors and underlying sexual tones are just the tip of the iceberg. A gender analysis could be drawn from the initial outline of the story and Sammy's chauvinism towards the female. Further reading opens up a formalist and biographical perspective to the critic. After several readings I began seeing the Marxist perspective on the surreal environment of A&P. The economic and social differences are evident through Sammy's storytelling techniques and even further open up a biographical look at Updike's own view's and opinions. According to an essay posted on the internet Updike was a womanizer in his own era and displayed boyish immaturity into his adulthood. A second analysis of this story roots more from a reader-response/formalist view. Although Sammy centered his dramatization around three young females, more specifically the Queen of the trio, it was a poignant detailed head to toe description of scene. I'll touch on that later.