Analysis of John Updike

John Updike’s story "A&P" talks about a 19-year old lad, Sammy, who has a job at the local grocery store, the A&P. Sammy works at the register in the store and is always observing the people who walk in and out each day. On this particular day that the story takes place, Sammy is caught off guard when a cluster of girls walk into the store wearing just their bathing suits. This caught Sammy’s attention because the nearest beach is five miles away and he could not figure out why they would still be in their suits. Sammy continues to overlook the girls in the store throughout their endeavor to pick up some item’s that they were sent in for. While they are wandering around the store Sammy watches the reactions of other customers, is yelled at for ringing up a woman’s item twice, and watches the whereabouts and gestures of the girls until checkout. Once the girls proceed to checkout they are approached by the manager of the store for being improperly dressed in public. Sammy felt that the encounter with the manager was unnecessary and discomforting to the girls and he decides it is time to quit his job. Sammy’s decision to quit his job at the grocery store shows his development from an immature teenager to a person who will take a position for what he believes in no matter the consequences.

Sammy’s immaturity is seen right from beginning of the story when he says, “In walks three girls in nothing but bathing suits”( Updike 596). At first Sammy could not watch them stroll around the store because his back was at the door, but once they were in his sight he instantaneously begins to illustrate them and notice every physical detail of each of the girls, from their skin tone to the color of the suits. He and his other friends that work in the store gawk with their jaws dropped at the girls. Sammy’s description of one of the girls is as follows “ The one that caught my eye first was the one in the placid green two-piece. 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 seems to never hit, at the top of the backs of her legs”( Updike 596). Once Sammy finished his portrayal of the girl he noticed he had a item in his hand and could not figure out if he had rang it up or not. Sammy proceeded to ring up the item which he had already done, and got himself in trouble with a customer who proceeded to yell at him. Sammy’s immaturity can be explained here because he let the presence of the girls interfere with his work. Once the woman was gone Sammy went on to describe the other girls. He says, “ there was this one, with one of those chubby berry-faces, the lips all bunched together under her nose, this one, and a tall one, with black hair that hadn’t quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long- you know, the kind of girl that other girls think is very “striking” and “attractive” but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much” (Updike 596). As you can see, Sammy shows his immaturity by going on a tangent only to describe the physical attributes of the girls and does not seem to care about anything else.

There is a sudden change in Sammy’s attitude toward the girls throughout the story. At first, Sammy and his friend’s he work with all have their jaws dropped, gazing at the girls as they roam around the store. Then, Sammy has a sudden change of heart. Sammy says, “The girls had reached the meat counter and were asking McMahon something. He pointed, they pointed, and they shuffled out of sight behind a pyramid of Diet Delight peaches. All that was left for us to see was old McMahon patting his mouth and looking after them sizing up their joints. Poor kids, I began to feel sorry for them, they couldn’t help it” ( Updike 598). At this point in the story you can see how his attitude changed once he notices the butcher having eyes for the girls, he thinks it is disturbing and begins to sympathize with the girls. This is the point in the story where Sammy starts growing up, going from an immature teenager to a more mature human being.

Another part of Sammy’s expansion to mature comes when the store manager approaches the girls at the checkout. As Sammy stands behind the counter he notices Lengel, the store manager, approach the girls and exclaim to them “ Girls this isn’t the beach” (Updike 599). The girls stood there and explained why they were sent into the store, but none of there explaining seemed to appease Lengel, who then said, “ That’s all right,” “ But this isn’t the beach.” His repeating this struck me as funny, as if it had just occurred to him, and he had been thinking all these years the A&P was a great big dune and he was the head lifeguard. He didn’t like my smiling-as I say, he doesn’t miss much- but he concentrates