Point of View in A & P

A detailed Summary of Point of View in A & P


If Updike had not written A & P in 1st person point of view, the story would be interpreted in an entirely different way. The stream-of-consciousness technique is applied directly to the reader's understanding of the short story. If A & P were told by the manager or customers, the story would have a change in the way that the events were presented. Sammy took the person that read the story inside his mind, where the reader could hear each and every detail of his thoughts. Because A & P was written in 1st person point of view, the readers could clearly understand how the girls gave Sammy the small reason that he was looking for to quit his job.

As soon as the girls walk into the store, Sammy's attention is focused on them. He examines everything about the girls, from their clothes to their bodies to their voices. Because the reader can read Sammy's mind, they can learn exactly what he is thinking. As the girls walked in, Sammy described one of the girls as "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 hits, at the top of the backs of her legs." (480) He goes into exact details of how he sees the girl


If Updike had chosen a different character to speak through, the reader would have had an entirely different view on the story. Here is an example of the story if Updike would have chosen a shopper as the narrator (as written by a student from the University of Alberta):

s. These details help us get to know him better, which helps us to understand the story.

After reading a different account of the story, a reader would not be as understanding towards Sammy. Most readers would think of him as a self centered, rude worker that did not care about anyone else. The story is not as interesting because the writer does not explain what is going on inside of the character that is producing the action.

"Gertrude and I went out for our weekly Thursday afternoon grocery-shopping excursion one fair day. The sun blazed down upon our backs, and I must say it was a relief to escape the heat into the fresh A & P interior. As our eyes adjusted to the dim lighting we realized that there was some excitement in the usually quiet local shop. The manager, a handsome Sunday school teacher, was talking to a couple of [three?] young girls. "Indecent exposure," a dear old gossip, Martha, was quick to inform me. The three teenage girls were spo

Some common words found in the essay are:
View Updike, Alberta Gertrude, View Fiction, Hormones Anyways, Fancy Herring, view story, 1st person view, written 1st person, girls walk store, person view, girls walk, quits job, 1st person, updike chosen, walk store, written 1st,

Approximate Word count = 836
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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