A&P

A detailed Summary of A&P


"A&P," by John Updike, is a story that provides a young man by the name of Sammy an important lesson in life. In this story, Sammy tends to let his impulsiveness and ingenuity take over him. Sammy looses his job in all do to a act of heroic protest against his manager Lengel concerning the proper attire of three girls that walk into the store wearing beach garments. Sammy made the leap from an adolescent, knowing little about life than what he has learned working at the grocery store, into a man prepared for the rough roads that lie ahead.

Lengel plays the role of a "moral authority". Lengel is the manager of the store, where he makes sure everyone does there job correctly. He also plays the role of a Sunday school teacher where he teaches adolescence the value of morals. He is in charge of the law and loves to tell people what to do. He shows us his characteristics early in the story when some girls stop by A&P to do some shopping on their way to the beach. The whole ordeal begins when Lengel notices that these girls aren't "decently dressed' (page 370). They were wearing only bathing suits and prancing around the store. Instead of being sensible and ignoring how they are dressed. Lengel immediately le


Sammy has a different attitude towards the girls; he analyzes them and looks at them in a sexist way. Thoughts about their body run through his mind, comparing one to the other. To a point he starts wondering, and says:" you never know for sure how girls mind works (do you really think it's a mind up there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?" (Page 370). When Sammy refers to the one he calls "Queenie"(page 370), he describes her as the one with "long white prima donna legs (Page 370)." Her breasts look like "the two smoothest scoops of vanilla (Page 371)." He describes the other two as being "chubby, fat and pale"(Page 370).These thoughts tell us much about him, he is actually innocent and is narrow- minded. He thinks girls are dumb, but he feels curiosity. Sammy is actually a sexist chauvinist.

A simple afternoon incident that may have not meant anything to the spectators highlighted a passage in Sammy's life. Marking his transition from adolescence to adult hood. Through the realization of life's rough reality, Sammy reaches his epiphany. He realized that being a prick and standing up for the girls only caused him to loose his job.

ts them know what he thinks, he tel

Some common words found in the essay are:
John Updike, Lengel Sammy, page 370, story sammy, page 370 sammy, 370 sammy, plays role, unreliable narrator,

Approximate Word count = 805
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels

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