Back to category: People

Limited version - please login or register to view the entire paper.

People in Society

A & P is one of the nation’s oldest supermarket chains. The name of these stores derives from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Each ocean has distinct characteristics. The Pacific Ocean is said to be more submissive and calm, while the Atlantic Ocean is more confident and forceful. Sammy and the three girls display these characteristics in “A & P” written by John Updike. Sammy being the representative of the lower class incorporates submissive but forceful qualities while the three girls being from a higher rank combine calm but confident personalities. As the water of the oceans overlap, the social classes within society have mixing characteristics.
Sammy is a young boy working in the A & P as a cashier. He is almost nineteen living “north of Boston and there’s people in this town haven’t seen the ocean in twenty years” (Updike, 191). He has been working at the store for a long time since he has a “little song, that you hear words to” while ringing up purchases (Upd...

Posted by: Rheannon Androckitis

Limited version - please login or register to view the entire paper.