Back to category: English

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

A & P

In the short story, “A & P,” by John Updike, 19-year-old Sammy works as a grocery store clerk in the middle of his town. One fateful day, three girls meander into the store, wearing only their bathing suits. To Sammy, these girls appear free, cool and confident. In his description of Queenie and the two other girls, Sammy says, “She was the queen. She kind of led them, the other two peeking around and making their shoulders look round. She didn’t look around, not this queen, she just walked straight on slowly, on these long prima-donna legs ”(188). Sammy watches the girls very closely, studying their every move with a seemingly sexual eye. With a judgmental perspective, he immediately labels these perfect strangers based solely on their appearances. In reference to the girls’ obvious affluence, Sammy even says, “I wonder where the money’s coming from”(192), and also condescendingly refers to the girls as “sheep pushing their carts down the aisle” (190). Sammy’s...

Posted by: Andres Cisneros

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