Coming Of Adulthood In John Updike's A & P

The coming of adulthood
There is a time in every young person’s life, where they are faced with the trials of growing up. In the short story A&P by author John Updike, he introduces a young man named Sammy who is mesmerized by three young girls who have entered the grocery store in which he works. Updike described the different emotions Sammy goes through in his transition from the thoughts of lust to acting in the defense of the girls and finally quitting his job. Through the choices that are made and the reactions of others to those choices, the author shows that growing up is a mixture of immaturity, the desire for individuality, and ultimately rebellion.
Although immaturity is a part of growing up that cannot be avoided, almost everybody
One might think that rebellion is the only way to express one’s individuality while being closely watched or expected to conform to a curtain code. The causes of teenage rebellion aren’t that complex. In order to become fully-functional adults, children need to separate themselves from dependency on adults. They need to assert themselves as grown human beings with thoughts and ideas of their own, that may be different from the generation that came before them. In an attempt to express his individuality Sammy feels the need to rebel and quit his job. “Sammy you don’t want to do this to your mom and dad” (Updike 435) Lengel says. Sammy replies “your right, I don’t” (Updike 435). But by this time in the story Sammy has gone too far to back pedal now. He knows that to take the final steps and become his own person, he has to go through with what he has started. So he takes of his bow tie and apron and walks out of the store, hoping the girls would be on the other side of the door waiting for him, ready to sing his praises and thank him the heroism he displayed inside. “In a study of adolescent sexuality, the social psychologist Janice Irving identifies nine areas that contribute to identity building during the adolescent years. These are gender relations; sexual identities; reproductive strategies; sexual language; the role of the family; non-reproductive sexuality; the purpose of sex; meaning of the body and sexual violence. Irving shows that cultural differences color each of these categories even as culture creates differences in understanding and behavior everywhere” (Falk 82). In the book Youth Culture and the Generation Gap, Gerhard Falk and Ursula Falk address the steps of adolescents seeking individuality through rebellion and other avenues of growth. Much like Sammy displaying his rebellion toward his boss, and also against his parents. He reached the time in his