Comparison Of Sammies And John Updike's A & P
Both characters within the two stories exhibit different characters that overall lead them back to the same theme. Sammies exhibits normal characteristic of teens during the early 60’s. With social division among the working, and upper class many teens within the work class found themselves dreaming of other alternatives. Sammie is given the chance to decide between continuing his work at A&P, or possibly receiving attention from Queenie and her friends. Reacting to the girls Sammie states, “but remembering how he made that pretty girl blush makes me so scrunchy inside I punch the No Sale tab and the machine whiers “pee-pul” and the drawer splat out.” (A&P 3) After making the choice to stand up for the girls he leave the A&P store without a
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job. After the excitement wears off Sammie realizes that not only are the girls gone, but he also is left without a job in the future. Sammies rebellious nature lead him to be without a job and without the attention he so desperately seeked. Likewise the young girls also rebellious in their actions seeked to stir up tension by where their bathing suits in a the public location of the A&P store. The girls seeked attention from other members of the community possibly to show their features, and means of power. For Sammie and the girls, their identity is their main source of power. Sammie knows that while working at the A&P store he will almost never hold power within his society, but for the young girls their financial comfort, and social class is there identity which inevitably is power. On the other hand, Dee’s choice to change her name and cultural traditions was her way of recreating a new identity for herself. While also creating a new identity Dee is also channeling her ancestral heritage. Dees rebellion, and need to become superior among her society draws her further away from her relationship with Mama and Maggie. Mama attempts to convince Dee that her name relates to her Aunt and her Grandmother as well as many other strong women in African American history. Dees pursuit to change her identity is driven by her need to maintain history such as her name, the quilts, and other items among the household. In attempting to main these historical items Mama tries to make it very clear to her that she is actually rejecting her heritage. Dee responds to Mama by saying, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” (Everyday Use 320) Dees rebellious, and superior characteristics are not being driven for a healthy reason such as maintaining her heritage. In her case, she is attempting to fight back against supremacy, and racism during this time period. Mama explains to Dee that the quilts she so badly wants were made for everyday use, and not artwork to be displayed for years to come. Though Dee listens to Mama, her stubborn, and rebellious nature take charge as she leave the house with not only the quilt but other acentory items with no signs of every wanting to come back.
John Updike uses symbolism in a very unique way to explore the theme of identity, and social/cultural patterns.
The infamous, and somewhat scandalous clothing the young girls were wearing into Lengel’s A&P grocery store stood for more than just articles of clothing. These girls chose to wear these bathing suits to represent the power they believed they maintain due to their social ranking. Likewise the bathing suits represented their identity of rebelling against social norms and standards. Queenie and her friends used the bathing suits to attract more attention to themselves, showing off not only their features but the power that their features and choice of clothing had. In some ways you could say that looking attractive was a form of power. As Sammie explain, “it’s one thing to have a girl in a bathing suit down on the beach, where what with the glare nobody can look at each other much anyway, and another thing in the cool of the A&P, under the fluorescent lights, against all those stacked packages, with her feet paddling along naked over our checkerboard green-and-cream rubber-tile floor.” (A&P 1) These girls used their looks to lure men in, and persuade certain situations. Not only were the bathing suits and bodily features a form of power, but they represented where they stood on the social ladder. The girls came to the A&P store for one reason which was to pick up Herring Snack for Queenie’s mother. Herring snack as Sammie describes were for the fancy folks in town. Sammie begging to dream of a life of leisure based on the simple Herring Snacks Queenie brings to him at the cash register. Sammie states, “All of a sudden I slid right down her voice into her living room. Her father and the other men were standing around in ice cream coats and bow ties and the women were in sandals picking herring snacks on toothpicks off a big plate and they were all holding drinking the color of water with olives and sprigs of mint in them.” (A&P 2) The herring snack represent
the lavish lifestyle the girls were so use to, and that Sammie admired. These simple snacks sparked the idea of what it would be like to not work to simply enjoy life day by day much like these girls. From this Sammie began to dream of a new identity. One of spectacular parties, freedom over his lifestyle and choices, and especially no working.
Alice Walker’s Everyday Use shows how African American women have been bound together for many years, and how a lack of knowledge of one's own history can destroy something this bond. Walker uses the quilts to connect the relationships between Dee and her immediate family with families, and ancestors form long ago. Dees comes across as extremely appreciative of her heritage, but in fact she is missing the real meaning and concepts of what heritage truly is. Dee states, “you ought to try to makes something of yourself, too, Maggie, It’s really a new day for us But from the way you and Mama still live you'd never know it.” (Everyday Use 321) Dee struggled to see the real meaning behind the quilts. Dee knew the quilts were old and filled with history pieces of clothing and memorabilia but she lacked the meaning behind each and every single piece of clothing. Mama tries to explain to her that the quilt represents the struggles that their family has been through. They may not have passed down riches, but generations before passed down memories of good and bad time, struggles and hardships, and so much more. Dee lost her true identity in the attempt to create a new one for herself. Much like the quilts Dee forgot about how her family has struggled to achieve great things in life, even the worn out house heer mother lived in. Dees main goal was the create a new, supier identity using aspects of her heritage, but not the true identity passed down from generations of strong African AMerican women.
John Updike, and Alice Walker have two very different stories when it comes to plot, but their underlying theme of identity and power overlap on various occasions. For Sammie, he eagerly searched for power within a new identity. After working at the local grocery store called A&P Sammie is tired of his life, and wishes to experience more. Sammie finds is chance to experience this knew idea of freedom when the 3 girls come into the store. He admires their boldness to display their power through choice in attire, physical features of beauty. Sammie also begin to wonder what it would be like to not have a care in the world such as a daily job from the simple Herring snacks the girls decide to buy. Sammie boldly makes the decision to attempt to spark interest among the girls by quitting his job for them just to find out they could care less. When Sammie finds himself without a job, and no girls to be seen in sight he realizes that his Identity is not found in social status, and more in cultural norms. Much like Sammie, Dee experiments with power as she attempts to create a new identity for her self based on her African heritage. Once going away to college, Dee witnesses rebellions, and cultural change among young African Americans in her society. Dee believes that her heritage should be preserved such as changing her given name to a historical African name, and hanging her families quilts to be displays as artwork, even the butterchurn her mother keeps around the house as a centerpiece for the table. Both authors used the idea of changing social cultures, and adapting identities in different but similar ways as seen in Everyday Use and A&P.
We all have preferences and value systems that we operate off of. Authors often explore this element of theme within their short stories. Updike and Walker use the time period of the early 60’s to shape how their characters act with their story, as well as their specific characteristics. The authors also use symbols to bring together how exactly materialistic items have deeper meaning, as well as how they shape our characters as they are forming their new, and different identities. John Updike and Alice Walker explore this very theme of identity in “A&P” and “Everyday Use.” Both authors use setting, characteristics and symbolism to explore the idea of finding our identity in materialist items and cultural norms.
job. After the excitement wears off Sammie realizes that not only are the girls gone, but he also is left without a job in the future. Sammies rebellious nature lead him to be without a job and without the attention he so desperately seeked. Likewise the young girls also rebellious in their actions seeked to stir up tension by where their bathing suits in a the public location of the A&P store. The girls seeked attention from other members of the community possibly to show their features, and means of power. For Sammie and the girls, their identity is their main source of power. Sammie knows that while working at the A&P store he will almost never hold power within his society, but for the young girls their financial comfort, and social class is there identity which inevitably is power. On the other hand, Dee’s choice to change her name and cultural traditions was her way of recreating a new identity for herself. While also creating a new identity Dee is also channeling her ancestral heritage. Dees rebellion, and need to become superior among her society draws her further away from her relationship with Mama and Maggie. Mama attempts to convince Dee that her name relates to her Aunt and her Grandmother as well as many other strong women in African American history. Dees pursuit to change her identity is driven by her need to maintain history such as her name, the quilts, and other items among the household. In attempting to main these historical items Mama tries to make it very clear to her that she is actually rejecting her heritage. Dee responds to Mama by saying, “Maggie can’t appreciate these quilts! She’d probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use.” (Everyday Use 320) Dees rebellious, and superior characteristics are not being driven for a healthy reason such as maintaining her heritage. In her case, she is attempting to fight back against supremacy, and racism during this time period. Mama explains to Dee that the quilts she so badly wants were made for everyday use, and not artwork to be displayed for years to come. Though Dee listens to Mama, her stubborn, and rebellious nature take charge as she leave the house with not only the quilt but other acentory items with no signs of every wanting to come back.
John Updike uses symbolism in a very unique way to explore the theme of identity, and social/cultural patterns.
The infamous, and somewhat scandalous clothing the young girls were wearing into Lengel’s A&P grocery store stood for more than just articles of clothing. These girls chose to wear these bathing suits to represent the power they believed they maintain due to their social ranking. Likewise the bathing suits represented their identity of rebelling against social norms and standards. Queenie and her friends used the bathing suits to attract more attention to themselves, showing off not only their features but the power that their features and choice of clothing had. In some ways you could say that looking attractive was a form of power. As Sammie explain, “it’s one thing to have a girl in a bathing suit down on the beach, where what with the glare nobody can look at each other much anyway, and another thing in the cool of the A&P, under the fluorescent lights, against all those stacked packages, with her feet paddling along naked over our checkerboard green-and-cream rubber-tile floor.” (A&P 1) These girls used their looks to lure men in, and persuade certain situations. Not only were the bathing suits and bodily features a form of power, but they represented where they stood on the social ladder. The girls came to the A&P store for one reason which was to pick up Herring Snack for Queenie’s mother. Herring snack as Sammie describes were for the fancy folks in town. Sammie begging to dream of a life of leisure based on the simple Herring Snacks Queenie brings to him at the cash register. Sammie states, “All of a sudden I slid right down her voice into her living room. Her father and the other men were standing around in ice cream coats and bow ties and the women were in sandals picking herring snacks on toothpicks off a big plate and they were all holding drinking the color of water with olives and sprigs of mint in them.” (A&P 2) The herring snack represent
the lavish lifestyle the girls were so use to, and that Sammie admired. These simple snacks sparked the idea of what it would be like to not work to simply enjoy life day by day much like these girls. From this Sammie began to dream of a new identity. One of spectacular parties, freedom over his lifestyle and choices, and especially no working.
Alice Walker’s Everyday Use shows how African American women have been bound together for many years, and how a lack of knowledge of one's own history can destroy something this bond. Walker uses the quilts to connect the relationships between Dee and her immediate family with families, and ancestors form long ago. Dees comes across as extremely appreciative of her heritage, but in fact she is missing the real meaning and concepts of what heritage truly is. Dee states, “you ought to try to makes something of yourself, too, Maggie, It’s really a new day for us But from the way you and Mama still live you'd never know it.” (Everyday Use 321) Dee struggled to see the real meaning behind the quilts. Dee knew the quilts were old and filled with history pieces of clothing and memorabilia but she lacked the meaning behind each and every single piece of clothing. Mama tries to explain to her that the quilt represents the struggles that their family has been through. They may not have passed down riches, but generations before passed down memories of good and bad time, struggles and hardships, and so much more. Dee lost her true identity in the attempt to create a new one for herself. Much like the quilts Dee forgot about how her family has struggled to achieve great things in life, even the worn out house heer mother lived in. Dees main goal was the create a new, supier identity using aspects of her heritage, but not the true identity passed down from generations of strong African AMerican women.
John Updike, and Alice Walker have two very different stories when it comes to plot, but their underlying theme of identity and power overlap on various occasions. For Sammie, he eagerly searched for power within a new identity. After working at the local grocery store called A&P Sammie is tired of his life, and wishes to experience more. Sammie finds is chance to experience this knew idea of freedom when the 3 girls come into the store. He admires their boldness to display their power through choice in attire, physical features of beauty. Sammie also begin to wonder what it would be like to not have a care in the world such as a daily job from the simple Herring snacks the girls decide to buy. Sammie boldly makes the decision to attempt to spark interest among the girls by quitting his job for them just to find out they could care less. When Sammie finds himself without a job, and no girls to be seen in sight he realizes that his Identity is not found in social status, and more in cultural norms. Much like Sammie, Dee experiments with power as she attempts to create a new identity for her self based on her African heritage. Once going away to college, Dee witnesses rebellions, and cultural change among young African Americans in her society. Dee believes that her heritage should be preserved such as changing her given name to a historical African name, and hanging her families quilts to be displays as artwork, even the butterchurn her mother keeps around the house as a centerpiece for the table. Both authors used the idea of changing social cultures, and adapting identities in different but similar ways as seen in Everyday Use and A&P.
We all have preferences and value systems that we operate off of. Authors often explore this element of theme within their short stories. Updike and Walker use the time period of the early 60’s to shape how their characters act with their story, as well as their specific characteristics. The authors also use symbols to bring together how exactly materialistic items have deeper meaning, as well as how they shape our characters as they are forming their new, and different identities. John Updike and Alice Walker explore this very theme of identity in “A&P” and “Everyday Use.” Both authors use setting, characteristics and symbolism to explore the idea of finding our identity in materialist items and cultural norms.