Social Class In John Updike's A & P

John Updike’s “A & P” offers a first person narrative of a young supermarket employee in a typical blue collar town. Sammy tells us a story about the events and observations that lead up to eventually quitting his job. The narration is immediate in tone and feels as if you are in the middle of a conversation with Sammy himself. Within the text we are offered Sammy’s thoughts of social class, disdain for town-folk, and his perceived need to achieve a higher station in life. Sammy’s dreams and beliefs are immature in nature; his thinking that one’s success is defined by money, prestige, and social class is flawed. The interactions Sammy has during this one day at the A&P give the reader insights into Updike’s thoughts on freedom, changes, and
He is aware of his connection to the “sheep [people] pushing their carts down the aisle” and “houseslaves in pin curlers” (Updike 957), proving an antipathy to his own social standing and his employment at the dead-end job of the conservative grocery store. Throughout the entire narrative, Sammy describes his customers with references to animal noises, Salem witch trials, and the like, artificially placing the masses from his hometown below him and elevating his sense of superiority. To further illustrate the class divide Sammy mentions that “It’s not as if we’re on the Cape” and that town folk haven’t looked at the ocean in decades. When observing “Queenie” for the first time she “didn’t even have shoes on” (Updike 956), arousing both his sexual appetite and his immediate ability to deduce she is from the “Point,” an upscale summer colony that distinguishes those with means. He is “attracted to the girl not only by her physical beauty, but also by her regal bearing and … disdain for small-town mores” (Peck Par. 2). It is everything that he wants: an air of superiority and upper middle class attitude. The text refers to “Queenie” purchasing herring snacks immediately causing Sammy to imagine her family holding martinis around a nice glass serving plate of toothpick hors d’oeuvres. It is his misguided view that upward
Providing subtle distinctions in freedom of choice, of beauty, and ultimately, of self discovery, Updike weaves a story that is of a person’s ability or inability to define personal freedoms. More importantly the author illustrates the complexities of life’s choices, the rewards and consequences of actions, and the rite of passage that young adults experience. At the end of the story readers are left with a sense of Sammy’s awakening to the harsh climate that surrounds people in their daily lives. As David Peck puts it, “A & P” is “primarily a story of initiation, as a young boy moves from innocence (and ignorance) to experience (and knowledge)” (Par. 5). Updike asserts that the ultimate form of individuality, and freedom, occurs when a person accepts the conflicts within themselves, makes amends, and finds a form of serenity in their newfound