Social Conformity In John Updike's A & P

“A&P” tells the story of Sammy, a nineteen year-old cashier. It is a typical day at the grocery store when three young girls walk in wearing just their swimsuits. From the time period to the social environment, John Updike uses many elements to describe the setting. A major motif of this story is social conformity, which is displayed through the setting. The time period, location of the supermarket, and the social environment all affect the the reader’s understanding of social conformity in “A&P.” The grocery store in “A&P” is similar to Redner’s Markets or Giant today; everyone goes there. In today’s society, one would see suburban moms and people getting off work in the grocery stores. This is also shown in the story from the other customers at “A&P.” The time period was a conservative one in which women always covered up before going
Boston is located near Salem in Massachusetts. Salem was one of the first colonies, and is where the Puritan religion was born. Puritans were a group of English Reformed Protestants. Their goal was to purify the Church of England from Roman Catholic practices. Puritans devoted their lives to God, and were very intolerant of other ways of life. They were a conservative group of people. The beliefs of the religion said it was a sin to drink or dance. Every person was born into sin and if a child died without being baptized, they were condemned to hell. The absence of change in this area is clearly seen in the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne when the community will not accept Hester’s sin. Her community believes she should be punished by death and there should be no other way of punishment allowed. This strict way of living and the rigid rules still had a lasting effect on the characters of “A&P.” Sammy recognizes the social conformity of his community and is angered by the lack of acceptance and change within