A&P: Short Story
Professor Al Osborn, M.A
English1302.011
February 9, 2007 A&P. Discuss John Updike's short story, "A&P" is fictional in a sense that it has a common pattern that leads the reader through a series of events. These events began when three young ladies in bathing suits walk in A&P, and catch the eye of a young man named, Sammy. He seems to favor the chunkier girl of the three that walk in to the store. As the story continues, Sammy curiously watches the provocative young ladies as they stroll through the store looking for groceries. In this fictional story, Sammy describes all three noticeable ladies, the main girl, "Queenie" he describes her as the leader of the two other girls. The second young lady he described was the chunky one; he fully described the chunky girl from head to toe, because Sammy had more descriptive words regarding her appearance. The third girl was the taller of the two. She was not as striking as the other two young ladies. The girls were barefoot and wore bathing suits, which is why they caught Sammy's attention. The reason being not because of the bathing suits they were wearing, but the way they strolled down the isles with confidence as they walked through the store. These young ladies were, "The kind of girls that other girls think are "Striking" and "Attractive." (48) Updike wants to let the reader know these girls wanted attention and only attention; by the way he described what they were wearing and how they flaunted themselves. The third event happens when the girls approach Sammy's checkout line. They get to the line with the item from the store and placed it heavily in his hand. While he was ringing up the item, he noticed she was not wearing a ring or bracelet. He thought to Montez 2 himself, "Not a ring or a bracelet, bare as God made them, and I wonder where the money is coming from." Updike is luring the reader to believe that the girl doesn't have a significant other to pay for her
English1302.011
February 9, 2007 A&P. Discuss John Updike's short story, "A&P" is fictional in a sense that it has a common pattern that leads the reader through a series of events. These events began when three young ladies in bathing suits walk in A&P, and catch the eye of a young man named, Sammy. He seems to favor the chunkier girl of the three that walk in to the store. As the story continues, Sammy curiously watches the provocative young ladies as they stroll through the store looking for groceries. In this fictional story, Sammy describes all three noticeable ladies, the main girl, "Queenie" he describes her as the leader of the two other girls. The second young lady he described was the chunky one; he fully described the chunky girl from head to toe, because Sammy had more descriptive words regarding her appearance. The third girl was the taller of the two. She was not as striking as the other two young ladies. The girls were barefoot and wore bathing suits, which is why they caught Sammy's attention. The reason being not because of the bathing suits they were wearing, but the way they strolled down the isles with confidence as they walked through the store. These young ladies were, "The kind of girls that other girls think are "Striking" and "Attractive." (48) Updike wants to let the reader know these girls wanted attention and only attention; by the way he described what they were wearing and how they flaunted themselves. The third event happens when the girls approach Sammy's checkout line. They get to the line with the item from the store and placed it heavily in his hand. While he was ringing up the item, he noticed she was not wearing a ring or bracelet. He thought to Montez 2 himself, "Not a ring or a bracelet, bare as God made them, and I wonder where the money is coming from." Updike is luring the reader to believe that the girl doesn't have a significant other to pay for her