A&P - the Story of John Updike
James R. martins
English 102SA
Essay assignment 1
April 10th, 2005
Is Sammy a person of principle or simply an immature young man?
John Updike’s “A&P” is a story of a young boy Sammy, a cashier at A&P supermarket who allows his romantic desires and his anger overcome him and in the end winds up quitting his job. John Updike shows how Sammy goes from an immature young boy with lots of imaginary ideas and fantasies, to a young man who about to realize how life altering the choices he makes can be. Updike teaches us that actions and decision that we make in life have consequences and that either we like it or not we are responsible for our own actions. Sammy is simply an immature young man, not a person of principle. Sammy’s immaturity can be seen through his reactions, interaction and attitudes toward its customers, the three girls visiting the store, the “A&P” establishment, and the staff. The immaturity led him to quit his job as a cashier without thinking it through or realize the consequence. Sammy’s attitudes toward the customer show him as an immature young man. Sammy’s comments and how he described customers as being old, dull, and unable to relate to young people. He addressed the first customer he comes across as “one of these cash-register-watchers, a witch of about fifty with rouge on how cheekbone and no eyebrow, and I know it made her day to trip me up”. He also described them as a “sheep pushing their carts down the aisle”. Through Sammy’s attitude toward the customers, we can say that his tired of regular customer, regular customers including these older married women, with kids, the overweight lady, and the old ladies who spend years trying to catch an error by cashier. We can simply see his immaturity and he does not particularly care for the customers. Sammy attitude toward the three girls visiting the store reveal his 19 years old immaturity. Sammy started by describing first girl and then another in detail. He later concentrates
English 102SA
Essay assignment 1
April 10th, 2005
Is Sammy a person of principle or simply an immature young man?
John Updike’s “A&P” is a story of a young boy Sammy, a cashier at A&P supermarket who allows his romantic desires and his anger overcome him and in the end winds up quitting his job. John Updike shows how Sammy goes from an immature young boy with lots of imaginary ideas and fantasies, to a young man who about to realize how life altering the choices he makes can be. Updike teaches us that actions and decision that we make in life have consequences and that either we like it or not we are responsible for our own actions. Sammy is simply an immature young man, not a person of principle. Sammy’s immaturity can be seen through his reactions, interaction and attitudes toward its customers, the three girls visiting the store, the “A&P” establishment, and the staff. The immaturity led him to quit his job as a cashier without thinking it through or realize the consequence. Sammy’s attitudes toward the customer show him as an immature young man. Sammy’s comments and how he described customers as being old, dull, and unable to relate to young people. He addressed the first customer he comes across as “one of these cash-register-watchers, a witch of about fifty with rouge on how cheekbone and no eyebrow, and I know it made her day to trip me up”. He also described them as a “sheep pushing their carts down the aisle”. Through Sammy’s attitude toward the customers, we can say that his tired of regular customer, regular customers including these older married women, with kids, the overweight lady, and the old ladies who spend years trying to catch an error by cashier. We can simply see his immaturity and he does not particularly care for the customers. Sammy attitude toward the three girls visiting the store reveal his 19 years old immaturity. Sammy started by describing first girl and then another in detail. He later concentrates