A&P

3 Pages 843 Words

“A&P”

Every story has a main character in which at some point in time has a crucial moment when an important decision must be made. These main characters must take actions or avoid certain actions in order to complete the true meaning and message of the story. A story written in 1961 by John Updike called “A&P,” portrayed a young man leading the ordinary life as expected of an ordinary young man. Sammy, the young, man is working in a local grocery store in town about five miles from a populated shore area. However, he sees his life as plain and dull, working so close to the beach, yet everyday he lives up to the same predictable habits. Until one day a group of girls are in the store in only bathing suits, and Sammy begins to change his patterns of thought.
The major action that Sammy (the main character) takes is his final decision in the end to quit his job at the grocery store. Perhaps it was the girls that motivated him to take this course of action. However, could it have been that Sammy had a rude awakening that there is much more to be taken in from the world than a life lived inside a boring grocery store, in a boring town? Sure, maybe Sammy was so self indulged in these girls noticing their every move and the way they walked, that he just couldn’t stand being like a caged animal in that dry predictable grocery store. “She had oaky hair that the sun and salt had bleached, done up in a bun that was unraveling,” Sammy notices as the girls stroll about the store. After being subject to the same process everyday, especially a teenage boy, one can tend to get a feeling of tediousness and dissatisfaction. To Sammy, these girls were the relief he needed to disregard his uneventful life. However, this may just be a lonely teenage boy’s perspective on the entire situation. A few teenage girls walk in a store with bikini’s and the boy ends up quitting to stand out and have a slight chance at impressin...