John Updikes a&P

John Updikes a&P

  • Submitted By: Nedi32
  • Date Submitted: 02/18/2009 1:25 PM
  • Category: Social Issues
  • Words: 441
  • Page: 2
  • Views: 712

John Updike's A&P John Updike’s "A&P" takes a broief look into the life of a teenager, who works at the local A&P store. Sammy, the clerk at the cash register see’s three girls “traipse” into the store wearing bathing suits. Sammy spoke of each girl, like the “chubby one” making it quite apparent that he did not find here attractive in the least. The next girl had “black hair that hadn’t frizzed right” look to her, Sammy could see that there was attraction there but he really had to look. The last girl named “Queenie” was the leader of the pack. She immediately drew Sammy’s attention to her looks, the way she walked and held herself. Almost like she demanding attention and she got it. The butcher eyed the girls up and down, as well as Stoksie, who is married with two children. Stokesie is quoted as saying “I feel so faint”. As Sammy is checking out a customer and gawking at the three girls walking in, he misteps and rings the customers “HiHo crackers” twice, thus causing the customer to become very irate. Sammy called the customer “one of those cash register watchers” waiting to trip him up and she did. Sammy then see’s Lengel, the sotre manager walk in, as the girls come to front he says “Girls, this isn’t the beach”. This makes the leader “queenie” blush, she then preceeded to defend why she was in the store. Lengel then stated to Sammy “had you rung them up yet, he then completed the purchase and placed the item in a paper bag. Then as the girls started to hurry out of the store, Sammy then says to Lengel that he quits so that the girls would hear him. He then has to repeat it for Lengel who then says that he doesn’t want to do this to his parents. Sammy proceeds to take off his apron and leave the store, finding that the girls are gone and he is without a job. Sammy felt the need to stand up for the girls in a fashion that was stoic. He believed that the girls had every right to come into the store wearing whatever they felt like wearing. Lengel however...

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