Characterization in John Updike’s “A&P”
Characterization is an important element involved in making a story appealing to readers. In fact, because of this reason, characters are often the hardest to create. In John Updike’s short story “A&P,” there are several characters- such as Sammy, Queenie, and Lengel- that are used to describe how a conformist society is interrupted by a nonconformist one. Each character played a viable part in relating fiction to life. It is through John Updike’s characterization, that readers are able to see two different sides of a society- one that Sammy feels trapped in and the other that he wants to go to.
In John Updike’s short story “A&P,” Sammy, the narrator, is portrayed as a teenager who is at a point of time in which he notices the things around him and are affected by them. Not only is he tired of the routine and boring world he lives in, but he takes the initiative to get away from this conformist society. His opportunity comes in the form of three girls in …show more content…
It is her boisterous behavior that drives him the most to quit his job and step out the doors of a society he was trapped in. She has a sense of superiority that is shown by the way she walks and the items she buys. Queenie is the most rebellious of all the other characters. She lives for breaking the rules- whether it is wearing a bathing suit to the grocery store, or “walking against the usual traffic of the store.” (2) She is an attention seeker, that encourages her group of followers to walk around in clothing they know are unaccepted. She uses her sexual appeal to attract male attention. It isn’t until she is confronted by a conformist, Lengel, that she decides to become withdraw and shy. This shyness shows just how young she is and new at expressing her views against conformism. Nevertheless, it is this embarrassment she displays, that impacts Sammy the
Characterization is an important element involved in making a story appealing to readers. In fact, because of this reason, characters are often the hardest to create. In John Updike’s short story “A&P,” there are several characters- such as Sammy, Queenie, and Lengel- that are used to describe how a conformist society is interrupted by a nonconformist one. Each character played a viable part in relating fiction to life. It is through John Updike’s characterization, that readers are able to see two different sides of a society- one that Sammy feels trapped in and the other that he wants to go to.
In John Updike’s short story “A&P,” Sammy, the narrator, is portrayed as a teenager who is at a point of time in which he notices the things around him and are affected by them. Not only is he tired of the routine and boring world he lives in, but he takes the initiative to get away from this conformist society. His opportunity comes in the form of three girls in …show more content…
It is her boisterous behavior that drives him the most to quit his job and step out the doors of a society he was trapped in. She has a sense of superiority that is shown by the way she walks and the items she buys. Queenie is the most rebellious of all the other characters. She lives for breaking the rules- whether it is wearing a bathing suit to the grocery store, or “walking against the usual traffic of the store.” (2) She is an attention seeker, that encourages her group of followers to walk around in clothing they know are unaccepted. She uses her sexual appeal to attract male attention. It isn’t until she is confronted by a conformist, Lengel, that she decides to become withdraw and shy. This shyness shows just how young she is and new at expressing her views against conformism. Nevertheless, it is this embarrassment she displays, that impacts Sammy the