Conformity In John Updike's A & P

“His Girls”- Question # 4 “The 1950s were a decade of prosperity for the United States. Conformity became the norm, and a conservative code of dress and behavior…dictated what was appropriate” (142). This is the background of the time the story, “A&P” written by John Updike, takes place in. Updike writes about a boy named Sammy who finds himself, while still in the stages of transitioning from a boy to a man a “boy-man” (Schneider). Sammy’s character starts to reveal itself when he is taken aback by three girls: Queenie, Plaid, and Big Tall Goony-Goony (22). They come into the A&P supermarket he works for, in bathing suits. This act of courage and audacity in the girl’s part changes Sammy’s life forever. He decides to stand up to Lengel; the manager of the store, and quits the A&P. For the first time, he feels he is doing something right, or so he thought. These girls came along like a force to be reckoned with, and brought out what was inside …show more content…
For example, he tells the reader exactly what he thinks about girls’ minds when he says, “You never know for sure how girl’s minds work (do you really think it’s a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?)” (2) First person narration permits the reader to visualize and understand the main character more than a third person narration. For instance, if Lengel was telling the story Sammy might be perceived as irresponsible. First person adds to the theme of the story. The way Sammy explains Queenie and the girls against the customers in the store, “the sheep pushing their carts down the aisle; [while] the girls were walking against the usual traffic” (5), gives the reader an idea of how Sammy sees society, as well as the contrast the girls bring into the picture. The girls were different and stood out in time where it was not common to do