In the two stories “A Pair of Silk Stocking” by Kate Chopin and “A&P” by John Updike, there seems to be a common theme among both of them. In the two stories both the main characters seem to struggle between individual impulse and responsibility. We can see both Mrs. Sommers from “A Pair of Silk Stockings” and Sammy from “A&P” struggling with it throughout the story, this is present to the reader through their actions.
In the stories, we know that both of the characters share a common class. The both find themselves in the working class. In “A&P” Sammy is working at the local grocery store. When he is working we see a group of girls that walked into the store wearing only their bathing suits, and no shoes. The three girls were at the store …show more content…
Sammy doesn’t know anything else they only thing he knows is the working class. Were Mrs. Sommers has had other experiences. But we still see Sammy using buying class to show that he isn’t like them but how he wishes that he was. He goes into great detail about how their parties would differ from one and another. He tells us “when my parents have somebody over they get lemonade and if it 's a real racy affair Schlitz in tall glasses with "They 'll Do It Every Time" cartoons stenciled on.” He says that at her party’s he envisions “Her father and the other men were standing around in ice-cream coats and bow ties and the women were in sandals picking up herring snacks on toothpicks off a big plate and they were all holding drinks the color of water with olives and sprigs of mint in them.” All this is based on the snack that she is buying for her party, and the way that she is dressed and how she walks around the store.
We also see Sammy trying to leave his class and be accepted in upper-class. However instead of buying things he quits his job. The action of quitting his job and standing up for the girls he hopes that they will notice his for sticking up for them. He quits his job and walks outside hoping to find the girls only to find that he is all alone. They have left him he hasn’t been accepted into the class. His action of quitting his job is meant to show the girls that he doesn’t really need the job and that his morals are more
In the stories, we know that both of the characters share a common class. The both find themselves in the working class. In “A&P” Sammy is working at the local grocery store. When he is working we see a group of girls that walked into the store wearing only their bathing suits, and no shoes. The three girls were at the store …show more content…
Sammy doesn’t know anything else they only thing he knows is the working class. Were Mrs. Sommers has had other experiences. But we still see Sammy using buying class to show that he isn’t like them but how he wishes that he was. He goes into great detail about how their parties would differ from one and another. He tells us “when my parents have somebody over they get lemonade and if it 's a real racy affair Schlitz in tall glasses with "They 'll Do It Every Time" cartoons stenciled on.” He says that at her party’s he envisions “Her father and the other men were standing around in ice-cream coats and bow ties and the women were in sandals picking up herring snacks on toothpicks off a big plate and they were all holding drinks the color of water with olives and sprigs of mint in them.” All this is based on the snack that she is buying for her party, and the way that she is dressed and how she walks around the store.
We also see Sammy trying to leave his class and be accepted in upper-class. However instead of buying things he quits his job. The action of quitting his job and standing up for the girls he hopes that they will notice his for sticking up for them. He quits his job and walks outside hoping to find the girls only to find that he is all alone. They have left him he hasn’t been accepted into the class. His action of quitting his job is meant to show the girls that he doesn’t really need the job and that his morals are more