Comparing A & P And I Stand Here Ironing

Throughout Tillie Olson’s and John Updike’s short stories “A&P” and “I Stand Here Ironing,” the main characters were portrayed as those who do not fit society’s idea of normal and went against the current of the trends. In both stories the generations at hand were very different in how they viewed women. With “I Stand Here Ironing,” women were often dependent on the men in their life, and were taught to be covered up at all times. While “A&P,” women were beginning to gain their independence but were still known to be decently covered while out in public. The main women in the stories all did not go by the standards built by their societies and generations. Both stories showed women as working against what conventions society has placed on them and what is expected of them. With Updike’s “A&P,” Queenie and her friends all went against society’s rules on how women should dress in public. While Olson’s “I Stand Here Ironing,” fights the idea of what women should be liked for and how they should present themselves. Updike and Olson both portrayed their main characters as those who have their own idea on how they live and having their own personal opinions, rather than follow society and being pressured to conform to the social norm. When going out shopping, one would expect that people, women in particular would be covered up and dressed …show more content…
With the manager speaking out against the girls on how they were in his opinion, dressed indecently, the girls responded with their own opinions on how they were dressed. Queenie herself spoke up against the manager’s words, she herself said that, “We are decent,” (Updike 145). She responded to his comment with her own personal belief on how she and her friends looked, and this proved for all three girls that they had their own ideas of what is