In John Updike’s short story “A & P”, Sammy is having a tough time deciding what he wants out of life. He’s just a teenage boy with a rebellious mind. He finds out the hard way that life can be pretty tough. This story demonstrates his adolescent behavior, his disobedience towards his town’s beliefs, and the consequences he faces from actions.
Sammy is a nineteen year old boy; giving at his age it’s not unordinary that he fantasizes about girls. However, he does seemingly come off as a sexist pig. He eyes each girl down inappropriately. He describes the first girl he’s drawn too by saying, “She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it, where the sun never seems to hit, at the top of the back of her legs” (Updike, p. 320). He is completely entertained and approving of the girls decision to walk among the store has they were. He sees nothing wrong with their appearance and applauds them from a distance. More than anything he finds the whole situation amusing. …show more content…
He abrubtively quits his job in hopes to appear as a hero, but his childish demeanor is overlooked. The girls fled the store without recognition. His decision to become unemployed was letting down his boss, as well as his parents. His manager implied, “you’ll feel this for the rest of your life” (Updike p. 323). Sammy then was giving a second thought to stay, but being a hard headed teenager he makes his quick decision final. Only till he reaches outside the store, he starts to fathom what he may have done. He claims, “Looking back in the big windows, over the bags of peat moss and aluminum lawn furniture stacked on the pavement, I could see Lengel in my place in the slot, checking the sheep through. His face dark and grey and his back stiff, as if he’d just had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (Updikes p.
Sammy is a nineteen year old boy; giving at his age it’s not unordinary that he fantasizes about girls. However, he does seemingly come off as a sexist pig. He eyes each girl down inappropriately. He describes the first girl he’s drawn too by saying, “She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it, where the sun never seems to hit, at the top of the back of her legs” (Updike, p. 320). He is completely entertained and approving of the girls decision to walk among the store has they were. He sees nothing wrong with their appearance and applauds them from a distance. More than anything he finds the whole situation amusing. …show more content…
He abrubtively quits his job in hopes to appear as a hero, but his childish demeanor is overlooked. The girls fled the store without recognition. His decision to become unemployed was letting down his boss, as well as his parents. His manager implied, “you’ll feel this for the rest of your life” (Updike p. 323). Sammy then was giving a second thought to stay, but being a hard headed teenager he makes his quick decision final. Only till he reaches outside the store, he starts to fathom what he may have done. He claims, “Looking back in the big windows, over the bags of peat moss and aluminum lawn furniture stacked on the pavement, I could see Lengel in my place in the slot, checking the sheep through. His face dark and grey and his back stiff, as if he’d just had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (Updikes p.