John Updike’s “A&P” and Joyce Carol Oates’ “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?” suggests that coming of age in the 60s is markedly different for young men and women.
Updike’s Sammy is essentially on a quest for independence from an authoritative figure. The authority figure in question here is Lengel, Sammy’s boss at the A&P, who is portrayed as a “dreary . . . Sunday school” teacher, hides behind the “door marked MANAGER (288). Seeing that Lengel believes in the power of his position invokes the rebel within Sammy, to the extent that he questions the credibility of Lengel’s rules that do not make any sense and criticizes them for being mere policies that “kingpins want [and that the rest] . . . is juvenile delinquency” (288). Categorizing …show more content…
Initially, Arnold seduces her with the attention that she would never get from her family and effectively uses it to his cause when he points out that her family doesn’t “know one thing about [her] and never did . . . [and that none of them} would have done this for” her (301). When his attempts to sweet talk Connie into coming out of the house fails, Arnold reveals his true colors and drops any and all pretense of friendliness. He says that “it's all over for [her] here [and asks her to] come on out (300). He uses her fear for her family’s safety and her sheer goodness to lure her out of the house, as he remarks “You don't want your people in any trouble, do you?” (300). Connie loses her composure and poignantly cries out for her mother. Despite her prior conflicts with her mother, she still seeks out her mother in times of distress. It is only at this point does she realize that her acts of distancing herself from her family will only cost her and as of right now, there is no one to hear her pleas for help. Ironically, it is Arnold’s dark personality that drives her to commit the noblest deed, which is sacrificing herself for her family. It is important to distinguish here that she succumbs to Arnold’s threat-ridden seduction not for her own pleasure, but for the good of her family. While she may have appeared initially as a self-centered person, there is overwhelming evidence that she loves her family more than she cares to
Updike’s Sammy is essentially on a quest for independence from an authoritative figure. The authority figure in question here is Lengel, Sammy’s boss at the A&P, who is portrayed as a “dreary . . . Sunday school” teacher, hides behind the “door marked MANAGER (288). Seeing that Lengel believes in the power of his position invokes the rebel within Sammy, to the extent that he questions the credibility of Lengel’s rules that do not make any sense and criticizes them for being mere policies that “kingpins want [and that the rest] . . . is juvenile delinquency” (288). Categorizing …show more content…
Initially, Arnold seduces her with the attention that she would never get from her family and effectively uses it to his cause when he points out that her family doesn’t “know one thing about [her] and never did . . . [and that none of them} would have done this for” her (301). When his attempts to sweet talk Connie into coming out of the house fails, Arnold reveals his true colors and drops any and all pretense of friendliness. He says that “it's all over for [her] here [and asks her to] come on out (300). He uses her fear for her family’s safety and her sheer goodness to lure her out of the house, as he remarks “You don't want your people in any trouble, do you?” (300). Connie loses her composure and poignantly cries out for her mother. Despite her prior conflicts with her mother, she still seeks out her mother in times of distress. It is only at this point does she realize that her acts of distancing herself from her family will only cost her and as of right now, there is no one to hear her pleas for help. Ironically, it is Arnold’s dark personality that drives her to commit the noblest deed, which is sacrificing herself for her family. It is important to distinguish here that she succumbs to Arnold’s threat-ridden seduction not for her own pleasure, but for the good of her family. While she may have appeared initially as a self-centered person, there is overwhelming evidence that she loves her family more than she cares to