Rebellion in “A&P” and “Greasy Lake”
Rebellion is an overarching theme in both John Updike’s “A&P” and T. Coraghessan Boyle’s “Greasy Lake.” A sense of rebellion and a primitive urge to break free of society’s expectations and standards as well a shared sense of antiestablishmentarianism afflicts both narrators. However, the motives for their behavior are different, and they are drawn to a rebellious lifestyle for different reasons. For Sammy from “A&P,” he decides to rebel because of the appeal of the freedom associated with a wealthy lifestyle. As for the unnamed narrator from “Greasy Lake,” he instead chooses to rebel because of a dissatisfaction from his wealthy suburban life. Although there is an initial impression of a promised liberation …show more content…
Teenagers are ambitious, and willing to venture out, but are eventually reined in by outside forces. As a result, they feel restrained and held back by a world that is too plain and sluggish. In “Greasy Lake,” the unnamed narrator notes that gradually “courtesy and winning ways went out of style, when it was good to be bad, and when you cultivated decadence like a taste” (Boyle 129). “Greasy Lake,” like “A&P,” presumably also takes place in the 1960s, a time when the “bad” youth subculture thrived. During this time, young folk considered their behavior to be deviant from the establishment, and felt that they were not hooligans, but rather renegades that boldly questioned societal norms. In actuality, this identity is only the facade of a group of wealthy and insecure boys who allow their parents “to pay their tuition at Cornell” (Boyle 129). The characters in “Greasy Lake” are piqued by the romanticism of a rugged lifestyle away from a rich suburban life. However, there is a contradiction in their identity as “bad characters” in that they are not motivated to the point that they are willing to fully depart the demanding but secure embrace of the establishment and venture independently into the unknown. Looking back at the poor choices of his youth, the unnamed narrator describes him and his friends as so-called rebels who “read André Gide and struck elaborate poses to …show more content…
In “A&P”, Sammy quits in an rash and impulsive move in order to please the rich girls and free himself from his almost horrifyingly monotonous line of work. However, after he goes to the parking lot, he looks “around for my girls, but they’re gone, of course” (Updike 467). Realizing that the mystical group of girls is now out of his reach, he looks back at his slot through the store window and “my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (Updike 467). Sammy has an epiphany that makes him realize his current position. He has been removed himself from the world he is used to as a store clerk, but has yet to enter the wealthy world of fancy herring snacks and bathing suits that Queenie comes from. The brief moment of chivalry and release from the bland corporate structure of the A&P was but an illusion, and he comes to the chilling conclusion that with his job removed, his life will soon be in shambles. In a way, Queenie and the rich girls are like Sirens, luring Sammy with their beauty into a trap. The same illusion of freedom also takes place in “Greasy Lake”. After a night of experiencing what the “bad” life truly entailed, the unnamed narrator realizes that he is not truly “bad”, nor does he want to be. Reflecting at his actions, the narrator simply
Rebellion is an overarching theme in both John Updike’s “A&P” and T. Coraghessan Boyle’s “Greasy Lake.” A sense of rebellion and a primitive urge to break free of society’s expectations and standards as well a shared sense of antiestablishmentarianism afflicts both narrators. However, the motives for their behavior are different, and they are drawn to a rebellious lifestyle for different reasons. For Sammy from “A&P,” he decides to rebel because of the appeal of the freedom associated with a wealthy lifestyle. As for the unnamed narrator from “Greasy Lake,” he instead chooses to rebel because of a dissatisfaction from his wealthy suburban life. Although there is an initial impression of a promised liberation …show more content…
Teenagers are ambitious, and willing to venture out, but are eventually reined in by outside forces. As a result, they feel restrained and held back by a world that is too plain and sluggish. In “Greasy Lake,” the unnamed narrator notes that gradually “courtesy and winning ways went out of style, when it was good to be bad, and when you cultivated decadence like a taste” (Boyle 129). “Greasy Lake,” like “A&P,” presumably also takes place in the 1960s, a time when the “bad” youth subculture thrived. During this time, young folk considered their behavior to be deviant from the establishment, and felt that they were not hooligans, but rather renegades that boldly questioned societal norms. In actuality, this identity is only the facade of a group of wealthy and insecure boys who allow their parents “to pay their tuition at Cornell” (Boyle 129). The characters in “Greasy Lake” are piqued by the romanticism of a rugged lifestyle away from a rich suburban life. However, there is a contradiction in their identity as “bad characters” in that they are not motivated to the point that they are willing to fully depart the demanding but secure embrace of the establishment and venture independently into the unknown. Looking back at the poor choices of his youth, the unnamed narrator describes him and his friends as so-called rebels who “read André Gide and struck elaborate poses to …show more content…
In “A&P”, Sammy quits in an rash and impulsive move in order to please the rich girls and free himself from his almost horrifyingly monotonous line of work. However, after he goes to the parking lot, he looks “around for my girls, but they’re gone, of course” (Updike 467). Realizing that the mystical group of girls is now out of his reach, he looks back at his slot through the store window and “my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (Updike 467). Sammy has an epiphany that makes him realize his current position. He has been removed himself from the world he is used to as a store clerk, but has yet to enter the wealthy world of fancy herring snacks and bathing suits that Queenie comes from. The brief moment of chivalry and release from the bland corporate structure of the A&P was but an illusion, and he comes to the chilling conclusion that with his job removed, his life will soon be in shambles. In a way, Queenie and the rich girls are like Sirens, luring Sammy with their beauty into a trap. The same illusion of freedom also takes place in “Greasy Lake”. After a night of experiencing what the “bad” life truly entailed, the unnamed narrator realizes that he is not truly “bad”, nor does he want to be. Reflecting at his actions, the narrator simply