John Updike

A&P: Sammy A&P is a comic short story by author John Updike, set in first person narration by a sales clerk at an A&P store named Sammy. Sammy notices three girls walk into his store in only their swimsuits, which is a fearless act to be made in the time that the story was set. The head of the pack, “Queenie”, leads the other two girls through the aisles, and her confidence doubles the sum of her friends’. She seems to be guiding them through a life lesson, teaching them to keep their heads high…

As Stephen King said- “Books and movies are like apples and oranges. They both are fruit, but taste completely different. After reading “A&P” by John Updike and “Girl” by Jamaica Kincaid there is so many things that can to be talked about. Both stories come to a point where they are alike in many ways, but they differ from one another also. Similarities can be found throughout these both stories, elements are theme, character, author, and feeling. In “A&P” there is a young man who is a cashier,…

“Rabbit Run” was written by John Updike. The decisions that a person makes in life can either a positive or negative implications. The implications don’t just affect an individual, but can also affect people around them. Every day we make decisions that can affect people around us. Before making a rush decision, you need to think things through so you can prevent any future regrets. It illustrates how the decisions made by a young man in his life affect the people that surround him. The novel…

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done” (Jefferson, Thomas). The short story “A&P” by John Updike centers around how the life of Sammy dramatically changes when he tries to impress a girl. A summary of the story, three girls walk into A&P, where Sammy works, in bikinis. This causes the male employees to become distracted, Sammy singles out one of the girls and in his head calls her Queenie. The girls come to check out at Sammy’s cash…

A Matter of Appearance In the short story A & P, by John Updike the narrator/main character Sammy quits his job at the A & P store after defending three girls dressed in bathing suits from the “stingy” A & P manager Lengel, however the girls leave the store without even noticing Sammy’s attempt at gaining their attention. This then raises the question about why he quit. What was his reason? Was it wrong? Was it right? It is quite possible that Sammy may have had a deeper subconscious reason for…

The Crow in the Woods The Crow in the Woods by John Updike is unlike any other story I have read before. The author does an odd but wonderful job in describing in detail the thoughts and surroundings of an average married man. This story meets course goal number seven as it enhances the students’ understanding of the value of holistic thinking in making informed judgments and in applying values as they become increasingly conscious of what is at stake if we fail to understand the relationship…

The supermarket in “A&P” by John Updike is an arena in which nearly all of the key characters, Lengel, Sammy, and the girls, are fighting for the most power. At first the hierarchy is not all that obvious but under closer inspection a clear structure of empowerment rises. Power and the illusion of power are prevalent themes in John Updike’s “A&P. ” Only the girls possess qualities of true power in this slightly cringe-worthy narrative. While most people would claim that Lengel holds the most…

Changes In A Character Short stories consist of dynamic and static characters. In the short story “A&P” by John Updike, a man with the name of Sammy experiences a conflict that comes between him and his occupation. Sammy changes his mood, as well as other characters, in this story. In The Beginning Sammy has a pretty steady life when the story starts out. The nineteen-year-old works in a grocery stores’ third checkout slot. A&P is the average, day-to-day supermarket. Although, the story does not…

In the story, “A&P”, John Updike introduces a young boy, Sammy, who is employed in an A&P grocery and finds his awareness towards maturity, which leads to consequences. The author illustrates this through the use of detailed characterization, bravery, and consequences brought from one’s actions. The passage starts off with Sammy working when he sees three girls wearing nothing but bathing suits and labels each one individually. Later on, the girls walk up to Sammy to check out when Lengel, the…

While reading “A&P” by John Updike, it reminded me of a situation I had in my life. The protagonist, Sammy was put in a position very similar to mine. Sammy is a young and immature kid working in the A&P grocery store. Sammy is immature because of the way he lacks concentration on his job. He does not like how his boss treats a couple of girls who walk in the store with only bathing suit one day. He makes a sudden decision to quit his only job in a moment of anger towards his boss. There are…