A & P By John Updike Analysis

713 Words3 Pages
All from a Cashier. Inside of A&P by John Updike, the story is told from a boy named Sammy’s perspective, that being first person. The story develops around Sammy and his desire for the girls that enter the store and his negative outlook on his job, life and otherwise. This gives the reader just about every thought that Sammy has with this perspective and without these thoughts it would be difficult to see just what he might be thinking, like how he believes the people that come through the store as “sheep”. Through his mind, we can see his slight misogynism and negativity towards other people and his entire outlook on life, without this POV we would lose this side of Sammy. When Sammy gives his opinions on people throughout the store, we…show more content…
If we were to hear all sides, we might see Sammy as an insubordinate child who only thinks for himself and his lustful teenage needs, if you would think as a manager of a well kept grocery store, Lengel. Or seeing Sammy as a creepy boy who would seemingly only want to get into your pants, from the girls line of thought. Or perhaps seeing him from Stokesie’s point of view and possibly still seeing Sammy as the hero, rebelling against the tyranny of the beach overlord Lengel. All of these would take away from the main point of the story, that being a teenage mindset and just how pessimistic and fixed that they can be. Going so far as to make oneself the “hero” of the situation for quitting his job, and making all the “scared pigs in a chute” become aware of some kind of tyranny from lifeguard Lengel. This first person limited telling of the story really pulls into effect into the very end, showing how Sammy was only thinking about a possible future in which he quits, the girls fall in love with him and everything is alright, only for that dream to be shattered when “my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter.” and Sammy realizes his enormous mistake only after the deed has

More about A & P By John Updike Analysis

Open Document