Background Author Information:John Hoyer Updike, born March 18th 1932 in Shillington, Pennsylvania. Died January 27th

2009.

Most famous work is "Rabbit" series, which is a chronicle of the life of a middle-class everyman

guy throughout his life. Has won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction twice. Subject being small town

America, and Protestant middle class likes to place an emphasis on normal Americans going

through sexuality religious ideological issues. Work has gained critical attention and praise, and

is widely considered to be one of the great American writers of the mid 20th century.

Literal Action of the Story: What Happens?

Story is set in the late 1950's in a small New England town. Story is set in an A&P store, a grocery chain

store popular at the time. Sammy is the main character, and the story is told from his perspective.

Sammy is a cashier at the A&P, and enjoys watching people and making assumptions about them based

on how they act in the store. Three girls walk into the store wearing only bathing suits, even though the

beach is many miles away. One of the girls seems to be in charge, and Sammy designates her Queenie,

and assumes much about her life from what she wears and for trying to buy herring crackers. Lengel the

manager confronts the girls for wearing such revealing clothing in the store, citing store policy. The girls

become embarrassed and leave the store. Hoping to catch the eyes of the girls, Sammy quits his job.

Lenny tries to dissuade Sammy from quitting, saying he would disappoint his parents, but Sammy already

has his mind set. Sammy realizes the girls didn't even know he acted on there behalf, and is left alone in

the parking lot brooding on his poor choice.

Questions:

• What is the importance of the Herring Snacks?

• Why does Sammy feel sorry for the girls?

• Do you think it was right for Lengel to throw the girls out of the store, policy or no policy?

Why is the story important?:The short story is largely about social conformity and the desire to rebel against it.

Sammy is starting to become afraid he is becoming pacified into social conformity

by working at the store. He doesn't want to turn into Stokesie who has no plans

beyond working for A&P, and doesn't want to turn into the "sheep" and

"houseslaves" that mill around the store mindlessly. The girls showing up causes a scene,

and shatters the normality of the store. The girls move against the traffic in the store,

disturbing the shoppers. Their attractiveness causes people to gawk. Their casual sexual

defiance against the standards and social norms of the community and the fact that they

just blatantly ignore these interest Sammy. Queenie insists that she and her friends are

wearing decent clothing, and Sammy see's this as correct. Her youth and beauty should be accepted

by society, not make her be looked down on for. Sammy comes to a realization that if he wants to be

different, and not sucked into social conformity he has to take a stance, and he does so. Even

though he is now without a paycheck, at least he isn't conforming to the silly rules that paycheck

would have forced on him.

Analysis of the story:• Characters:• Sammy: 19 year old boy working the checkout line, desires to escape his

current mundane life of working at the A&P and having not so well off family.• Stokesie: Also a checkout clerk. Only a few years older than Sammy, is married

and has two kids. Intends to work at A&P for the rest of his life. Sammy is afraid he will follow the same path as Stokesie.

• The girls/Queenie: Teenage girls wearing bikinis who enter the A&P. Queenie is deemed most attractive of the group by Sammy, and seems to be the group leader. The girls enter the store to buy herring snacks.

• Lengel: Manager of the A&P, uptight and strict.

• Themes: Desire: The girls act as if they do not care people are gawking at them in their swimsuits in the store. They know that this is not socially acceptable but they do not care. This only heightens Sammy's sexual desire for them. They are rebelling against social norms, something that Sammy internally wishes himself. Only when Lengel chastises them for being rebellious does this nonchalant attitude disappear from the girls, who then fall back on using their parents as an excuse. Sammy now pities’ them, they just had there rebellious desire crushed by social norms, and for the fact that they are still young and naive enough to think they can use their parents as behavioral crushes. Sammy's desire for Queenie, plus the desire to rebel like the girls did, pushes Sammy to quit his job at the A&P.

Mystery of oneself: Throughout the story Sammy shows his acute observations skills, which he uses to gain insight on those around him. He sees costumers as mindless simpletons, far to easily figured out. He thinks he has Stokesie and Lengal all figured out, Stokesie being a simple man and Lengal being the strict authoritative figure. When the girls come in he assumes he can read them as well. He assumes they are confident, headstrong girls, that is until Lengel confronts them, and Queenie breaks beneath Lengel's authority. This surprises Sammy, and further awakens his imagination, and takes a dramatic step of quitting his job. In the end, Sammy is out of a job, did not impress the girls, and is left wondering about himself and his life.

• Symbols:Bathing Suits: The bathing suits are what represents the rebel of social norms, to the girls it represents deliberate attempts to be per vocative. The bathing suits also symbolizes freedom and escape form the world around them. Herring sacks: The herring snacks represents the different world of a higher class than Sammy. Sammy's parents couldn't afford herring snacks, which made Sammy to think that Quennie came from a wealthy home. Instead for resenting her for her wealth, Sammy envies her freedom that wealth could provide. Quitting his job, was an attempt at both impressing Queenie and gesture of self-liberation.

Questions:

• How do you think Sammy grew as an individual in the story?

• Do you think this story is sexist?