The setting of “A & P” is quite usual for a regular grocery store on a weekday. The town is north of Boston, five miles from the beach. Since the store is right in the middle of town, banks and churches and the newspaper store can been seen from the front doors. The day is Thursday, so there is not very much business. Outside, the sun can be seen on the pavement. The main character, Sammy, is almost nineteen years old and his coworker, Stokesie, is twenty-two and married. The manager, Lengel, is gray and teaches Sunday school. The setting in John Updike’s story, “A & P”, is used as a way to show humor and realism.
Updike uses the setting in a way to show humor. In the beginning, Sammy is ringing up an older woman’s groceries when three bathing suit clad girls walk in. Sammy, of course, forgets what he is doing momentarily, and rings up a box of HiHo crackers twice and the old woman catches the mistake (Updike 316).......
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Approximate Word Count: 805
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |