In John Updike's "A&P" we are introduced to Sammy, a nineteen year old grocery store clerk who is the main character and the narrator of the story. After a group of girls walk in, we get the possible impression that he's maybe a bit chauvinistic from his comment, "You never know for sure how girls' minds work (do you really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?)"(16). With Sammy's continual reference to the customers as "sheep" (like some form of slang), his knowledge of the store usually being empty on Thursday, and when he rings people up often enough the register makes a song that you can put words to, you get the sense that he's been working at the A&P for a very long time. Finally we come to the point where Sammy quits his job after his manager (Lengel) reprimands the three girls for the way they are dressed. Sammy tells us that this is, "the sad part of the story"(17), according to his family, but not necessarily for himself. After......
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Approximate Word Count: 311
Approximate Pages: 2 (260 words per double-spaced page) |