“A&P,” published in 1961 is told from the perspective of Sammy, a smart-aleck teenager who is severely bored in his job as a cashier. The story is about Sammy’s coming of age, which is demonstrated through his reaction to three girls being confronted, and ultimately humiliated, by the A&P manager, Sammy’s boss.
“A&P” Plot Summary
It is a typical day at the A&P, Sammy explains, just ringing up the purchases of the customers, one after another, with no real excitement to speak of. That all changes, however, the moment three bikini-clad girls waltz through the doors, immediately gaining the notice of all of the A&P workers, including Sammy. Sammy’s narrative goes into minute detail about the girls’ physical appearance as he sizes them up in a hormone-driven teenage boy way.
Sammy not only takes in the physical traits of the girls, though. He notices their demeanor, as well, paying particular attention to the girl he calls “Queenie,” who seems to be the leader. He notices her command over the other girls, not to mention the confidence and audacity he believes it takes to walk half-naked into the A&P.
While Sammy seems to have no problem ogling the girls, he is disturbed when he realized the other men who work in the A&P are doing the same, despite the fact that they are older than Sammy. Sammy starts to sympathize with the girls a bit, saying “Poor kids, I began to feel sorry for them, they couldn’t help it” (Updike 17).
The story’s climax occurs when Lengel, the store manager confronts the girls about not being properly dressed, resulting in the girls’ embarrassment. Sammy is so bothered by Lengel’s actions that he quits his job, hoping to get some glory for his gesture, but is left disappointed when the girls do not notice what he’s done.
First Person Point of View and Character Development
One of the most notable features of this story is the vivid portrayal of Sammy through the use of his first person narration of the story. Since the story is told through Sammy’s eyes, readers are able to grasp Sammy’s personality clearly. For instance, it is clear that Sammy is not content in his job at the A&P, based on his distaste for the customers:
“Looking back in the big windows, over the bags of peat moss and aluminum lawn furniture stacked on the pavement, I could see Lengel in my place in the slot, checking the sheep through” (Updike 19).
Here, by referring to the customers as “sheep,” Sammy’s attitude toward the shoppers of the A&P is negative. Likewise, it becomes apparent that Sammy does not want to be stuck at this job for the rest of his life. This is seen through the comparison of Sammy to the character Stokesie:
“Stokesie’s married, with two babies chalked up on his fuselage already, but as far as I can tell that’s the only difference. He’s twenty-two, and I was nineteen this April” (Updike 16).
At this point in the story, Sammy makes a connection between himself and Stokesie, who are similar in age as well as in their reaction to the girls’ presence in the A&P. However, as the story progresses, the reader understands that due to Stokesie’s responsibilities, such as a wife and children, he will likely end up working at the A&P for a long time. This is a fate that would not be pleasant for Sammy, who is unhappy in the job.
Theme and Meaning
The story’s theme focuses on Sammy’s struggles to grow up. He is forced to make a choice about where he stands on the confrontation that takes place between his manager and the girls, and Sammy decides to take action. He doesn’t feel right about Lengel’s humiliation of the girls; Sammy decides to take a stand, by quitting, in hopes to become the girls’ “unsuspected hero.”
He does not get any reward for quitting; the girls don’t even notice. Instead, he is forced to deal with the consequences of his actions, and is not able to change what he’s done. Even though Lengel gives Sammy the chance to keep his job, Sammy believes that once you take this type of action, there is no turning back.
He thinks that quitting is a mistake, but it is too late to do anything about it. The harsh reality of not “getting the girl” and being left jobless teach Sammy about the nature of being an adult, as he says “my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (Updike 19).
Updike, John. “A&P.” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, Drama, and Writing. X.J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia, eds. New York: Pearson, 2007. 14-19.
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