“A&P” is a short story written by John Updike in 1962. It is conducted in a first-person narrative, which enables the reader to understand the main character’s thoughts and opinions. Sammy is an eighteen-year-old boy who works in a local A&P store and is very observant of his surroundings. Sammy’s observations about girls, managers, and the community reflect his personality and deep desire to escape the boring settings of his everyday life.
Sammy’s observations of girls show how misogynistic his character is. Sammy is incredibly observant and notices all the details about the store visitors. Although, when he encountered women, his observations turned borderline misogynistic. He keenly observes their bodies and makes comments to himself. Sammy calls an older customer a “witch” and notices how she snorts at him (Updike 2). Furthermore, when the three girls walk into the store, he immediately pays all his attention to them. Initially, the main character called one girl “chubby” and later switched to calling her “fat” (Updike 4). His observations and comments turn rude and offensive towards other girls. Sammy eagerly observes their bodies and vividly describes the girls’ figures, hairstyles, et cetera. Such detailed observations reveal the extent of Sammy’s rapturous appreciation of beauty as well as the underlying aggression of the male gaze.
Sammy’s observation of fellow citizens reflects his condescending nature. Sammy thinks most of the people who come into the A&P are “sheep,” or followers, even “scared pigs in a chute” (Updike 2). He is confident that everybody acts, dresses, looks, and probably even thinks the same. He is making derogatory comments about families and his own colleague, calling them “house-slaves” (Updike 1). It becomes clear that Sammy considers himself better than others. When he is imagining Queenie’s parents and comparing their lifestyle to the one of his family, the reader can sense the longing of the character. The main character clearly wants to become a part of a higher class and despises his own social status. He desperately wants to break out of the boring life he is getting into, but he just does not know how. The way he describes daily occurrences in the shop shows how bored of this life he is, “I bet you could set off dynamite in an A & P and the people would by and large keep reaching and checking oatmeal off their lists and muttering whatever it is they do mutter” (Updike 1). Moreover, when he encounters girls for the first time, he neglects his job at the shop, causing customer inconveniences. This shows how little Sammy thinks of his community and that he is fascinated by the upper class.
When Sammy’s store manager, Lengel, comes into the picture, the reader immediately senses Sammy’s resentment towards the man. The main character considers Lengel “pretty dreary, teaches Sunday school and the rest” (Updike 3). He mentions how Lengel regards himself as “the head lifeguard” (Updike 3), laughing at the man in his typical arrogant manner. Although it becomes clear that Sammy does not dare to fight Lengel and that he respects the older man in a way, Sammy’s patronizing manner does not fade. The store manager is a friend of Sammy’s father, and Sammy has known him all his life. The reader also learns that the job is important for Sammy’s family, assuming they are not well off.
The way Sammy speaks makes a very poor impression on the main character. He seems repulsive, entitled, and condescending. He clearly thinks that he is much better than other members of his community. The misogynistic view of women also does not paint the main character in the best color. Condescendingly and arrogantly, he assumes that if he cannot understand how a girl’s mind works, it is because there is no mind there to understand. The possibility that it is actually his mind that is limited does not occur to him. Sammy’s male chauvinist attitude is largely a mere pose, part of his idea of himself as a clever, sarcastic observer. The fact that he is constantly using sarcasm makes the reader understand his age better. Sammy is an eighteen-year-old teenager who behaves typically for his age.
Based on the idea that Sammy is bored of his current lifestyle and wants better for himself, he sees an opportunity to escape when he encounters Queenie. He defends her to Lengel, making sure that the girls know what he is saying, “quick enough for them to hear, hoping they’ll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero” (Updike 4). Sammy even refers to himself as a hero, which signals a first real taste of the power of standing up for what he believes in. Moreover, by quitting his job and telling his boss, Lengel, off for being so rude to the girls, Sammy experiences a coming of age. The fact that he quits his job, knowing how badly it will affect his family, reflects Sammy’s arrogant character.
Overall, Sammy is a negative character in the sense that he rebuffs the reader. His sarcastic comments and a condescending stance toward everyone around him, but Queenie, show how badly he wants to escape his town. He admires Queenie because she represents everything that he desires in life. Sammy wants to achieve a higher class and thinks that he is better than the members of the community that surrounds him. Although by quitting his job, he makes a selfish decision, he also takes the first step into adulthood.
Work Cited
Updike, John. “A&P”. The New Yorker, 1961.