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A&P: Full Plot Summary
Themes & Analysis
John Updike | Short Story
A&P by John Updike
ABOUT THE STORY
A&P by John Updike
This short story "A&P" by American author John Updike is a fictitious tragicomic story. The story was first seen in the magazine called "The New Yorker" on July 22, 1961. The story was collected in Alfred A. Knopf's book entitled "Pigeon Feathers" in 1961. The work is frequently included in various anthologies.
'A & P' is a story about a man named Sammy. He is a 19-year-old grocery store clerk in a small town in New England.
MAIN THEMES
A&P by John Updike
Here in the story, we find various themes such as the conflict between ideals and reality, actions and consequences etc.
John Updike's story "A&P" talks about various key themes, such as the conflict between ideals and reality, as well as the relationship between actions and their consequences. The story highlights how personal values or ideals can go against societal norms and expectations. It also emphasizes how quick decisions based on emotions or principles can lead to unexpected and surprising consequences, shaping one's future.
FULL PLOT SUMMARY
A&P by John Updike
When the story starts, three teenage girls make an entry into an A&P grocery store in a small New England town. The most surprising part is the girls are only wearing their swimsuits there. Sammy, a young guy who works at the checkout line, keeps an eye on them. He keeps on checking out how they look and notices every small thing about how they carry themselves. He also speculates what kind of people they might be and why they came to the store wearing such types of dresses. Sammy is especially interested in the prettiest girl among them. She seems like the leader of the group.
The girl whom Sammy calls "Queenie" has natural grace and confidence, besides her beauty. When the girls walk around the aisles of the A&P, they get the attention of everyone. Sammy mentions that the store is in the center of town, not near the beach where people would expect to see girls dressed like them. Sammy's coworker Stokesie also stares at the girls. He jokes with Sammy about it. Sammy also jokes back, but he feels the difference between himself and Stokesie. Sammy is still single whereas Stokesie is married.
In the matter of working at the A&P, Stokesie accepts that he'll keep working at the A&P. Even though Sammy sees similarities with Stokesie, seems to feel that such a future is beneath him. When another coworker starts admiring the girls, Sammy feels sorry for them. It is because they probably don't realize they're making themselves look bad. But later, Sammy gets really excited when the girls choose his checkout line to buy things.
A person named Lengel, the manager of the store comes to Sammy's checkout lane. He starts scolding the girls for coming into the store in their swimsuits. According to him, wearing such dresses is against store rules and regulations. The girls feel really embarrassed. Queenie says that her mom sent her to buy some herring snacks. Sammy gets a hint about Queenie's life from this particular statement. He pictures her parents at a fancy party, everyone dressed up and sipping “drinks the colour of water.” Next, he thinks about his own parents' parties, where people simply drink lemonade or inexpensive beer.
When the girls start leaving the store, Sammy suddenly turns to Lengel and tells him that he's quitting his job because he doesn't like how Lengel embarrasses the girls in the store. Sammy hopes the girls see him doing this protest against Lengel. Lengel tries to convince Sammy not to quit his job. He warns Sammy that he'll regret his decision later and his parents will also be disappointed if he quits his job at the A&P store.
But Sammy thinks that he has to finish what he started. He leaves the A&P store. When he reaches the parking lot, he finds the girls have already left the place. Sammy feels himself alone with mixed feelings. He starts feeling worried about what the future holds for him.
PLOT ANALYSIS
A&P by John Updike
Initial Situation:
At the very beginning of the story, we find three girls entering a grocery store in their bathing suits.
The place: A&P is a grocery store which is located in a small Massachusetts town. The time: It's a Thursday afternoon in the early 1960s.
Sammy, the 19-year-old boy, the narrator of the story, notices three bathing-suit-clad girls enter his A&P grocery store, which is otherwise mostly packed with middle-aged housewives.
Conflict in the Story:
The three girls in bathing suits walk around the grocery store.
Yes, the conflict comes from the initial situation. Most people just didn’t wear bathing suits in indoor public places. Sammy notices that the regular A&P store customers are surprised by the girls’ dress.
Complication:
The manager arrives there and informs the girls that they are dressed inappropriately.
Everything is fine until the manager, Lengel arrives there. The girls are at Sammy's checkout lane. They are about to pay and leave. But Lengel stops them only to say that their clothing isn’t proper for the A&P.
Climax:
Sammy quits.
Sammy doesn’t like the way Lengel treats the girls. So, after ringing them up, he quits his job. This is certainly a climactic moment in Sammy's life. The first time he's ever quit a job, and the story's big emotional moment.
Suspense:
Is Sammy serious, or will Lengel’s warnings make him change his mind?
The story "A&P" is too short to create much suspense, but there is a moment when we wonder if Lengel will call Sammy's bluff and if Sammy will plan to stay at the A&P.
Denouement:
Sammy takes off his A&P apron and bow tie.
Sammy quits. He leaves his A&P gear on the counter.
Conclusion:
Sammy watches Lengel from outside the A&P store.
The story ends with Sammy standing alone outside in the parking lot. He sees his ex-boss through the windows doing his old job. Sammy feels a sense of worry, a feeling that quitting his job really will make things more difficult for him in the future.
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