John Updike A&p

In the story A&P the author, John Updike, sets his story in a store in which a teenage clerk named Sammy works. Aysha Schurman in her biography of John Updike tells how “A John Updike biography reveals a man who created extraordinary stories about ordinary life.” This is true especially in this story where a typical teen clerk is depicted in his ordinary job which is about to transform himselfwhile at work. The story is set in Massachusetts in the 1960s, “the age of youth, as 70 million children from the post-war and baby-boom became teenagers and young adults” A typical day at work for Sammy is nothing exciting. It is nothing but a repetition of the previous day. It has all but become a routine to him. Breaking of this routine seems almost impossible, that is until this day when inwalk three girls. As this occurs, Sammy is introduced in the story as a person who notices everything, and is very opinionative about others, in other words analytical. When they come in Sammy fails to notice them, but as soon as they catch his sight, they become the main attraction for this bored young clerk. At the moment he is tending to a lady who snaps when he accidentally scans an item twicewhile distracted with the three girls walking in. As she gives him a hard time we are given a well descriptive image of this particular customer. His description of the elderly customer seems kind of harsh when he states that she belongs in the period of the Salem trials. As he finishes up with the lady, the girls come back into sight.
As they come into the story again, Sammy is drawn to lookover the new customers. He very quickly gets attracted by the trio, and is drawn to be very observant of them. Throughout the story it is evident that Sammy enjoys passing his time analyzing others, he is a watchful person. Being watchful, his descriptions paint a vivid image in a very elaborate way because he is so descriptive. He misses no chance to tell the audience of the situation and the onesinvolved in it. To show us this, Updike shows us how Sammy is very explicit accounting the features of each girl, as well as what they are up to. Sammy misses almost no detail of the girls as they wander through the aisles of A&P. But as this all happens a change occurs, as watchful as Sammy is, with the girls he is momentarily caught up and becomes impulsive. This major change in the character istriggered by an allure that makes Sammy believe that his actions would be seen as chivalrous by the girls, or one of them in particular, yet have no effect and ultimately end up causing him no reward for his momentary change in behavior.
As the girls begin their short tour through A&P, they are being sized up by Sammy. From the beginning he shows his keen watchful personality. He is carefullyobservant and alert to each girl. He demonstrates his watchful eye giving descriptions of each. “There was this chunky one…there was this one, with one of those chubby berry-faces…then the third one…She was the queen. She kind of led them.” Analyzing the trio was not hard for Sammy. He swiftly and effectively depicts each with a thorough portrayal. To his eye, one stands out, Queenie. “What gotme, the straps were down…I mean, it was more than pretty(par.3).” Sammy shows his attraction to the “Queen” of the group. As a teenager he is his interest quickly grows, and also an affection towards her beauty. The description of Queenie is so thorough it is impossible for the audience to not have an accurate image of the girl. What he does not yet see is how this interest and affection towardsher is going to ultimately change a course in his life by the time they exit the A&P.
Being the careful observant that he is Sammy follows the girls’ footsteps. He notices them wandering through the store searching for something. Looking for direction they approach McMahon at the meat counter. They apparently ask him for assistance and as they go on their way Sammy tells how “All that was left...