The story is set in an A&P supermarket in a town north of Boston, probably about the year 1960. As the plot unfolds, Sammy changes John Updike's short story "A&P" from being a thoughtless and sexist boy to being a young man who can make a decision, even though it might hurt him. ... He is a check-out clerk in the local A&P, where the boss, Lengel, is a friend of Sammy's parents. ... In "A&P," Sammy begins to mature. ... This is the lesson Sammy has begun to learn in John Updike's ...

• Word Count: 658
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

In both stories, "A&P" by John Updike, and "Lust" by Susan Minot, the main characters are experiencing conflicted but transitional periods in their lives. Sammy, the main character in "A&P" has a happy, analytical and self-assured personality that will eventually help him quit his job. ... "I stood there with my hand on a box of HiHo crackers trying to remember if I rang it up or not" (Updike 606). ... Sammy realized the trouble he had caused himself, and now he would have plenty of time to think about his well-chosen decision of quitting his job at A&P as well as time to dream about "Queenie...

• Word Count: 1370
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

In John Updike's "A&P", the author depicts a boy who lives an ordinary life and decides to dig deep within himself to stand up for what is right; not allowing his low position in the hierarchy to cloud his morale values. ... Sammy removed his apron and everything that belonged to A&P and smoothly exits the store; hoping to see his damsel in distress. ...

• Word Count: 832
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School