In Updike's "A & P", the story is set in an A & P supermarket in a town north of Boston in the 1960's. Sammy works as the checkout clerk in the store and on a typical day he makes the decision to quit. What led to his decision to quit? One of the reasons is that he wanted to impress the three scantily dressed girls. But there is a deeper force behind his spur of the moment decision. Sammy realized how bored he was in the grocery store world. He realized he was no better than one of the "sheep" he makes fun of. And this was bad because he didn't want to be another one of the sheep. By quitting, he is rebelling against the constraints of society, which were set for him on a smaller scale by his boss at the time. Sammy quits to prove something to himself: he is not a "sheep" like the others. .
Sammy's a typical teenager who is very imaginative in his thinking. His descriptions of the girls show this: "She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it, where the sun never seems to hit." Sammy really enjoys the entertainment the girls bring into his ho-hum job. All the men of the grocery store are watching the girls lustfully as they stroll along the aisles. But as Sammy watches the butcher, "Patting his mouth and looking after them, sizing up their joints", he feels sorry for them. Once the make their way to the register with their purchase, the manager falsely tells them that its store policy to have their shoulders covered, Sammy says to himself, "That's policy for you. Policy is what the kingpins want. What the others want is juvenile delinquency." He now identifies with the girls; he is one of the others who disagrees with the kingpins. .
Henceforth, the girls in the bathing suits indirectly inspired Sammy to quit. He thought they were better than him and he wanted to change that. When the manager yelled at them for inappropriate dress in his store, Sammy saw his chance to kill two birds with one stone.
In "A&P" by John Updike, the main character, Sammy decides to quit his job. Throughout the story Sammy reveals the reasons why he dislikes his job. ... This incident was breaking point for Sammy to quit his job. ... The main reason Sammy quit his job, was not because of a crush. Sammy quit his job because he was trying to keep his parents happy. ...
Why did Sammy quit? ... The first-person narrator, Sammy, of John Updike's "A & P," would seem to present us with a simple explanation as to why he quits his job at the grocery store mentioned in the title. ... Upon closer scrutiny, it does not seem believable that Sammy would have quit his job in defense of girls whom he clearly despises, despite the lustful desires they create within him. ... The notion that he would quit his job in defense of this person that he so obviously detests is ridiculous. ... That Sammy needs an excuse to quit is evident in his revelations about his family ...
At the end of the story, Sammy's frustration causes him to impulsively quit his job; what led to this decision was his hatred of work, impressing the girls, and not going back on his word. ... I can see why Sammy would be frustrated; he felt as if she wanted him to make a mistake. ... When the girls start to leave Sammy yells, "I quit," loud enough for the girls to hear him. ... The girls were the main reason Sammy decides to quit. ... Sammy knew quitting his job was not the right decision and maybe not even one he wanted to make. ...
Sammy talks about how amazing they look in their bathing suits to make the reader believe that his main goal is to win their love. ... However at that point Sammy doesn't find girls anywhere but is still satisfied by what he did. ... On top of that, the ladies in bikinis reminded Sammy of the fun times he had in the past which also made him quit. While I was reading the book, I fell into the trap of the explicit goal as this story made it seem as straight forward as to why Sammy quit but it took me a while to figure out why he truly resigned. ... In "A&P", the author seemed to ...
He describes two of them, one as being quite plain the other, "The kind of girl other girls think is very "striking- and "attractive- but never quite makes it( )That's why they like her (468)."" ... "I quit (471)."" ... So he proceeds to quit. ... Sammy has big regrets as do most that have changed out of a regular routine, but if he had not quit he would never have known otherwise. ... Sammy bravely went through the daunting process of change and feels deep regret after deciding to quit. ...
Why Subjective? ... Sammy seems to have several predetermined ideas. Even referring to one of the girls, Sammy states: "You know, the kind of girl other girls think is very "striking" but never quite makes it which is why they like her." However, Sammy never offers any prove for his statement. ... "You"ll fell this for the rest of your life" is the only warning Sammy gets before quitting his job. ...
Sammy, feeling that the managerial display was unnecessary and unduly embarrassing for the girls, decides to quit his position as checker. ... This story represents a coming-of-age for Sammy. ... This realization is why the group of girls is so refreshing to him. ... When he decides to quit his job, hastily as it may be, he is making the choice to be an individual, to venture into the unknown. ... When the manager makes reference to Sammy's decision and in it's effect on his parents, it is a representation of Sammy's coming-of-age. ...
While the girls paid for their order, Sammy says "I quit' to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unexpected hero- (1548). ... Their lives represent Sammy's future. ... After Lengel finishes reprimanding the girls Sammy says, "I quit'- (1548) to his boss. The phrase "I quit- tells the reader not only that he is quitting his job but that he is going to make a better life for himself. ... Sammy saw his future by Legel's actions and Sammy made a choice, to quit a job that was going to bring him a life that would be unsatisfyi...
Impulsive Sammy Have you ever make a poor decision? ... Have you ever made a poor judgment call, quit a job to be a hero, and then have been disappointed? ... He is describing the perfect picture to make us understand why he made such a poor decision. ... However, manager made a comment: "We want you decently dressed when you come in here"", and in this moment Sammy wanted to become a hero by quitting his boring job, and showing respect and understanding to the girls. ... I could see these girls through Sammy's eyes, I could watch the manager yelling, and I could feel bored l...
