A & P by John Updike - Essay Example

Analytical Essay “A & P” (1961), one of the most celebrated short stories by John Updike, is d also for its hero’s as well as the first person narrator’s particular version of what is right and this feature of their characters bring them nothing but disappointment. The story by Updike vividly portrays the dangers of growing up as seen through the eyes Sammy, the young grocery store clerk, whose journey from adolescence which is without any real grasp of the actual world to a young man preparing for the lifelong journey. The story also deals, in depth, with the young man’s struggle with morality, authority, and freedom. “Updike, for whom literature and art have been intertwined since youth, uses allusions to art and to art criticism to give the informed reader of “A & P” the experience of dramatic irony as a means toward constructing significance for the story. The popularity of “A & P” rests on a number of ironic ambiguities, but the reader who perceives Updike’s allusions to art can take special pleasure in the plot, which leaves the nineteen-year-old narrator and protagonist, Sammy, feeling at the end both triumphant and sad, both winner and loser.” (Saldvar) Therefore, the short story is celebrated for several reasons and it is highly revealing to undertake an investigation into how the boy, Sammy, lives between two different ways in life – accepting new things and avoiding the old things. In this paper, such an investigation into the ways of analyzing and interpreting the character of Sammy as well as investigating the major themes, symbols, setting, plot, and characters used by the author of ‘A&P’. John Updike, in his famous short story “A&P”, depicts the life-like struggles of the young protagonist and he lives between two different ways in life during the process of development. Thus, Sammy is seen to be accepting new things and avoiding the old things and these two ways of living are central to his life. Significantly, the readers of the short story realize the main character’s slow transition from adolescence and realization of the world of adulthood and Sammy takes responsibility of his own actions. In the beginning of this transformation, the hero reacts to situations from an adolescent perspective and the readers realize that this character has developed into adulthood when he is able to see his own situation from the outside. Such a different view of his own life also helps him look at those people around him in a similar light. In a close analysis of the story, it becomes obvious to the readers that the main character lives between two different ways in life during the process of development. Thus, towards the close of the story, the protagonist makes a heroic gesture in what looks like an attempt to impress three girls who have come into the store. There is an obvious change in the attitudes of the character even after the girls’ departure and he significantly steps away from his adolescent life into one of adulthood. “I look around for my girls, but theyre gone, of course. There wasnt anybody but some young married screaming with her children about some candy they didnt get by the door of a powder-blue Falcon station wagon. Looking back in the big windows, over the bags of peat moss and aluminum lawn furniture stacked on the pavement, I could see Lengel in my place in the slot, checking the sheep through. His face was dark gray and his back stiff, as if hedjust had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter.” (Updike) Therefore, the story by Updike provides a significant version of the growth and development of a young character. The story also presents the conflict among different motifs such as the individual versus the collective, women versus men, the working class versus the upper class, conservatism versus liberalism, and consumerism versus Romanticism. In short, the themes and motifs of this short story incorporate several vital aspects of an individual as well as society. An analysis of the character of the character Sammy in the “A&P” proves that the author has a distinct choice of personality in the creation of the character. The character sets in motion as a young man who is unhappy about his ordinary adult surroundings and he moves to his need to change the surroundings. Sammy’s descriptions and interpretations of the scenes around him reveal his own character and the adolescent mind of the protagonist becomes perceptible to the readers through these descriptions. The use of first person narration has been very effective in conveying the author’s meaning and ideas to the readers. The major themes of the story needs to comprehended in this connection. “John Updike’s “A & P” could appear to have many different themes. Some people might see a story about integrity and standing up for what one believes is right. Others may find the actions of the hero, Sammy, to be reckless and foolhardy and, therefore, consider the theme to be about enduring things that one might find unjust simple because one has to in order to survive… But the true theme is actually quite simple. This is a story about an average boy in the midst of various adolescent stressors such as hormone, job anxiety, and distain for authority that work together to cause him to quit his job.” (Loveboat) Therefore, the impact of the adolescent stressors such as hormone, job anxiety, and distain for authority etc on the development of the character is most obvious in the story. One of the most essential aspects of the story which attracts the readers is Sammy’s slow transition and realization of his own adolescence into the world of adulthood and he begins to take responsibility of his own actions. The character’s reaction to situations from an adolescent perspective at the beginning of the story has been immensely affected by the hero’s development and by the end of the story he is able to see his own situation and from the outside which is a level of his progress in life. Therefore, he is able to view the world and life around him in a different light. The point of view of the story is very central to the success of the story and it is narrated by first person narration and the readers learn everything from perspective of main character. Similarly, this main character directly communicates to the readers his thoughts and feelings about life and world around him. The setting of the short story is also important as it is set in an A&P supermarket Time is about the year 1960. In a close analysis of the main character Sammy, it becomes lucid that he is a boy and not exactly individual. “He is only nineteen and wants to prove himself. The girls give him an opportunity to express himself. He wants to rebel against his surroundings. He wants to reject society. He realizes that only he can change his life and quits job. At the same time he knows that life is not easy for him and he says “I felt how hard the world was going to be to me here after.” He comes from a middle-class family. We can understand from that when his parents have somebody over they get ‘lemonade.’” (“A & P” by John Updike) In conclusion, in a profound analysis of the short story by Updike, it becomes lucid that the central character of the story is also the central factor determining the reader’s appreciation of the work. It is through the development of the main character that the story moves and it is through the eyes of the same character that the readers see the lives and world around Sammy. In short, Sammy – with his actions and his thoughts – makes the effect of the story in general. Works Cited ““A & P” by John Updike.” 12 April, 2009. . Loveboat, H. P. “John Updikes A & P.” HubPages. . Updike, John. “A & P.” 12 April, 2009. . Saldvar, Toni. “The Art of John Updike’s “A & P”.” Studies in Short Fiction. Arts Publication. 1997. 12 April, 2009. . Please I need you revise some importnat things in the essay becuase I found many repating sentences. Read More