A&P

A&P by John Updike Names: Carver Loughery, Diep Bui, Ellie Skrzat

Summary: The main character, 19-year-old Sammy, works at a small grocery store in Massachusetts. On a slow Thursday afternoon, in walks 3 young girls only in their bathing suits. Sammy observes the girls for the first 14 paragraphs, noting one of them as the "queen" of the group. He and his coworker Spokesie are clearly attracted to the girls. Eventually, his cranky manager, Lengel, comes out and embarasses the girls by calling them out on their indecency. This bothers Sammy and as they are walking out, he impulsively quits his job, trying to impress them. Lengel tells him that this was a move he will regret and that he is hurting his parents by doing this. Sammy feels some regret but does not turn back. As he leaves, expecting to feel liberated, he realizes "how hard the world was going to be (to me) thereafter." Instead of being met with praise from the girls, he is met with an empty parking lot and a cold realization that he is not as much of a big-shot in his mind as he would like to believe. Analysis: (Economic/Determinist) Queenie is the symbol of the upper class, and Sammy represents the lower class. Sammy quits his job and puts himself in an even lower position while trying to attain a higher position. He is trying to achieve "Queenie," and by observing her, Sammy is admiring the upper class. Lengel is the regulator, he tries to put down the upper classes haughty, pompous attitudes. Sammy, envying Queenie's position, quits his job in protest of Lengel's anti-wealth ideology. Once Sammy leaves his job he then understands his economic position. He realizes that his economic status is locked in place by the system and that he can never leave his economic caste, especially after quiting his job.