Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Homework for Thursday Feb 11--"A&P"
Read John Updike's "A&P" (220)
Note: "Green" that I asked you to read is missing a page so don't bother!
Blog on any of the following topics for Updike for extra credit or to make up for missing blog:
1. Sammy's "objectification" of the girls: how does Updike get us "inside" adolescent mind?
2. How are other customers in the store described? What does Sammy's view of them tell us about how he sees ordinary life in this New England town?
3. How is this a coming of age story?
4. Sammy's decision: why does he do what he does? What is the mood at the end of the story?
5. Updike is famous for writing "detail-sticky prose", for "threading observational beauty atop a loose plot"; for "chronicling moments of the heart's self-awareness" (John Freeman, "Truth Skillfully Arranged: John Updike's Uninhibited Fiction,"): find examples of any of these things.
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4. Sammy decides to quit his job after Lengel scolds the girls about entering the store in their bathing suits, and letting them know the store policy. I believe Sammy quits his job to impress the girls, especially Queenie who he felt an attraction towards to. He knows that Lengel has embarrassed them , and while quitting he hopes the girls are listening and will be outside at least waiting on him, to thank him for defending them against Lengel. Sammy also probably thinks by quitting his job and impressing Queenie he could have a chance to talk to her, to get to know her. The mood of the story than changes at the end when Sammy leaves and realizes that the girls are not outside. He's then left confused because now he has to think what's going to happen to him now that he no longer has a job, as well as what is he going to tell him parents. His parents are good friends with Lengel so it's obvious that's how he got the job as the cashier. As he's quitting Lengel says "Sammy , you don't want to do this to your mom and dad" (Updike 224).
ReplyDeleteSammy decides to quit his job because he wants the girls to think he is a hero "hoping they'll stop and watch me,their unsuspected hero" (223) in a way Sammy wants to amaze the girls, because he stood up for queenie. At the end of the story Sammy regrets quitting because the girls didn't even notice what he did for them, and he knows he is going to upset his parents and lengel.
ReplyDeleteI noticed right away Updike's "detail-sticky prose." On the first page of A&P, second paragraph, "There was this chunky one, with the two piece...." It's one sentence, seven lines long. It's like reading a stream of consciousness.
ReplyDeleteAs far as A&P being a coming of age story, I think that Sammy defended the girls out of what he thought would be a mature thing to do--to quit his job on account of a principle (there was no reason to embarrass the girls). He thought it would impress the girls, hopefully Queenie, but they didn't stick around to see what their hero had done for them.
ReplyDeleteSammy decides to quit his job in order to gain recognition from the girls that entered the store. He thought that by doin so the girls would appreciate him for standing up for them. Sammy chooses to do this for the girls, mainly Queenie, but does not think about his family. His priorities aren't in order and he gets a wake up call when he sees that his decision was done in vain.
ReplyDeleteIn the Story A&P, the main character is Sammy who works as a cashier at the A&P. We see that this is boring and repetitive to him, so much so that he even creates a song that mimics the sounds of the cash register buttons and the cash drawer.
ReplyDeleteSammy watches three young women in the store who are shopping in nothing but their bathing suits.
He notices one in particular and calls her Queenie, since she seems to be the leader of the other two.
When Queenie comes up to pay for her items, she buys Herring Snacks which points out that she is of a higher class than Sammy, or rich, unlike him.
He says that at parties, her parents serve the herring snacks and fancy drinks while his parents would serve lemonade in cheap cups.
He also knows that he doesn't want a life like the one his friend Stokesie has, being a cashier and married with two children. Sammy wants bigger and better things.
So after his manager Lengel confronts the girls about their clothing, not only does he want to impress the girls by quitting and taking a stand for them, but he also uses this opportunity as his first move towards achieving bigger things.
Once he goes outside and realizes that not only were the girls he was trying to impress out there but he sees a woman with a crying kid in the parking lot, whom he thinks is crying because they didn't get what they wanted. This might be a representation of the future he could possibly have because he now sees that quitting his job was probably not the best thing to do.
In John Updike's short story "A&P," Sammy does not have a high opinion of the customers. He is annoyed by the “cash register watcher” (220) that caught a mistake he made. He continues to disparage the customer in his mind, and this reflects how unsatisfied he is with his job. He refers to the majority of the customers as sheep. In reference to the customers reactions to the girls Sammy observes, “The sheep pushing their carts down the aisle – the girls were walking against the usual traffic…were pretty hilarious” (221). Sammy views the customers as mindless consumers, who are not actively engaged in their lives. He sees them as being boring and leading ordinary lives. Sammy’s disdain for the customers mirrors his disdain for his own small town life. The girls walking in the store wearing bathing suits are a shocking jolt to the traditional culture of the store and the town. Sammy wants more out of life and uses the girls as a catalyst to start what he thinks will be a new exciting life. In addition to wanting to capture Queenie’s attention, Sammy wants to escape from turning into a sheep that just goes about life blandly. However, Updike ends the short story on a dreary note as Sammy quickly learns that life does not always work out as planned.
ReplyDelete1. Sammy's "objectification" of the girls: how does Updike get us "inside" adolescent mind?
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of this short story we can see that the cashier immediately starts to describe each girl by her physical appearance. All three of them walked into the store wearing only bathing suits, so this immediately caught his eye, describing one of them as being chubby, the other one being tall with a long chin, and the last one whom he referred to as "queenie", who had her bikini straps falling off exposing her long neck which was what initially caught his attention along with the way she carried herself. All of this makes him interested in particularly Queenie and he yearns for her attention.
Sammy quits his job because wants to impress the girls, trying to be their here's standing up to his boss, after his boss rudely tells the girls not to come back into the store because they have a dress code. Although he tries to be this superhero it fails because they girl still does not acknowledge him. At the end of the story the scene is a little mellow, as he calmly tells his boss he quits he folds up his apron, and calmly walks always leaving his manager to pick up where he left off at. He goes to see if the girls would appreciate him but they are not there to do so.. It kind of just fade as everything replays in his head.
ReplyDeleteI can see why his writing is described as “detail sticky prose”. There are many lines that come across as descriptive poetry. The words create images in your mind and stay with you as you continue reading.
ReplyDeleteOn the first page, first paragraph we immediately encounter this, “She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft looking can” (Updike, 220). It even rhymes!
When referring to the angry witch he says, “…I got her feathers smoothed…” (220). He doesn’t say ‘by the time I calmed her down’, no that would be too boring. And by using the image of smoothing feathers, he’s saying so much more. She could be a vulture, “watching cash registers…”, waiting to swoop down on a mistake. She could be seen like a frantic chicken, clucking about his mistake. Then when he describes the second girl he says, “….you know, the kind of girl other girls think is very ‘striking’ and ‘attractive’ but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much” (220). Yes, we do all know what he’s saying and not only does he describe that one girl but the entire female species with one sentience! He accuses us of liking girls that are good looking but not so good looking that they present a threat. What does that say about women?
This story doesn’t have much going on, yet it is rich in imagery and detail. It’s entertaining and we become absorbed by the characters. For those of you familiar with Seinfeld, that’s what this story reminded me of. “Threading observational beauty atop a loose plot” is a very good way to describe that show which was often called “the show about nothing”.
In the story A & P, Sammy quits his job in order to impress three girls that walk into his store, specifically a tall girl he calls Queenie. He see his manger making her "blush" so wanting to impress and defend her, he quits his job. He quits with the intention of having the girls hear him so they can stop and watch him defend them. " The girls, and who'd blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say "I quit" to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspecting hero. "
ReplyDeleteThe mood at the end of the story is one of regret. He goes outside hoping Queenie is outside waiting for him but when he goes outside, there's no one there. Basically he quits his job for no reason and he has to deal with the repercussions from his parents because Lengel is a friend of his parents.