Journal #1, English 1B, Short Stories

Casey Parker

For 1/18 (Friday)

"A & P" by Updike

Journal #1

In the short story, "A & P," written by John Updike, the main character, Sammy, works at the A & P as a cashier. The story begins with three girls who walk into the A & P, wearing nothing but bathing suits and the whole time that the girls are shopping, they get away with defying the store policy. Right as the girls are checking out, the store manager approaches them and informs them of the violation, and right after Sammy quits.

Sammy names the three girls by their appearances, Queenie, Plaid, and Big Tall Goony-Goony. Queenie is the leader of the three girls who wears a dirty-pink bathing suit with the straps pulled down. Plaid is a chunky girl wearing a plaid green two-piece bathing suit. Big Tall Goony-Goony is tall with kinky black hair and a chin that was too long for her face. Plaid and Big Tall Goony-Goony follow Queenie around in the A & P as if they were her pets.

"This isn't the beach," was said by Lengel, the manager, trying to emphasize that their lack of clothing was only appropriate for the beach. "You didn't have to embarrass them," said Sammy.
"It was they who were embarrassing us, " replied Lengel. The last two quotes were both significant because Sammy was defending the girls, while Lengel was defending the store and its policy.

I thought that Sammy was more concerned with the three girls that he didn't even know, rather than his own job. If he would have kept his job, he would probably see other girls in the A & P in the future, but he decided to be "the hero" and quit his job so that the girls knew he was on their side. The three girls didn't even known that he had quit for their sake. They had left before he himself could leave. So, Sammy had quit his job for nothing that he could gain from.

I think that Sammy was acting like the average guy; wanting to be a hero in front of the girls and winning thier favor. But, Sammy felt that quiting his job on their behalf was a better choice rather than minding his own business and keeping his job. Guys can be headstrong, but most of the time, they can make decient decisions.

What interested me most about this story is why the three girls thought they could walk into the A & P when almost every other store in America has a policy for attire. Did their parents not teach them right from wrong? Obviously not, because the girls would have known better.