The A&P
“A&P” Essay
A teenage boy finds himself in conflict with his boss in John Updikes “A&P.” The story begins as Sammy, the protagonist, becomes engrossed with three girls who enter the grocery store wearing two-piece bathing suits. Sammy and his co-workers take notice of the girls as they walk through the store. When the antagonist, Sammys boss, confronts the girls about being inappropriately dressed, Sammy quits his job in their defense. Updike uses Sammy to demonstrate a coming of age theme by effective use of plot elements, such as exposition, crisis and climax.
The exposition occurs in the first paragraph when Sammy becomes aware of the three girls entering the store. “In walks three girls in nothing but bathing suits” (Updike 12). Updike provides intricate details cluing the reader in to the setting and introducing Sammy as the narrator, as well as causing the reader to become suspicious as to what will happen to the girls. Critics draw attention to the fact that “Updike has found a voice of singular appropriateness for his narrative consciousness – a boy of nineteen from a working-class background who is working as a checkout clerk at the local A&P
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