A&P by John Updike Question 2 Response

Brianna Blackmon

EN 102

Prof. Raquel Corona

"A&P" by John Updike

Question 2.  At the end of the story Sammy says, “I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter.” What does he mean?  What do you think he learned from this experience?  Do you believe this is a "genuine" statement made by the narrator?  Why or why not?  Why would the writer have the character make this huge declaration?

At the end of John Updike’s short story “A&P “, the main character Sammy says “I felt how hard the world was going to be to me. “ Sammy made this statement, after he had made the decision to quit his job. I believe Sammy meant that the decision he made will make his life harder from here on out. Sammy didn’t agree with the way his manager, Lengel, approached the girls about their bathing suits in public. Between standing up for wearing bathing suits in public and keeping his job, Sammy saw how hard things could become. After Sammy had quit, he glanced into the store window and saw his manager doing the job which was once his. I think Sammy learned that every decision comes with a repercussion. Although it felt good to quit and make a “clean exit”, like Sammy stated he had to face the reality of what he had done. The three reasons he had quit in the first place, kept going right on into the electric eye, paying him no mind yet costing him his job. The statement made by the narrator is genuine because it applies to everyday life. Sammy describes Lengel as dark gray, stiff just like iron. Like iron Lengel’s actions were cold and hard. He was serious about enforcing the store’s No Bathing Suit policy. There are many Lengel’s in the work place and that’s something Sammy must have realized. There is hardness that awaits him, with future managers just like Lengel and policies he cannot change. Updike had the character make this huge declaration to display a bit of growth. With no hesitation in quitting his job all Sammy could continue to recall was how his manager embarrassed the young girls. That was all the motivation he needed to resign and understand that there is always a right way to do things and doing the right thing is always harder than doing the wrong thing.