Coming of Age in A&p

Evan Misick

ENG2D1

Ms. Falconer

Feb 29th,2016

Coming Of Age In “A&P

Sammy is a nineteen-year-old guy who makes some interesting decisions while working at A&P. In Updike’s “A&P”. Sammy experiences a transition from childhood to adulthood throughout this short story. Sammy stands up for what he believes in by defending the three girls wearing bathing suits, he judges everyone that walks into A&P based on how they dress, act and what they buy. Sammy also tries to be the hero for the girls but, he realizes that his efforts go unnoticed by the girls and now he has no job. Sammy changes from childhood to adulthood by learning the consequences of his actions because he stands up for what he believes in, judges everyone based on what they do at A&P and for how Sammy goes against what Lengel tells him to do.

Sammy always judges everyone based on what they do. As soon as the three girls walk into A&P, Sammy is already establishing the social hierarchy of the girls. Sammy thinks that one of them “was the queen” because “she kind of led them”(Updike 1). Sammy is already judging them based on how they walk into the store and how they walk around the store. Secondly, Sammy judges the intellectual capability of these girls and has not spoken to any of them yet. Sammy asks himself if the girls have a mind “or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar”(1). Sammy compares the minds of the three girls to the buzz of a bee. Lastly, Sammy assumes that the elderly women is “a witch about fifty” because of the way she looks(1). Sammy judges the elderly women but, does not know a single thing about her. Sammy continuously judges everyone that walks into A&P based on what they look like and what they do but, does not know anything about them or makes an effort to learn something about them.

Sammy stands up for what he believes in. Lengel is the manager of A&P and when he comes out of his office he sees that the three girls are wearing bathing suits. Lengel starts to scold the girls about wearing bathing suits because he wants the girls to be “decently dressed when [they] come in [A&P]” but, Queenie thinks they are decently dressed(4). When Sammy sees Lengel and Queenie arguing, Sammy believes that he has to make a stand and go against Lengel and side with Queenie. Secondly, Sammy believes that “[Lengel] didn’t have to embarrass them” when he was scolding the girls about the bathing suits(5). Lastly, Sammy quits his job and he knows he made the right decision because he thinks of “Fiddle-de-doo”, which is a saying of Sammy’s grandmother. Sammy knows he is making the right decision of quitting his job at A&P because he thought of his grandmothers saying, he knows that she would have been pleased. Sammy stands up for what he believes.