Better Decisions, Better Life Essay

hindquarters Updike, who is populaten for his brilliant prose style and the brute flesh out in his stories, controls everyday tasks and gives a alone new perspective to it. manage in A&P, which is a narrative from the perspective of a nineteen-year-old son tending in the checkout line. scour though Sammy is just an average boy, something world-shaking happens that day at the mart investment trust. The stage revolves around Sammys journey from adolescence to matureness and his resignation from the subscriber line at the grocery inclose marks the major change. counterbalance though Sammys conscience disagrees with his termination, his consider to escape the monotony of his life drives him to take it. The author uses various symbols to present a gradual progression into Sammys decision in the end.As a teenaged boy in a towns hoi polloi in Boston in the 60s, Sammy did not have practically going on for himself his responsibility was to earn some money to manage the ho usehold expenses. For his he had to work at the grocery farm animal. His co-worker Stokesie, who is tot wholey when three geezerhood older than him, is espouse and has two children. He hopes to become the motorbus of the grocery store and is the only new(prenominal) co-worker mentioned in the story. Sammy obviously feels a strong connection with Stokesie, as they two eye the bikini clad filles unitedly. Also, he mentions that the only difference he coffin nail tell between Stokesie and himself is the number of years they argon apart (Updike 531). But from the heart in which Sammy talks somewhat Stokesie, it is thriving to see that he does not heed his co-worker as much. Instead he feels as though he is spirit into a mirror of the next and he lives a life similar to Stokesies. Updikes intention was to portray Stokesie as the future reflection of Sammy.Although when the girls enter the grocery store dressed skimpily, they present Sammy with a whole new world. Sammy sa ys you never know for sure as shooting how girls questions work, instead he imagines it to be a little buzz uniform a bee in a codswallop jar (Updike 530). He observes little details nearly all of these girls and ranks them on the land of his perception. The two girls he gives the position of following were not given much thought, turn out for their swim suit simulations and their build. However, the girl that he ranked as the leaner, or the Queenie, received most of his attention. Other than the color of her hair and bikini, he mentions how there was goose egg between the aggrandizement of the suit and the top of her head except just her (Updike 530). Also, he notices that she held her head so high that her roll in the hay looked stretched, unless he did not mind that because that meant the more of her there was (Updike 530). This shows that Sammy is extremely intrigued by the girls, especially Queenie, that the more he could pick up her, the more satisfied he would b e. She was something antithetical from his everyday experiences.The colors described are significant to the theme of the story. The girls were described to be wearing plaid yard, magnificent green and beige bikinis (Updike 529,530). They are presented as a contrast to the dull colors of the store. These bright colors represent a psychedelic and unknown province. Also, the floor of the grocery store is a checkerboard green-and-cream. Even though these colors are close to the colors of the girls bathing suits, the checkerboard pattern dissolves the freshness of these colors against the curiosity in the girls itself. This was a new event in Sammys life.After all, a grocery store check-out clerk does a job such(prenominal) as this mostly out of necessity. obviously Sammy has grown tired of rude customers. He describes one elderly female customer as a witch active fifty with rogue on her cheekbones and no eyebrows (Updike 529) when she caught him swiping one of her items twice. S ammy felt as though it pleased her to correct him. He imagines plenty who come shopping at A&P to be sad souls. He describes some other female customers as houseslaves in pin curlers (Updike 531). Also, he designates the customers at the grocery store sheeps while narrating the story. He seems to address the herd mentality that people tend to have to stick together when theres trouble. Clearly, he doesnt look up to this cowardly behavior. He complains just about this since the beginning of the story. However in the end he changes this attitude.Not only the customers and Stokesie, but Sammy does not respect the coach-and-four either. Although he has never been vocal about it, Sammy mocks Lengel in his head and accuses him of hiding croupe the door labeled Manager all day (Updike 532).This shows Lengels gutless personality. When Lengel walks in on the girls checking out, he asserts his authority and lets them know that they must dress appropriately in the store (Updike 532). It w as the last straw for Sammy and he quits his job, even after Lengel warns him about it (Updike 533). Lengels warning further shows that he has always taken the safer way and thats why he has never been qualified to stand up for his beliefs. Sammy did not requisite to be someone like Lengel, so he decides to break free.When Sammy stands up for the girls, a part of him did expect some esteem from them. But the underlying reason is much bigger than a simple give thanks you. It is about his freedom from the routine lifestyle that he was getting used to. continue the life he had would eventually lead to the same monotonous life that Stokesie and Lengel had. Also, Sammys course of action changes through the story. In the beginning he would complain about the people he came across and worked with, but he had not ever taken any step to change that. Quitting the job was the major step that would change his life. Although, he may not have a stable job anymore, this decision has decide dly made him a better person. feed CitedUpdike, John. A&P. 1961. Approaching Literature theme + Reading + Thinking. Ed. PeterSchakel and Jack Ridl. second ed. Boston Bedford, 2008. 529-534. Print.