This essay analyzes the character of Sammy in John Updike's short story "A&P," examining how three unconventional girls serve as catalysts for his rejection of suburban normalcy, capitalism, and corporate culture. The paper argues that Sammy's defense of the girls is simultaneously egalitarian and sexist — he objectifies them through his male gaze while also admiring their defiance of social convention. Ultimately, the essay contends that Sammy uses the girls as a projection screen for his own rebellious desires, and that his impulsive decision to quit his job reflects a deeper longing for freedom and independence rather than a purely principled stand.
John Updike's "A&P" tells the story of Sammy, whose life is transformed after three girls visit the store where he works and are humiliated by the store's manager. The A&P where Sammy works offers readers insight into the quotidian life of middle-class suburbia, while the three girls — whom Sammy nicknames Queenie, Plaid, and Big Tall Goony-Goony — represent rebellion and allow Sammy to recognize the freedom he longs for. In "A&P," Sammy's defense of the three girls is superficially both egalitarian and sexist, and it ultimately serves as an excuse to break free from suburban normalcy.
Queenie, Plaid, and Big Tall Goony-Goony serve as the impetus for Sammy's ruminations on suburbia, sexism, and capitalism. Sammy sees the girls as a rebellion against suburbia. They do not appear to conform to society's expectations of dress or demeanor, and they are oblivious to the stagnant realm of suburban life encapsulated at the A&P. Sammy notes that the girls are the antithesis of the suburban women who frequently shop at the store. He refers to those women as "house-slaves in pin curlers," implying that they have caved to social pressures and conformed to social expectations and conventions (Updike). Sammy further describes A&P's suburban customers as "sheep pushing their carts down the aisle," insinuating that these typical shoppers have lost the capability to think for themselves and engage in their daily activities out of habit rather than choice.
On the other hand, Sammy appears to admire the girls for their complete disregard of the suburban norm. While he views suburban women as "house-slaves in pin curlers" — simultaneously commenting on their social status and dress — he is taken aback by the girls' unconventional appearance. Sammy notes:
You know, it's one thing to have a girl in a bathing suit down on the beach, where what with the glare nobody can look at each other much anyway, and another thing in the cool of the A&P, under the fluorescent lights, against all those stacked packages, with her feet paddling along naked over our checkerboard green-and-cream rubber-tile floor. (Updike)
By contrasting the beach atmosphere with that of the A&P, Sammy not only comments on the differences between the girls and the store's regular customers, but also comments on the freedom the beach represents when compared to the confines of the grocery store — a subconscious juxtaposition of suburban life with what he perceives the girls' life to be. Moreover, Sammy notes that the girls are unconventional beyond their dress, and that their unconventional demeanor extends to how they move around the store. While Sammy refers to the regular customers as sheep, he observes that "the girls were walking against the usual traffic (not that we have one-way signs or anything)" — as though to suggest the girls refused to play by society's rules and literally and figuratively went against the crowd, defying what society had defined as the norm (Updike).
While Sammy's thoughts and attitude reflect his rejection of social norms and suburbia, his decision to quit can also be construed as a rejection of capitalism and corporate culture. Through his descriptions of typical A&P shoppers, it is evident that Sammy does not enjoy working at the store. He sees the same things every day and has been performing the same tasks so repeatedly that they no longer hold their original meaning, but have taken on a new one. Sammy contends: "I go through the punches, 4, 9, GROC, TOT — it's more complicated than you think, and after you do it often enough, it begins to make a little song, that you hear words to, in my case 'Hello (bing) there, you (gung) hap-py pee-pul (splat)' — the splat being the drawer flying out" (Updike). Sammy has created an alternative reality to amuse himself at work, which is probably one of the reasons he is so attracted to the girls.
"Sammy objectifies girls before admiring their spirit"
"Girls serve as projection for Sammy's own rebellion"
Ultimately, Sammy's attitude and behavior allow him to realize his need for freedom and independence. While he may appear superficially egalitarian and simultaneously sexist, he is able to use the girls as the impetus for the changes he wants to make in his life. Queenie, Plaid, and Big Tall Goony-Goony inspire Sammy to become what they represent — a leader, fashionable, and confident in the face of social conformity. In this way, "A&P" functions not only as a critique of suburban American life but also as a coming-of-age narrative in which the act of quitting, however impulsive or impure in motive, marks Sammy's first genuine step toward self-determination.
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