Introduction
The tragicomic short story written by famous American novelist John Updike describes the social boundaries of society and how people create and follow their made-up rules. The author focuses on the topic of choice and its consequences. This essay analyses the meaning of the short story, its central and minor characters, their actions and beliefs, their likability, and how they change till the end of the story.
Discussion
The story’s main characters are Sammy, a nineteen-year-old cashier in the A&P store, Queenie and other girls who came to the store in bathing suits. The minor characters are Stokesie, the 22-year-old married cashier, and Lengel, a manager and the representation of a system in the story. While Sammy does not bring any attention at the story’s beginning, the girls’ appearance immediately emphasizes to the reader. They are dressed in bathing suits, but Queenie stands out the most with her confident presence and attitude. Her appearance suggests that she comes from the upper-middle class and has the same attitude (Updike 3).
Sammy is romantic in how he describes the girls and their actions. He quit his job to impress Queenie and try to be a hero in her eyes. Sammy revolts against the standards, he does not want to depend on them. Sammy is a round character since readers know his thoughts and feelings, and the story advances because of his actions. Although the story does not directly mention the opinions of girls, they, especially Queenie, can be described as round characters because their actions are crucial for the story.
The girls and Sammy are the most sympathetic characters in the story. Stokesie is a flat character because his actions do not affect the story. Lengel is flat and round because his feelings are not described much, but his actions can impact the story. He is the most unsympathetic character of the story, being the representation of authority. At the end of the story, the main character unleashes his rebellion against society but understands the harsh consequences of his actions.
Conclusion
The author of this short story describes some standards and rules of society which can directly affect and even harm certain groups of people. The characters in the story face the harsh reality and the boundings to which they are limited. They make some crucial choices according to their evolving views. This essay analyses the short story’s characters, their choices, and the consequences that followed them.
Work Cited
Updike, John. A&P. Redpath Pr., 1986.