Pride and Moral Pressure in A&P

Society consists of representatives of various communities and unspoken rules and norms that define the paradigm of everyday life. Sammy is the main character in the short story “A&P” by John Updike. The young man witnessed a taboo on female attractiveness in the 20th century with sexism and inequality characteristics. It is a story about morality and conformism, namely freedom of expression and individuality in public places.

American society in the mid-twentieth century was characterized by much stricter standards of self-expression than modern culture. It is no secret that people were more emotionally constrained and reserved, which was noticeable in gender and social relations. “A&P” describes a situation at a grocery store where girls in beachwear were kicked out for inappropriate looks (Wheeler 5). Sammy, the cashier, perceived the guests as ignorant and unintelligent, although one of them piqued the guy’s interest. This story’s central point is the categorical judgments and bias between men and women and society as a whole. Female sexuality and violation of moral rules existed only in males’ eyes, which is notable when others reacted to the three guests. Therefore, Lengel’s request to leave the store is not only sexist but also conformist, as it was justified by public order and ethics. Thus, the author’s argument is the doubtfulness of external sexuality as a violation of the rules since it is assessed only by other people’s subjective opinions.

Updike described a typical situation in the United States in the mid-20th century, where adherence to generally accepted obligations was imperative and unchanging. Sammy rated the three women as silly but attractive because of their beachwear. It met with immediate reaction from Lengel, who kicked the customers out for inappropriate appearance. Even the cashier’s subsequent dismissal did not change the moral of this story, namely conformism and sexism in everyday life.

Work Cited

Wheeler, David. John Updike’s Short Story ‘A&P’ – An Analysis. GRIN Publishing, 2011.

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StudyCorgi. (2022) 'Pride and Moral Pressure in A&P'. 21 March.

1. StudyCorgi. "Pride and Moral Pressure in A&P." March 21, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/pride-and-moral-pressure-in-a-and-ampp/.


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StudyCorgi. "Pride and Moral Pressure in A&P." March 21, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/pride-and-moral-pressure-in-a-and-ampp/.

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StudyCorgi. 2022. "Pride and Moral Pressure in A&P." March 21, 2022. https://studycorgi.com/pride-and-moral-pressure-in-a-and-ampp/.

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