Saturday, October 12, 2019
Interpretation of John Updikes A&P :: Literary Analysis
The first line of the story, ââ¬Å"A&P, by John Updike, ââ¬Å"In walks three girls in nothing but bathing suitsâ⬠; (230) sets the tone for the rest of the story. The rest of the story is a description of how the main character Sammy, views not only the three girls in the bathing suits , but the rest of the women that are portrayed in the story. The main character of the story is a young guy, in the early 60s, who is working at a grocery store when these three young ladies walk in. He describes how they were scantily dressed and walking around the store, and the reactions of the others in the store, including himself, his co-workers, his manager and other customers. This story is about how a 19-year-old guy in 1961 viewed and objectified the women, young and old, entirely. The first woman Sammy has dealings with after seeing the three girls is a customer he describes as ââ¬Å"a witch of about fifty years, with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrowsâ⬠(230). She has become impatient with him when he cannot remember if he rang up her box of crackers, since the three younger girls distracted him. Sammy also says, ââ¬Å"If she were born in the right time, they would have burned her over in Salemâ⬠, substantiating his characterization of her being a witch. He believes that this womanââ¬â¢s purpose was to trip him up and get pleasure from it. Sammy goes on to describe the three young women. The first one he refers to as the ââ¬Å"chunky oneâ⬠(230), whom he describes as having a ââ¬Å"sweet broad soft looking canâ⬠(230), in reference to her backside. He also adds, ââ¬Å"With two crescents of white under it where the sun never shinesâ⬠(230), indicating that he is really gawking at her backside. The second, he describes as the ââ¬Å"tall one, with black hair that hadnââ¬â¢t quite frizzled right, with a chin that was too longâ⬠(230) - the kind that other girls think is very ââ¬Å"strikingâ⬠(230) and ââ¬Å"attractiveâ⬠(230). The third, he described as the ââ¬Å"queenâ⬠(230). As she pulled out her money to pay for her purchase, Sammy talked about how he slowly un-creased the bill because it was retrieved from what he described as the ââ¬Å"nicest two scoops of vanilla he has ever seenâ⬠(230); referencing the ââ¬Å"queensâ⬠breasts. He also describes her bathing su it being off her shoulders, and that there was ââ¬Å"nothing between the top of her suit and the top of her head but herâ⬠; alluding to more nakedness than is already apparent.
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