Coming Of Age In John Updike's A & P

Words: 353
Pages: 2

John Updike’s short story “A&P” is coming-of-age story that focuses on the main character, Sammy. Sammy, a young man working the checkout line, gets distracted when three teenage girls enter the store dressed rather untraditionally, wearing only their bathing suits. He assesses their looks and notes even moment insights about the way they convey themselves. He additionally assumes about their identities and their inspiration for entering the store dressed the way they are. As the story progresses, his boss, Lengel, reprimands the girls for their attire and states how it’s inappropriate especially their A&P store. Sammy feels the need to defend these girls and retaliate against his boss, to prove his manliness and dominance, which ultimately