Read "A&P" by John Updike:
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“A&P” is a short story written by John Updike first published in The New Yorker in 1961. The story follows Sammy, a 19-year-old cashier, as he encounters three girls wearing only swimsuits in the A&P he works in. Critics have claimed that the story is an example of postmodernism literature for its narrative shows messages through symbolism and imagery to tackle themes such as social norms and expectations. A very important symbol is the setting, the grocery store A&P. In the short story “A&P”, Updike uses the grocery store to symbolizes the miniature of society.
First, we can see this in how the policies in the A&P mimics the norms in society. The focus of the story centers around how it is not normal for people to be wearing bathing suits in a grocery store, but this does not apply only in grocery stores, but most stores and places except for the beach and pool. Basically, it is the idea of wearing something that 'fit the place.' It is no secret that society tells us what to and what not to wear, and people, especially women, will be seen as inappropriate if they are not willing to do so. We can also see the depiction of society in the characters: the girls are privileged people who think that they can get away with anything (and they do), Sammy is a rebellious teenage boy who rejects conforming to the policy, while Lengel the store manager is someone who obeys the norm and expects other people to do the same.
Additionally, the story also shows the consequence of going against social norms. We can see this in both the girls and Sammy. For the girls, they are seen as the odd ones for dressing in a way that is not suitable for the place they are in. At the end, they are also called out by Lengel as he thinks that they are against their policy, he clearly states that he wants the girls to be “decently dressed” when they come to the A&P. On the other hand, Sammy goes against the social norm by defending the girls which costs him his job. For Sammy, defending the girls symbolizes his willingness to defend freedom and rejection for conformity. It may also be a symbol of his heroism, as he thinks of himself as the “unsuspected hero” for letting the attention turns from the girls to him, giving the girls a chance to escape from the situation. Ironically, he ends up getting nothing as the girls do not acknowledge his actions despite him losing his job to defend them. The end of the story also shows that by going against the rules, Sammy loses something, and the world will be more challenging for him afterwards. In real life, not following the social norms might lead us to be estranged from the community, people might see us as a rebel and improper, sometimes it might make our life harder as we do not fit with the others. This is exactly what happens to Sammy and the girls.
In conclusion, “A&P” by John Updike explores a realistic portrayal of our society through the metaphor of a grocery store. There are policies and rules to follow in the A&P much like how there are norms and ethics in society. Other than that, everyone is held responsible to follow the norm thus going against it will give them consequences. Updike depicts all these by using only an A&P as a metaphor of the world that we live in. We might even argue that, at least in the story, the A&P is the society itself.
REFERENCE
Updike, John. “A&P” Literature: A World of Writing Stories, Poems, Plays and Essays . Ed. David Pike and Ana Acosta. New York: Pearson Education, 2012. 356-360. Print.
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