A & P (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: John Updike
- First Published: 1961
- Type of Work: Short story
- Genres: Short fiction, Bildungsroman
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Love or romance, Ethics, Adventure, Heroes or heroism, Work or workers, Grocery trade, Clothing or dress
- Locales: Boston, MA
“A & P” is a classic initiation story in which the young protagonist acts spontaneously and then learns something about the consequences of his actions. Sammy's conversational, comic voice is perfectly appropriate for his nineteen years and is even a little ungrammatical in its first-person narration: “In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits,” the story abruptly begins. Little else happens: Sammy follows the three with his eyes as they wander the store to arrive at his cash register with their “Fancy Herring Snacks.” The store's middle-aged manager...
[The entire page is 549 words long]
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