Questions and Answers for A&P
A&P
What are the conflicts in the story "A & P" by John Updike?
In John Updike's short story "A&P," there is an external conflict and an internal conflict. Sammy, the narrator of the story, is merely an observer to the external conflict. This conflict...
A&P
Why does Sammy think of customers as sheep in "A & P"? What does Sammy's reference to sheep in the short story "A...
Sammy refers to the regular customers in the A&P as sheep because to him, they are like a herd of sheep. They are timid and do what they are told. They flock, to his mind, into one...
A&P
Why does Sammy quit his job so suddenly in "A&P"? Is his gesture genuinely heroic, or is it merely the misguided...
In "A&P," Sammy quits his job as a romantic gesture in an attempt to gain Queenie's attention and admiration. Sammy hopes that Queenie will take notice of his gesture and possibly entertain the...
A&P
What literary devices does John Updike use in his short story "A&P"?
John Updike uses many literary devices in the short story "A&P." First, Updike uses diction to develop the character of Sammy. The story is told from his point of view, and Updike draws us into...
A&P
What symbols and instances of irony can be found in the story "A&P" by John Updike?
Queenie is a symbol of Sam's desire for a better life. When she and her two girlfriends walk into his A&P in bathing suits to buy herrings, he is impressed with the confident way she holds her...
A&P
How does the setting of John Updike's short story "A & P"--not just the store but the location of the town--shape...
John Updike's short story "A & P" is set in a beach town. Yet, Sammy makes certain to note that the beach is five miles from the A & P store, and the store is "in the middle of town." The...
A&P
Is the character Sammy in John Updike's story A&P flat, round, static or dynamic?
If understand a "round" or "dynamic" character to be one who undergoes some sort of change over the course of a story (usually in response to a conflict he encounters), then Sammy from "A & P"...
A&P
What are the conflicts in John Updike's "A&P"
Although I agree with the previous answer that the internal conflict is significant in "A & P," I disagree with the characterization of Updike's portrayal of Sammy. Yes, as the story concludes,...
A&P
What is the climax of the story "A&P" by John Updike.
With climax being the point in a plot that creates the greates intensity, suspense, or interest, this point in John Updike's "A&P" is the action during which the conflict is resolved, or an...
A&P
What are some symbols and metaphors in "A&P" by John Updike?
This short story definitely contains solid examples of symbolism in it. The clothing worn by characters is a good place to start. For the most part, I would assume that the standard clothing worn...
A&P
What kind of language, sentence structure, diction, and imagery does the narrator use in "A & P"?
The narrator's use of language is that of a teenage boy. Sammy is a typical teenage boy in many ways. He is interested in girls and is bored with his job in a grocery store. The sentence...
A&P
What is the mood of John Updike's "A & P?"
In "A&P," the mood shifts: it feels light, apprehensive, aroused, nervous, triumphant, and finally extremely apprehensive. Initially, Sammy's mood is relatively light. He at work and the day is...
A&P
Which and how many literary elements are present in this story? Please give me as many examples as possible linking...
Here are several literary elements in "A & P" in no particular order: We have a theme, in this case often described as a "coming of age" story. The main character, Sammy, evolves from a rather...
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In "A&P," why does Sammy call the people in the store “sheep"?
Anyone who shops in supermarkets (which includes practically everyone) must often get the impression that the cashiers have very little regard for them and consider them just faceless figures to be...
A&P
What comment does Updike, through Sammy, make about "supermarket" society in this story?
This is an interesting query because Sammy is very much a part of the supermarket society in question; however, he does not consider himself a part of it. Sammy very much has an "us versus them"...
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What does "A&P" stand for? title of John Updike's short story
In the setting of Updike's story, the late 1950s, the A & P grocery stores were THE grocery store of small town USA. The name A & P came to be synonymous with "grocery store" in the way...
A&P
In "A & P," what comment does Updike make about supermarket society?
Updike's word choice in his short story "A & P" suggests a cynical and critical view of a consumer society in which people have been conditioned to conform in various ways. From the beginning,...
A&P
In "A & P," what does Sammy's description of the three girls reveal about his character?
Sammy describes each of the three girls in turn. His description of the first girl reads as follows: She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two...
A&P
In "A&P" by John Updike, what is Sammy's epiphany?
An epiphany is a sudden revelation. The Greek word means something like "showing forth," and the term is often used in a religious context, to mean a vision. In "A&P," one might say that Sammy...
A&P
In "A&P" by John Updike, what kind of person is Sammy?
In "A&P" by John Updike, Sammy can be described as both narcissistic and hypocritical. His attitude towards others in the store is negative - and in the case of the three young girls, rather...
A&P
What would be a good thesis statement for the epiphany Sammy had in John Updikes A&P short story?
A good thesis for Sammy's epiphany in Updike's story should be a statement of how his life is affected by his decision to quit his job. When the teenaged Sammy acts impulsively in what he feels is...
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In the story "A&P," I feel that Sammy is a round character because he changes once he has his eye on a girl. I...
Yes, you are on the right track in your thinking about these characters in the short story "A&P" by Updike. Even though Sammy doesn't seem too complicated at first and unlikely to change, he...
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How does the point of view in the story "A & P" by John Updike help shape the story and our interpretation of it?
On the surface of it, "A&P" describes a fairly innocuous, harmless event. A bored check-out clerk at the local A&P store has the monotony of his day broken by three girls who walk into the...
A&P
In "A & P," is Sammy a hero? Why or why not?
One could argue that Sammy is not a hero in John Updike's celebrated short story "A&P." In the story, Sammy is the protagonist and narrator, who works at the local A&P and attempts to...
A&P
In John Updike's short story "A&P," what theme or moral lesson is being expressed?
One of the themes that emerges in "A&P" is that actions often have unintended consequences. Queenie and her friends casually enter the grocery store "in nothing but bathing suits." This...
A&P
What are the major themes in "A&P" by John Updike?
One theme in "A&P" is the struggle for gender equality. Queenie and her friends display at least a mild form of protest by entering a grocery store and disobeying rules about "modest" dress...
A&P
In John Updike's short story "A & P," what does it mean when Sammy says, "Now here comes the sad part of the...
A great many of the perceptions one has regarding a piece of literature or art are unique to each individual based on personal opinion and experience. My perception of the sadness the family feels...
A&P
Why do some readers find the story "A&P" offensively sexist?
In order to understand the issue of sexism in John Updike's "A&P" you must look deeper into Sammy's descriptions of the female characters as well as the actions of every other male character....
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What are some types of language are used in "A & P" by John Updike?
A comic story trimmed with both satire and sentiment, John Updike's "A&P," with the title of a long-time grocery chain that catered to middle America, depicts the rebellion of a young worker...
A&P
What is the central theme of the short story, "A&P"?
One of the several themes Updike explores throughout the short story "A&P" concerns individualism. The teenage store clerk, Sammy, asserts his individualism by quitting his job after his...
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What are some lessons that Sammy learns throughout the story "A&P"? how does his character evolve
Sammy acts in haste in the beginning of the story, quiting his job to prove a point. He is opposed to the way the manager treated the girls who came into the store wearing bathing suits. He wants...
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As the story "A&P" closes, Sammy thinks "how hard the world was going to be him hereafter." ...
Yes, it probably will be hard for Sammy. He has reached a point of maturity from which there is no turning back. His world inside the supermarket was dull but safe. He has made a decision that...
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In the story "A&P" what are some traits and characteristics of Sammy?
Sammy, the narrator of Updike's "A&P" is not untypical for a nineteen-year-old, for he is both cynical and romantic. He notes that A couple customers that had been heading for my slot begin...
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In "A&P," how fully does Updike draw the character of Sammy? What traits (admirable or otherwise) does Sammy...
Updike succeeds in drawing Sammy as a rounded character, partly because of his decision to tell the story in Sammy's voice. This immediately forces the reader to engage with Sammy and to sympathize...
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What kind of humor was implied in the story "A&P"?
Since the story is told from Sammy's point of view, the humor is also expressed in his thoughts and by his words. His easy, conversational, teenaged vocabulary allows him to express things...
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What is the overall message of "A & P?" I MEAN THE MESSAGE OF THE TEXT
With all respect to the previous two editors, perhaps one can say that "A & P" has no real "message," but is rather an insightful sketch of teenage attitudes and behaviors. The girls seem...
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Are there examples of flashbacks or foreshadowing used in the story "A & P"?
The idea of a flashback usually depends on a story being decisively "set" in, or told from the perspective of, a certain point in time. What is interesting about "A&P"is that the tense of the...
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How might someone other than Sammy present the story as narrator? John Updike's "A & P"
Like the post #7 mentioned, I think Lengel narrating the story in his point of view will be quite interesting. Lengel, unlike Sammy in the story, is a fully grown adult who needs to take the...
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In John Updike's “A&P,” Why does Sammy compare the girls to bees? What do bees symbolize in this story?
Sammy is trying to figure out how a girl's mind works. When these three girls come into the store improperly dressed, or undressed, he is stunned with joy watching them walk around the store. His...
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Why does Sammy quit in "A&P"?
Sammy's decision to quit in the middle of his shift at the A&P is not necessarily driven by a single factor. It is important to consider when the story was written. Social mores and...
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What‘s the climax of the short story "A & P"?
The climax of John Updike's short story, "A & P", comes when Sammy utters the words "I quit" to his store manager, Mr. Lengel. The beginning of the climax (and completion of the rising action)...
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What is the exposition of the short story "A&P"?
In a story's exposition, we as readers get our bearings about the central elements of this particular narrative. We are introduced to at least some of the important characters, begin to get a feel...
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In A&P by John Updike, from Sammy's language, what do you learn about his view of himself? About his educational...
Sammy certainly seems to think of himself as more aware than the majority of the customers in the A&P, as he refers to many of them as "sheep," and he is especially interested in the girl he...
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What is the allegory of the story "A&P" by John Updike? What is the tone and atmosphere?
I'm not sure that this story is a true allegory. Although it contains allegorical elements like symbolism, the message at the end of the story is not posed as a message we should learn from, but a...
A&P
What is the central theme of John Updike's short story "A & P"?
The two primary themes of John Updike's short story "A & P" are those of consequences of choice and individualism. Sammy's teenage lust for the underdressed girls who patronize the A & P...
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Why does Sammy quit his job in "A & P"? Is he less of a hero because he wants the girls to know of his...
On a hot summer afternoon, three girls walk into the local A&P store wearing nothing but their bathing suits and Sammy, the young cashier, is enchanted by their attractive leader, who he refers...
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What is the falling action in the short story "A & P" by John Updike?
In the short story by John Updike, entitled, "A&P," the falling action occurs after Sammy (the protagonist of the story) stands up for the girls who enter the grocery store where he works and...
A&P
Explain Sammy's epiphany in A & P. Do you think him comic or heroic?
Sammy's epiphany occurs as he is walking out the door after quitting in protest over how Lengel treats Queenie and her friends. He thinks he is doing something brave by standing up for them....
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What value does the carefully detailed portrait of Queenie add to the story "A&P"?
We see Queenie only through the eyes of the narrator, a nineteen-year-old boy named Sammy who works as a cashier at the A&P. We never, for example, learn the real name of this self-confident...
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In John Updike's "A & P," is Queenie a stock character? Explain.
A "stock character" is... ...a character in literature...requiring no development by the writer. The stock character is also described as: A character type that appears repeatedly in a...
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