Is where you are in your working career where you want to be for the rest of your life? The answer to that question is simple for Sammy in the story “A&P” by John Sammy, like many others in this world, is a young man trying to make somemoney in a small town. But unlike some, he refuses to be stuck in the same job formany years or possibly the rest of his life.One day while working the register at a local grocery store, Sammy notices threegirls walk in. The girls are wearing their bathing suits because the beach is close to thestore. When the girls reach the register the manager notices the girls attire. He walksover to them and argues with them for a moment and then girls leave. Sammy didn’tunderstand why the manager had such a problem with what the girls were wearing.Suddenly Sammy decides to quit. He takes off his apron and walks out the door.One of the things that caught my attention the most was Updike’s use of imagery in describing Sammy’s working environment. “The sheep pushing their cartsdown the aisle-”(34), I thought, was an excellent representation of customers groceryshopping. I could almost see them pushing their carts around the store shopping forthings. It seems to me that the customers are like sheep because they don’t really careabout what is going on around them. They just want to get their things and go on abouttheir business. Another good example is when Sammy is looking at the girls while theyare standing in his aisle. He refers to one of the girl’s chest as “two scoops ofvanilla”(36). I think this is an important point because he doesn’t refer to an older woman, who was standing in line before the girls, in such a manner. This shows a malepoint of view that helps the reader understand how Sammy feels and what is goingthrough his mind during the story.I think the girls helped give Sammy a reason to quit the grocery store. On onehand, Sammy quit...
