Going Against the Grain: “Updike a&p”

Going Against the Grain Unity of Effect in Updikes A&P A&P is a short story by John Updike that tells the story of three girls who enter a grocery store and attract quite a bit of attention from Stokesie, the sliceager Lengel, a baulk clerk and most of all Sammy, also a checkout clerk. The story follows the thoughts and actions of Sammy as he observes the three girls who argon only dressed in dishwashing suites. The nonable points are Sammys interaction mind-seth another customer, the interaction with his fellow checkout clerk Stokesie, and ultimately his boss and manager Lengel.The story comes to an unexpected approach after Lengel tells the girls to leave the store because of their indecent clothing and as a result Sammy decides to quit. Throughout this short story, John Updike works towards the reader realizing the negative connotations of riot and conformity this is accomplished through several different narrative ruses including but not limited to first person narrat ion and the unreliable narrator. The first evident narrative device utilized by John Updike is that of first person narration where the voice that is created for Sammy is poetically graphic and intentionally provoking this is resolve when maven observes how Sammys internal narration switches between sharp wit and common slang. This is also proof that Sammy is capable of clear, intelligent thought as yet though he is merely nineteen years old. The way he chooses to describe things in his mind is truly remarkable as he refers to one of the girls hair as oaky and that the light from outside seems like it is skating around the parking lot.It is interesting, however, how Updike continually refrains Sammys language by beginning his sentences with phrases like You know and Really which, in effect, keeps the overall language of Sammy seemingly natural. It would make sense to assume that during the course of the story, Updike is deliberately making Sammy use this natural language mixed w ith sharp wit in order for the reader to be able to distinguish Sammys voice from that of Updike himself.Indeed it would ruin the story if Updike used Sammys voice to be a stand-in for Updike, or a spokesman for the authorial point of view. Another narrative device that Updike makes use of during this story is that of an unreliable narrator, which essentially means that Sammy voice, which narrates the whole story, should not be simply accepted as infallible, but rather that Sammys narration should be thoroughly analyzed.This concept of the unreliable narrator is made clear when one looks at Sammys comment on the female mind and how it is completely unknowable this needs to be taken not as Updikes general feeling on the particular topic, but rather an account in the characters voice. The device of unreliable narrator can be made even more clearly in the example where Sammy says that once you begin a gesture its fatal not to go through with it (343). This can perfectly not be a stat ement that Updike intended the reader to think he himself was saying.Updike put these words in the mouth of Sammy because they represent an idea that is exceedingly debatable which is coming from a nineteen year old who just might have reason to regret the actions he completes. Understanding this narrative device in Updikes story is essential to being able to grasp the true plot of A&P, which is the slow revelation of a young mans character. The final narrative device that will be describe here is that of John Updikes excellent use of symbolism throughout the entire short story that gives rise to the originality of Sammys thinking and the town in general.One notable use of symbolism within Updikes story is that of colors. Holding a little gray jar in her hand (341), Stokesie with his usual luck draws an old party in baggy gray pants (341), Lengel sighs and begins to look in truth patient and old and gray (343). With the above examples pointing towards Updikes use of the color gray, it is even more important then to notice that the only things that are described in color are the three girls.It could be interpreted that the fact of everything being gray besides the girls shows how the only things important to Sammy at that moment are the girls. In order for Updike to characterize the town, he decides to use animals. The sheep pushing their carts down the aisle the girls were walking against the usual traffic (339-340). The symbolism is fairly obvious as sheep are known to simply do what the group does and not to change their routine they dont think on their own, they just follow severally other.This could possibly symbolize how tight knit the community was, or how these three girls were an unwelcomed break in the towns routine. Through these three narrative devices, it is clear to see that in Updikes telling of Sammy the checkout clerk, the reader is supposed to get a sense of the negative connotations of rebellion and conformity. The reader is forced to crit ically analyze the decisions and thoughts that Sammy makes as a result of the three girls entering A&P, as well as notice the downfalls of stringent, unwavering conformity.