A&P

John Updike

BACKGROUND

This is a very short story. It takes place in a supermarket during the summer.

MAIN CHARACTERS

Sammy: Main guy of story. He’s a 19 yr old who works the register

Lengel: The store manager

Stokesie: Sammy’s buddy. He’s 22, married and has 2 kids

PLOT

The basic plot of this story is that there’s this kid (Sammy) and he is working in the supermarket. 3 girls come in. There were 2 chubby ones and a tall skinny one. Sammy just sits at his register and watches these chicks walk around the store. He calls the tall one Queenie because she’s a babe. He just gets lost in his own world trying to figure out who these girls are. He is amazed because they have nothing on except 2 piece bathing suits.

Then the manager (Lengel) comes out and yells at the chicks because they are under-dressed. They argue and the girls tell him they are there for one thing (herrings). Finally the girls check out and leave. Sammy gets so lost in his imagination he thinks he will be heroic. He gives his manager shit because he gave the girls shit. Then Sammy quits. Lengel doesn’t know why and tells him not to. Sammy quits, leaves the store and looks for the girls. But they are already gone, they don’t really care that he quit.

THINGS TO MAKE YOU LOOK SMART