A&P

As I read A&P by John Updike, I kept thinking to myself, "What is the point of this?" It's not your average short story. In fact, I don't even think you can consider it a story. To me it was more like a journal entry by a teenage guy. It made me laugh because when I have seen girls in bikini's, I thought the same way he wrote. It's for that reason I loved this entry. I don't know why but I couldn't take my eyes off the pages. His writing style was unlike anything I have seen before. It's almost like he blends everyday thoughts with some literary elements and comes up with a story. Updike is a pioneer in my book. Even though there was no point to the story other than to describe an event in a grocery store, I enjoyed every minute of it.

Another aspect of the story I liked is how I related to Sammy. Quiting a job for girls sounds like something I would do. On that level I connected with him. Also, I liked how he critiqued everybody that walked in the door. I thought it was classic when he called the customer's 'sheep', and all those people that went against the grain outsiders. I find myself doing the exact same thing at work...day-dreaming and looking at weird people. I believed I understood this story so well because I could relate with the main character nicely.

As far as the overall point of the story, that I had an opinion on. What I got out of this was that a person should do what they feel is right. If they feel they are doing the right thing, than how can anyone blame them for their actions. I liked how Sammy walked out after his boss had a fit with the girl's in bikinis. He was unhappy with his job and that incident was the final straw. I applaud him for that. Overall, I enjoyed reading this story because of the fact I could relate to the characters and due to the fact I got a life lesson out of it.