Thoughts on John Updike's "A & P."

Originally written on Thursday, May 29, 2008.

This short story confused me. There were times when I had to reread a sentence a couple of times to understand what was going on. It could have been John Updike’s wording, but even then I was unsure of what I was trying to understand. The level of detail the narrator goes into describing the three girls eluded me; I could not for the life of me picture these three girls as clearly as the narrator was describing them. The amount of detail of the girls outweighs what really actually happened to the narrator: he quit his job. For what reason? It could not have simply been because three girls were not dressed to A & P policy. He does say that he felt sorry for the girls and the way his manager treated them. I am certain, after working in retail myself, that this decision to quit was not by impulse. The narrator does not seem to care despite knowing that his parents will be disappointed.

What really threw me off was the narrator’s relationship with Stokes, or Stokesie. After rereading the part where Stokes tells the narrator to hold him and even calls him, “Daddy,” I can slightly grasp what is happening after the narrator explains the situation of the A & P. Six pieces of clothing covering three girls evenly, no sandals or shoes, and an appearance of “I don’t care” about them makes this a phenomenon in an A & P and against the company’s policy.

I can understand the feeling the narrator feels when his stomach drops and he knows that his life is going to be hard without a job. I have been there. I know the feeling of being unemployed and knowing that I have only so much money to spend and with this economy, spending money is not something I can do freely.

John Updike’s short story, to me, does not have a point. From what I am piecing together in my head, this lofty-headed cashier sees an unusual event occur and becomes encompassed in it. His manager informs the three girls that the next time they come into the A & P they must have their shoulders covered. They feel embarrassed and the narrator, thinking his heroic gesture of quitting might have some effect on the girls, acts out. This ends up with him feeling his stomach drop after leaving his job.