A&P
The short story A&P written by John Updike is about a small town grocery store that represents the community. The community is old-fashioned, the people in the town are not adaptable to changes that may happen in the community. When a change in the community, and in this case the grocery store happens the townspeople all look around as if they are not in the right place. The people in this small town do not want to change and be like the lake community that the girls represent because they are too afraid of change. Lengel represents the small town community, while the girls represent the lake community that Sammy wants to be a part of. This story starts out at a small time grocery store in a little town in Salem Massachusetts. The main character is a nineteen year old kid named Sammy. Sammy is at the regular boredom of his job four girls walk in the store wearing nothing but bathing suits. Sammy immediately notices them and gives them full attention as they walk around the store. As the girls walk around the whole store is astonished that the girls are in the store wearing nothing but bathing suits. The girls bring their purchase to Sammy’s checkout counter Mr Lengel (Sammy’s boss) notices the fact that the girls are in the store in bathing suits. Mr Lengel does not appreciate that the girls had the nerve to come into his store in their physical appearance. Mr Lengel warns the girls that next time they come into the store to be half decent enough to wear clothes.