Herding sheep through A & P
...ng bathing suits walk into the store. He observes them carefully as they shop and notices that one of the girls is different. She walks in front of the other two. She is a leader. She walks and they follow. The narrator decides to refer to her as Queenie. Queenie acted in her own unique style. For one, she was wearing a bathing suit in a store not within walking distance from a beach, and she wore the straps on her top off the side of the shoulders. The narrator sees her unique style and starts to think that he wants to be like her, as he watches Queenie lead her two followers through an unusual path in the store. Most customers walk through the store in a set pattern, but not Queenie. The narrator starts referring to the customers as sheep because they follow the pattern. When the A & P store manager comes out to confront the nymphs of the beach about their immodest clothing, the narrator feels empathy for them. He does this because he wants to be King, not like the sheep that walk in patterns down the, aisles or Queenie’s parents who “[do the same thing] every time.” In particular he doesn’t want to end up like the manager who will not give standard modesty rules a break just this once. The narrator then decides I am King, not a sheep. Since queen...