Analysis Of ' A & P '

Analysis Of ' A & P '

6– What is the theme of "A&P"? What literary devices are employed in the story?



Love, disillusion, religion... every story has its own theme and its author leads the readers all the way to its understanding. The short story "A&P" is not an exception of this. Written by John Updike and published in the New Yorker in 1961, it tells the story of Sammy, a 19 years old cashier in an A&P grocery store who is amazed by the journey of three girls that enter the store dressed only in bikinis. The story is narrated by Sammy himself; therefore, the readers can almost palpate the narrator's innermost thoughts. Since the girls were improperly dressed, Lengel, the manager of the store, rebuked them. Sammy decided to defend the girls and quit his job to catch their attention. But this immature act will have a long–term consequence for this boy. The theme of A&P is led by the significance of its setting, the use of symbolism, and the characteristics of its main character. The setting of the story plays a special role in its progress. It is situated in an A&P that is five miles away from the beach and "you know, it's one thing to have a girl in a bathing suit down on the beach . . . and another thing in the cool of the A&P" (Pike 357–358). This kind of place is not the one to find girls in bikinis every day. This makes the girls that are walking around the store the center of attention. On the other hand, a characteristic of grocery stores is that they are always crowded. There are people

... Get more on HelpWriting.net ...