54 pages 1 hour read

John Updike

A&P

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1961

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Character Analysis

Sammy

The unreliable narrator and protagonist is 19-year-old Sammy, an A&P clerk in a small New England town. He works the check-out slots and is very familiar with the regulars. The reader never learns how long Sammy has worked at the store. With keen observation, he intricately describes everyone—from the customers to the girls to his boss. His eye is almost entirely fixated on physical appearance, and he draws (often very objectifying) conclusions about people accordingly. Sammy is friendly with his coworker Stokesie, but he suggests that Stokesie has less freedom; Sammy is still free to shape his life as he wishes, unlike Stokesie, who must care for his wife and two children. The larger irony is that, by the end of the story, Sammy has indeed shaped his own life, and perhaps poorly (though not irredeemably).

As the story unfolds, Sammy grows increasingly self-conscious of his class standing. The tension is driven partly by his attraction to Queenie, which is both physical and emotional. He fantasizes about parties held at her home, envisioning the sort of life that he may only dream of. This increases his frustration not toward Queenie but toward Lengel, as Sammy is seemingly angry with those in his own class who, he assumes, are content with a stagnant, monotonous life.

Related Titles

By John Updike

Plot Summary

logo

Gertrude and Claudius

John Updike

Gertrude and Claudius

John Updike

Plot Summary

logo

My Father's Tears and Other Stories

John Updike

My Father's Tears and Other Stories

John Updike

Plot Summary

logo

Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories

John Updike

Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories

John Updike

Plot Summary

logo

Rabbit at Rest

John Updike

Rabbit at Rest

John Updike

Plot Summary

logo

Rabbit Is Rich

John Updike

Rabbit Is Rich

John Updike