John Updikes A

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John Updikes AP

• Bill Skibinski
• Alton Albritton III

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Summary

• This story takes place in an AP store. It
  starts out with three young ladies who walked in
  the store. They catch the attention of a young
  man at the register. The young mans name is
  Sammy and he immediately begins to dissect each
  of the girls. He follows them with his eyes as
  they wonder the store looking for the item they
  came for, which is Kingfish Fancy Herring Snacks.
  Sammy talks to his fellow register worker whose
  name is Stokesie. They talk about the girls for a
  minute before Stokesie is swamped by people
  trying to check out. Eventually his manager walks
  in and notices the girls and their
  inappropriate clothing. He talks to them about
  their dress and the protocol on how one should be
  dressed when entering the store. Lengel somewhat
  goes back and forth with the girls for a minute
  before Sammy rings them up. After this occurs
  Sammy becomes upset with how his boss handled the
  situation and tells Lengel that he quits. Lengel
  tries to convince Sammy not to do this but his
  mind has already been made. He takes off his
  apron and walks outside, but to his dismay the
  girls had already left.

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Main Characters

• Sammy- Store clerk who narrates the entire story.
  He is nineteen years old and working for the
  summer at the A P store.
• Stokesie- Young man who is a friend of Sammy. He
  is twenty-two years old and is married with two
  children.
• Lengel- He is the manager of the store. He could
  also be the antagonist in the story. He has known
  Sammy for a long time and been friends with his
  family.
• Three Girls- There were three girls that walked
  in the store. There was the girl wearing a
  two-piece plaid bathing suit. Next was a taller
  girl who was pegged as striking. Last was the
  girl who seemed to be the leader. She was in
  front and seemed to be in charge.

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Critical Questions

• What is the significance of the title? The title
  AP is the name of the grocery store where the
  story takes place. This is also where the main
  character of the story works and makes his
  observations.
• How is the story told?  Who is the narrator? 
  What perspective is used?  What is the tone of
  the language?  Is the narrator reliable? The
  story is told in the first-person perspective.
  Sammy is the narrator and main character of the
  story. The tone was that of a boy coming into his
  man-hood, he is noticing girls and has a
  rebellious side to him. Yes, the narrator is very
  descriptive and honest in what he is describing
  to us.
• Look closely at the opening and ending.  On what
  does the author and narrator focus? Throughout
  the story the narrator is focusing on the three
  girls who enter the store. He makes interesting
  observations about their physic and their social
  structure. He also describes the other customers
  in the store, making jokes about how wrapped-up
  in themselves they are. As Sammy is approached by
  the girls, he pays attention to almost every
  detail, especially the one who he is particularly
  fond of. When the girls are scolded by the
  manager, Sammy makes a split decision to quit his
  job in order to both defend and impress the
  girls, who dont even notice what he has done.
• How does the character transform in the story? 
  In the beginning, Sammy is just a young man
  observing and admiring the three young girls who
  enter the store where he works. He seems to live
  a boring life and never did anything of
  significance. In the end, when the three girls
  are confronted by the store manager, Sammy
  decides to defend them and quits his job, even
  though he knows there will be consequences.
  Though the girls do not notice the bold stand he
  made for them and the manager trying to convince
  him to stay, he still walks out, never to see the
  girls again.

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Questions Cont.

• 5. What is the major theme of the story? 
  Explicate.  Are there any minor themes? The major
  theme is about a young man defending 3 young
  girls that he is admiring. A minor theme is the
  people in the store just meandering around,
  clueless and are described and sheep in a corral.
  
• 6. Are there any allusions in the story that
  could add meaning to your interpretation? No
• 7. What are the symbols or other figurative
  elements in the story? The story is filled with
  many symbols. Sammy tells us how the mean woman
  would have been burned in Salem, giving her the
  illusion of a witch. He also describes the store
  as being like a Pinball Machine, people buzzing
  around and not knowing what tunnel the three
  girls will come out of. Sammy also describes the
  other customers in the store as sheep waiting to
  be checked out.
• 8. What seems to be the author's primary
  goal/purpose in writing this short story? It is a
  nostalgic story about Sammy. It tells us what
  young men will do to hopefully impress a girl.
• 9. What is your reaction to this story?  How does
  your reaction influence your reading? On a second
  read of the story, I found myself able to relate
  to Sammy. Being a young man, I feel the same way
  towards girls and I also have a rebellious side
  as Sammy did. I have also worked in grocery
  stores before and know how some customers can be
  when shopping there. I enjoyed how the witch
  was described and the other customers just
  meandering around who wouldnt even notice a bomb
  going off in the store.