Analysis Of John Updikes AP Essay - 1544 Words

John Updikes story AP talks about a 19-year old lad, Sammy, who has a job at the local grocery store, the AP. Sammy works at the register in the store and is always observing the people who walk in and out each day. On this particular day that the story takes place, Sammy is caught off guard when a cluster of girls walk into the store wearing just their bathing suits. This caught Sammys attention because the nearest beach is five miles away and he could not figure out why they would still be in their suits. Sammy continues to overlook the girls in the store throughout their endeavor to pick up some items that they were sent in for. While they are wandering around the store Sammy watches the reactions of other customers, is yelled at†¦show more content†¦She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it, where the sun seems to never hit, at the top of the backs of her legs( Updike 596). Once Sammy finished his portrayal of the girl he noticed he had a item in his hand and could not figure out if he had rang it up or not. Sammy proceeded to ring up the item which he had already done, and got himself in trouble with a customer who proceeded to yell at him. Sammys immaturity can be explained here because he let the presence of the girls interfere with his work. Once the woman was gone Sammy went on to describe the other girls. He says, there was this one, with one of those chubby berry-faces, the lips all bunched together under her nose, this one, and a tall one, with black hair that hadnt quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long- you know, the kind of girl that other girls think is very striking and attractive but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much (Updike 596). As you can see, Sammy shows his immaturity by going on a tangent only to describe the physical attributes of the gir ls and does not seem to care about anything else. There is a sudden change in Sammys attitude toward the girls throughout the story. At first, Sammy and his friends he workShow MoreRelated An Analysis of John Updikes AP Essay731 Words   |  3 PagesAn Analysis of John Updikes AP In his short story A P John Updike utilizes a 19-year-old adolescent to show us how a boy gets one step closer to adulthood. Sammy, an A P checkout clerk, talks to the reader with blunt first person observations setting the tone of the story from the outset. The setting of the story shows us Sammys position in life and where he really wants to be. 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