Imagining the Summer - A&P

After reading John Updike’s short story A&P, the only thing that comes to mind is the desire for warm weather, flip flops, and swimsuits. The imagery in this story is worded so elegantly that the reader is able to picture themselves within the grocery store in which the story is set. The exquisite descriptions do not stop with the setting, the speaker clearly illustrates other characters as well discussing exact details in the events of the story.
While reading the story, I was able to feel the small town charm of the setting, as well as the quaint setting of the A&P grocery store. The speaker gives explanations of the placement of the objects around him, and clearly lays out the path of the main characters throughout the store; “back my way along the counters, in the aisle between the checkouts and the special bins.” (561) With these details you are able to imagine the front of a grocery store with the checkout lines all in a row, with small advertisement stand-ups out in front, with a boy standing behind one of the registers. As he is standing as his counter, he watches three girls walk down an aisle; “all three of them went up the cat-and-dogfood-breakfast-dereal-macaroni-rice-raisins-seasonings-spreads-spaghetti-soft-drinks-crackers-and cookies aisle,” (561) This list of all the items on this aisle allows you to create an excellent mental image of the store, and provides specific details in order to fill in missing pieces of the image. The speaker does not stop with just describing the setting, he allows your imagination to be continually unperturbed by offering details about the characters as well.
There are three characters described in great detail throughout this story. All three are girls, who all have bathing suits on and have just walked into a grocery store. The speaker takes time to talk about one girl individually; “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…” (560). Although he focuses on only one sense here, the sense of sight, it still offers enough to feels as though you are standing in the store next to this girl. With the thorough descriptions of the characters you are able to understand the story and place yourself within it. His explanations of the events in the story are also descriptive.
The climatic point of the story, is one where the speaker quits his job as a cashier. He hopes to catch the attention of the girls who have just left the store; “so I say ‘I quit’ to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they’ll stop and watch me” (564). With the way he so casually says that he quits provides you with the emotional setting of the event. This awkwardness can be felt through the words written on the page. The author is able to make you feel incorporated into the story through the solidity of his words.
Specific details and descriptions of events and characters allow you to be more engaged in the story you are reading. These specifics progress you through the plot keeping you hooked on the basics of the story. Being offered the opportunity to create a picture of the setting in your own way makes reading the story more enjoyable as well as aids you in remembering the specific events of the story. John Updike did a wonderful job with fine points and word choice which invested me in the story and kept my attention.


Updike, John. A&P. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. Michael Meyer. Bedford/St.Martins. Boston, Mass. 2009.