In John Updike’s, “A & P,” the author introduces a young boy, Sammy, trying to figure out if there is more for himself. He wants to change the way he does and sees things. “A & P,” is about initiation. Sammy goes from innocence and ignorance, to maturity and wisdom. Lacking the maturity to live with the world’s injustices, Sammy acted irrationally and lost everything, except maybe himself. “A & P,” represents a coming-of-age story for Sammy.
Everything in this story happens over just a couple of minutes, but it still shows a great process of maturity. The entire time that the group of girls is in the store, you can see changes in Sammy. When they first walk in all he notices is their physical features. As the story goes on, he starts to grow up. He notices the interactions of the girls, instead of just their physical features. He starts to notice that the girls are not like the regulars that come through the store daily, with the exact same routine. The girls are different and don't follow a set routine. They seem to do what they want, when they want, and it’s no problem for them. He appreciates their uniqueness, and doesn't want to discourage it and doesn't like that other adults do. When the girls were confronted by the store manager, and talked to about their inappropriate appearance. Sammy felt as if the manager was wrong, and rude for embarrassing the girls.
When the manager makes his comment, Sammy doesn't feel as if he is right or okay with how the manager treated them. Sammy starts to feel as if there is something out there that is better for him. Sammy wants to be unique, or just as unique as the girls that he finds fascinating are. The girls are different, and thats what Sammy seems to love and cherish about them. Sammy has made a decision that he doesn't want to be like his manager, or any of the adults who are judging the girls in that store, and he definitely doesn't want to be around them.
Sam...