A & P

EQ: How do our personal experiences shape our views of others? Ourselves?

         Have you ever had a personal experience that has influenced the way you view somebody or something? That is exactly what happens in "A&P" by John Updike. The protagonist, Sammy, is working as a clerk in a grocery store, when three pretty girls come in the store in "nothing but bathing suits". He is infatuated with the leader, whom he names "Queenie". They are in the store to buy "herring snacks", but the manager confronts them and tells them that this "isn't the beach" and that they should come in next time with their "shoulders covered or be refused service". Sammy thinks that this is embarrassing them, so he quits as they walk out the door, but soon realizes that this was in vain because they had already left and didn't here him stand up for them. This experience helped determine Sammy's view on the store and of the store manager. It helped him determine whether he really wanted to work for him or not. It also helped Sammy see himself differently. He now sees himself as someone who has his whole life in front of him and doesn't need to be wasting it working at a grocery store. He has a new outlook on life and he thinks he is now on the right path, thanks to the experience he had one faithful day at the grocery store.