A&p Essay

John Updike's "A&P" is about a young clerk that observes three women who come in his store in two piece bathing suits and are confronted by the manager for it. This spurs him to reevaluate himself because of the women's ability to live outside the boundaries of his conventional lifestyle. The theme of this story is the need for purpose in your life. I can relate very easily to this story. It illustrates the mundane, meaningless job I had at Northside.

Sammy's main problem with working at the A&P is that he feels like his job is meaningless. For example, "I forgot to say he (Stokesie) thinks he's going to be manager some sunny day, maybe in 1990 when it's called the Great Alexandrov and Petrooshki Tea company or something." When he says that Stokesie thinks he's going to be manager, maybe in 1990, shows how bleak and meaningless Sammy feels that his job is. He doesn't truly believe there is any place for advancement and making yourself better while working there. When I worked at Northside I felt the same way. For example, while I worked there I kept asking them if I could advance in the company, and if I could I would stay there. They told me I couldn't advance, which meant the hard work I was putting in for minimum wage was meaningless.

Sammy's second problem is that he feels trapped in the conventional lifestyle that comes with having a career at the A&P. For example, "That's policy for you. Policy is what the kingpins want. What the others want is juvenile delinquency." I felt a similar level of entrapment with my job at Northside. For example, I had an argument with my manager and almost got fired because they wouldn't let me wear my Marshall University hat due to the fact that they are partners with WVU. I had to live with that policy, and I felt trapped the entire time.

This piece of literature takes me back to those horrible times at Northside when I felt trapped in a meaningless existence. I absolutely loved the theme of having meaning to your life. You do need to earn a living for yourself. However, I believe to have a happy life your job must be fulfilling. This theme is why I decided to come back to school; to live a fruitful, fulfilling life.