John Updike, A & P

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John Updike

A & P (Literature To Go, p. 157)

Listen to “A & P,” read by John Updike.

From Selected Stories by John Updike, Read by the Author by John Updike. Copyright © 1985 by John Updike. Used by permission of Random House Audio Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. Any third party use of this material, outside of this publication, is prohibited. Interested parties must apply directly to Random House, Inc., for permission.

Considerations for Critical Thinking and Writing

  1. first response. Describe the setting. How accurate do you think Updike’s treatment of the A & P is?

  2. What kind of person is Sammy? How do his actions and speech constitute his own individual style?

  3. Analyze the style of the first paragraph. How does it set the tone for the rest of the story?

  4. What is the story’s central conflict? Does it seem to be a serious or trivial conflict to you?

  5. With what kind of values is Lengel associated? Do you feel any sympathy for him?

  6. What do you think is Stoksie’s function in the story?

  7. Consider Sammy’s treatment of the three girls. Do you think his account of them is sexist? Explain why or why not.

  8. Locate the climax of the story. How does the climax affect your attitude toward Sammy?

  9. How do you think the story would be different if it were told from another character’s point of view instead of Sammy’s?

  10. Discuss the thematic significance of the story’s final paragraph. Would you read the story differently if this last paragraph were eliminated?

  11. connection to another selection. Compare the tone established by the point of view in this story and in Maggie Mitchell’s “It Would be Different If” (p. 169).