Blog Assignment 3

"A&P" by John Updike

Part 1:
I thought this story was pretty interesting. I am actually a psychology major, and I love reading other people's opinions of their surroundings and observations of life because it opens a great window into how they think. I feel like I would dislike the narrator if i met him in person, because he seems arrogant. I know that everyone judges other people, most of the time automatically, but this guy is an a-hole. For example, the narrator calls the customers "sheep" insinuating they are mindless shopping machines, or unintelligent. He also refers to a customer who he termed a "witch" and believes, as a result of this observation, references the Salem witch burnings. He seems a little harsh when making observations about the three girls, and contradicts himself by labeling to the leader "Queenie". Overall, I enjoyed reading this story because it was interesting, at times funny, and held my attention by offering unexpected turns (e.g.- when the narrator quit his job at the end in a valliant effort to win the approval of his admired snob).
Part 2:
The narrator in A&P reveals several things about himself, his personality, and the diegesis in which the story takes place in the discourse of his narrative. There is no exposition offered by the narrator, so the reader is left to surmise his situation. In reading “A&P”, the reader discovers the narrator is a nineteen-year-old cashier at a grocery store. This story takes place in the 1980’s, which is apparent when the narrator refers to a girl’s hair, which is not teased (“frizzed”) correctly. We know the events definitely occur before 1990, because the narrator refers to a future event that may occur “maybe in 1990”. The reader is also told by the narrator that the location of this place of business is “five miles from the beach… in the middle of town… north of Boston”. The narrator comes off to the reader as young and fun loving, the opposite of his superior, because he talks down about his boss who is “pretty dreary” and “teaches Sunday school”. The reader may deduce that, in the opinion of the narrator, as a result of his lifestyle and work environment, the manager has become a dull person. This personality type conflicts with that of the narrator, who enjoys the rebellious nature of the three girls, and impulsively uses their embarrassment as a reason for quitting his job. It also seems that the narrator has a specific bias against women, because most of his critiques (except for his boss and fellow employee) are directed at women. The narrator questions the minds of women, and insults women in the same statement by asking, “do you really think it’s a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar”? The narrator reveals himself to be slightly arrogant, judgmental, naïve, impulsive, stubborn, and hormonal.
The narrator notices the three girls who walk into his store, and immediately begins to critique them, beginning with the one he perceives to be overweight and unattractive (more so from the front). He changes his opinion of the girls from the beginning of the story, where he initially had an easy time putting them down (including “Queenie”). The narrator originally thinks of the leader of the girls to be snobby: he says she has “prima donna legs”. He seems to not only think of her as stuck-up but also as arrogant and in control of her two friends. It is not until he begins to notice her appearance that he turns around his opinion of her. He still sees her as being the “Queen”, but also views her as attractive. Later, the narrator comments on his remorseful feelings for the girls when he notices other men staring at them. This is the turn in the story where the narrator’s subjective opinion shifts from self-centered to sympathetic. He even rationalizes their behavior of coming into the store not properly dressed by claiming that most people prefer “juvenile delinquency” to following policy. As a result of his change in opinion, the cashier quits his job, with a secret hope that the girls will praise him for his efforts to stand up for their decision to wear what they want into the store. The narrator begins the story with heavy criticisms and presumptuous judgments of others, and ends with a compassionate gesture to stand up for the rights of a customer. It just so happens that the reason he stood up for the girls is because he was attracted to one, and did not think rationally about the situation. He also expected to be rewarded for his actions, and instead realizes the severity of his decision and its impact on his future. In reality, the narrator never changed as a person. Instead, his temporary opinion was altered by clouded visions of his crush and he made a rash decision in accordance with that opinion. He remains arrogant, immature, and judgmental, but may be a little less naïve.