Sexuality In John Updike's A & P

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One of the largest contributing factors in exploring the differences between how gender affects the coming of age experience is in sexuality, as well as the societal standards that both young men and young women may feel the need to conform to. Growing up as a young woman, many girls may feel pressured to begin to view themselves through the lenses of how men will perceive them. Bombarded by latest trends, what is "sexy" or "hot", many girls will begin to closely scrutinize their personal style and bodies as they begin puberty. Young females may also begin to change themselves-whether slightly or drastically- to become more akin to women who seem to garner much male attention. This in turn begins to alter the way young women view themselves. …show more content…
However, young men are not often held to the same standards as young women are in current culture. Rather, boys begin to discover their sexuality through the observation of other young adults. In a heterosexual male, he will often begin to develop his own personal tastes through taking notice of the young women around him. While young women might feel that they have a standard to maintain, and change their appearance, alter their personality, or how they express themselves, young men reap the benefits of this. One such example of this is in the short story A & P by John Updike, where Sammy carefully watches three girls who enter the store he is working, wearing nothing except for bathing suits. "There was this chunky one, with the two-piece- it was bright green and the seams on the bra were still sharp and her belly was still pretty pale... there was this one, with one of those cubby berry-faces, the lips all bunched together under her nose, this one, and a tall one, with black hair that hadn't quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long- you know, the kind of girl other girls think is very 'striking' and 'attractive' but never quite makes it..." (Updike 1290) In this example, the reader might observe that as young women are incredibly concerned about how they look and how they are perceived by young men, that they indeed have every right to be. As Sammy sums up the appearance of this girls- to an extent that some may say is rather demeaning- the reader gains insight into the inner workings of his mind as he develops his personal preferences and sexuality. It is also important to note that Sammy is well aware that these girls know that they are being observed. "She must have felt in the corner of her eye me and over my shoulder Stokesie in the second slot watching, but she didn't tip.
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