A&P- a Change in Motives Essay

Submitted By andemiller
Words: 1422
Pages: 6
Open Document
A Change of Motives in Updike’s A&P In John Updike’s “A&P” , Sammy is a girl crazy nineteen year old boy. He has trouble focusing, and is very observant of some girls that walk in the store on a Thursday afternoon. The girls are in bathing suits and he watches and observes them as they shop. When the girls come to his stand to checkout, The manager comments on their outfits. The manager Lengal embarrasses the girls in front of the entire store. Trying to impress the girls, Sammy quits. The girls walk out, not hearing his effort to look bold and heroic. After the girls leave, Lengal asks Sammy what he said. Sammy stands up for what he believes to be the right thing, and again tells his manager he quits. It is important to understand the change of motives in Sammy’s decision to quit his job in order to recognize the growth of maturity he exhibits. Sammy first decides to quit his job to impress the girls, but then he quits to follow through with what he started and to stand up for what he believes is right. At the beginning of the story Updike shows that Sammy isn’t very focused on his job and how easily he is distracted. When the girls first walk in, his attention completely shifts to the girls, rather than the lady he was checking out. After observing the girls, Sammy completely loses focus on what he was doing prior to their entrance and “stood there with [his] hand on a box of HiHo crackers trying to remember if [he] rang it up”(753). This shows that he is a girl crazy teenager, and that he was very attentive to their entrance. Sammy also says that while the girls were shopping he “watched them all the way” (753). The girls entrance and his reaction is important in showing that Sammy is very girl crazy, and a little immature and loses focus easily. It is essential to understand that Sammy‘s focus is mainly on the girls, and has completely shifted from his job. Understanding this shows that at the beginning of the story he is a little immature. Updike also shows how interested and attentive Sammy is to the girls by providing so much detail about them and showing how observant Sammy is of the girls. Sammy describes the girls in vivid detail. Sammy describes many details about the girls, which shows how girl crazy and observant he is. Sammy watches One of the girls he calls the “queen”(753) and describes how she walks, “putting down her heels and then letting the weight move along to her toes as if she was testing the floor with every step… ”(753).This detail shows that Sammy is really focused on the girls, and nothing else. He observing almost everything about them and they have his full attention. While describing one of the girl’s necks Sammy says it “looked kind of stretched, but I didn’t mind. The longer the neck was, the more of her there was”(754). This shows that Sammy is fond of the girl, and is attracted to her. When the girl pulls the money out of her top, Sammy says: “Really, I thought that was so cute”(755). Furthermore, this shows Sammy’s attraction and attentiveness to the girl. It is important to understand that Sammy is very attracted and interested in these girls. They completely caught his attention. After they ask McMahon something, they shuffle away and Sammy says: “ there was nothing much to do except lean on the register and wait for the girls to show up again”(755). This shows that the girls have not left Sammy’s mind and that he is still thinking about them. The unusualness of girls coming into the store in bathing suits is also important in order to understand why these girls caught Sammy’s attention. Girls coming in in bathing suits does not happen on a typical day at the A&P. Sammy points out to the reader how odd it is that the girls come in the store dressed in bathing suits: “Its one thing to have a girl in a bathing suit down on the beach…and another thing in the cool of the A&P, under the fluorescent lights, against all those stacked packages…”(754). It is also strange that the
Show More

Related Documents: A&P- a Change in Motives Essay

Bio Lab Essay example

Modified Food Messages Under Different Motives: An Adaptation of the Multiple-Motive Heuristic-Systematic Model Jooyoung Kim1,∗ and Hye-Jin Paek2 Recent risk management research has noted the importance of understanding how the lay public processes and reacts to risk-related information. Guided by the multiple-motive heuristic-systematic model, this study examines (1) how individuals process messages in the context of genetically modified foods to change their attitudes and (2) how the persuasion…

Words 9138 - Pages 37

Stereotyping And Self-Centered Motives

everyone but one of the roots of the problem is our motives. Therefore, altruistic and self-centered motives are the most important studies. If we focus on having altruistic motives when helping others, we will be less likely to stereotype. When we have altruistic motives, we will genuinely help someone and place their needs before ourselves. However, with self-centered motives, we will help someone to further our self-glorification. With altruistic motives, we truly care for the individual and have sympathy…

Words 462 - Pages 2

John Stuart Mill

expectations by most (Noble p 763). This new imperialism was brought to light by three main motives; economic, nationalistic, and ideological. The economic motive of the new imperialism was the hope of new profit that would correlate into stimulating the mother country. This was a false hope to encourage the empire. In reality the colonies did little good for profit and exports. It became a realization that France, Germany, and England were there own best customers (Noble p. 763). The last stretch…

Words 830 - Pages 4

Socialization: Social Psychology and Normative Social Influence Essay

person's behavior. "Belonging, understanding, controlling, enhancing self, and trusting are five core social motives"(Carter & Seifort,2013,p.618). People are motivated to be accepted and have the power of situations. Groups formed are by people with common interests and beliefs. When entering a group a person wants to be trusted and to be perceived as worthy. These core motives may change a person's behavior, so they fit into the group. Attitude is a person's affects, behaviors, and cognition. Affects…

Words 734 - Pages 3

Why I Want To Be A Public Servant

program because of personal identification with the program” (Downs as cited by Perry and Wise, 1990, p.368). Likewise, this commitment is shared by many of my co-workers. Public Service Motivation…

Words 446 - Pages 2

The Catbird Seat Short Story

counts of conspiracy, and threatening of another person. Mr. Martin had the means, motive, and opportunity to commit these crimes against Mrs. Ulgine Barrows. In the story, it is shown that Mr. Martin has the opportunity to commit this crime. For example, there is physical evidence at Barrows apartment showing that he was there. When at Barrows, she states “This is perfectly marvellous. You with a drink and a cigarette” (p.3). He is leaving DNA evidence on the glass he was…

Words 898 - Pages 4

The Psychodynamic Approach To Organizational Behavior In Health Care Settings

setting, and as such guide organizational behavior, would greatly limit ones understanding of what motivates employees. Looking at psychodynamic principles within both the individual and the organization as a whole can shed light onto subconscious motives that lead to resistance and defensiveness that can contribute to malaise across the organization. To illustrate this process this report will discuss the major principles of psychodynamics in relation to human behavior and apply them to the organizational…

Words 2543 - Pages 11

The Role Of Attractiveness In Persuasio Essay

Sporer Justus-Liebig-University of Giessen, Germany It has been argued that the accessibility of persuasion motives elicits distrust in a communicator’s underlying motives and leads to decreased persuasion success. However, this research highlights the fact that salient and positive communicator characteristics (here physical attractiveness) can temper consumers’ attributions of selfish motives and lead to increased behavioral compliance when recipients are faced with direct persuasive appeals to get…

Words 6426 - Pages 26

Comparison and Contrast Between "The Most Dangerous Game" and "The Child by Tiger" Essay

As individuals who long to have relationships with others, it is vital to consider the underlying character and moral compass that each possess. As evidenced in “The Child by Tiger” and “The Most Dangerous Game,” one realizes the ability for change or controversy of any individuals nature on the service. In Thomas Wolfe’s “The Child by Tiger” and Richard Connell’s “The Most Dangerous Game,” the characters Dick Prosser and General Zaroff differ; however, they both lead lives characterized by contradiction…

Words 1386 - Pages 6

Social Psychology: Characteristics, Motives, and Situationism Essay

Social Psychology: Characteristics, Motives, and Situationism PSYCH/550 May 27, 2013 Social Psychology: Characteristics, Motives, and Situationism According to Fiske (2010), the classic definition of social psychology is, “the scientific attempt to explain how the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of individuals are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of other human beings” [ (p. 4) ]. In other words, where general psychology is the study of human behavior on an individual…

Words 1479 - Pages 6