Consumerist Society and its Impact on the Individual in "A&P" by John Updike (PDF)

Essay from the year 2008 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: A, , course: American Literature, language: English, abstract: John Updike's short story "A&P", written in the early 1960's, is considered to be a reflection of the structure of American society at that time. The action of the story takes place in a grocery shop. The choice of such a setting was not made at random. The regulations applied in this supermarket symbolize the norms of society in which the main character, Sammy, lives. The protagonist's encounter with the three young girls dressed in bathing suits reveals his attitude towards the social order he is unwilling to conform to. At the same time, despite Sammy's scepticism, it cannot escape the reader's attention that the character's view of reality was undoubtedly shaped by the community he exists in.

First of all, the role of the grocery shop is worth mentioning. The place is situated "right in the middle of town, and if you stand at our front doors, you can see two banks and the Congregational church and the newspaper store and three real-estate offices (...)" As Timothy Sexton points out, the supermarket is close to the financial, spiritual, informational and property centres of the town.