Rhiannon Vu free essay sample

Rhiannon VuMrs. Marshall ENG 2DG. 80February 26, 2018Breaking Free From AP As older adolescents transition into adulthood, they face many challenges, including changes in their emotions and cognitive function. In the short story AP by John Updike, the main character Sammy experiences these challenges and transitions. AP follows a nineteen year old boy named Sammy, who is working as a cashier in a grocery store. When three girls in bathing suits walk into the grocery store, the thoughts and feelings that are stirred up inside him create an internal conflict. The story reveals how Sammy grows and matures into an adult through the choices he makes, as he determines where he stands in the adult world of conformity. From observing the girls and the effect they have on others in the store, Sammy becomes more aware of his feelings towards conformity and what he wants out of life. We will write a custom essay sample on Rhiannon Vu or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Sammys choice to quit his job moves him from an idealistic to a realistic state as he learns the harsh truth of the adult world when the girls do not recognize his attempt to defend them. Sammy also shifts from a self-serving stance to thinking of others after he sees his older coworker ogling the three young girls, which makes him aware if his own inappropriate behaviour. Consequently, Sammy experiences a transition from adolescence to adulthood. The main character Sammy moves from a state of ignorance to one of knowledge. At the beginning of the story, Sammy mocks the customers in A;P, referring to them as sheep and house-slaves. He makes fun of them by saying how [someone] could set off dynamite in an AP and the people would†¦ keep reaching and checking oatmeal off their lists (Updike 1-2). Sammy is ignorant because he does not realize that he is very similar to the sheep, much more so than he believes. Like the sheep, Sammy spends his days doing the same tedious, repetitive things and is so accustomed to this routine that it is second nature to him and has even become a song when he rings up items. However, when Sammy sees the three girls, who are in skimpy bathing suits and walking barefoot in the store, he becomes distracted by them and forgets if he has rung up an item. Sammy is captivated by the girls and watches as [t]he sheep push[] their carts down the aisle, and the girls [] walk[] against the usual traffic (Updike 1). Seeing the girls, and their unconventional ways remind Sammy of a carefree existence where one can challenge the status quo. Sammy admires the uniqueness that the girls possess, and how they are not afraid to be different. The girls represent youthful freedom which is in stark contrast to the rule-based authority and conforming adult world of the A;P. Sammy longs to be like the girls and when Lengel confronts the girls about how they are breaking policy by w earing nothing but bathing suits, Sammy comes to the realization that he does not want to work in a place that discourages originality. This realization prompts Sammy to make the rash decision to quit his job, and in a symbolic gesture of discarding the rule-based world of the A;P, he removes his apron and bow tie. As Sammy leaves A;P, he momentarily second-guesses his decision to quit. However, as he look[s] back in the big windows and see[s] Lengel in [his] place in the slot, checking the sheep through, he notices that [Lengels] face [is] dark gray and his back stiff (Updike 4). After seeing Lengel in his former place, he knows he has made the right decision to quit. Sammy knows he does not want to end up like Lengel, who is worn out and tired from doing the same thing every day. Though he has lost his job, Sammy has gained knowledge from the experience. Sammy further develops into an adult as he experiences a shift from idealism to realism. When Lengel scolds the girls for being inadequately dressed, Sammy notices how embarrassed the girls become. Sammy, in a romantic idealistic gesture to defend the girls, quits his job quick enough for them to hear, hoping they [will] stop and watch [him], their unsuspected hero (Updike 3). Sammy thinks the girls will be impressed by him quitting his job, and that he would seem heroic for standing up to his boss. However, the girls leave A;P in a hurry, not paying any attention to Sammy, leaving him with his angry manager. Lengel tells Sammy that he will regret the decision he has just made, but Sammy, still idealistic, believes that once you start something you must go through with it. Sammy is overly optimistic as he walks through the doors that separate him from the adult world. When he leaves A;P, he look[s] for [his] girls, but they [are] gone (Updike 4). When Sammy sees that the girls have already left, he recognizes that his attempt to be their hero did not work like he had planned. Sammy is brought to reality as he registers what he has just done, and he fe[els] how hard the world [is] going to [him] hereafter (Updike 4). Sammy, standing outside of A;P now knows that he is alone, jobless and without the pretty girls from the store. However, Sammy has broken out of his idealistic state into a much more realistic one. In AP, Sammy continues to mature as he moves from thinking of himself to thinking of others. The moment the girls walk into the store, Sammy is immediately attracted to them. As they walk through the store he goes into great detail about every aspect of their physical appearances. He describes one of the girls as a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of whiteat the top of the backs of her legs (Updike 1). Sammy becomes sexually aroused at the sight of one of the girls breasts. He only sees the physical aspects of the girls and all for his own personal pleasure. However, as the girls walk away from the meat counter, he sees old McMahon patting his mouth and looking after them sizing up their joints (Updike 2). Sammy is uncomfortable after seeing old McMahon drooling over the three young girls. Sammy comes to the sudden realization that he has been doing the same thing to them as McMahon, and if they knew, they would be extremely uncomfortable too. Sammy beg[ins] to feel sorry for them as they c[an not] help it (Updike 2). He realizes how wrong it is to objectify the girls and begins to notice things other than their bodies. Sammys thought process matures as he begins to see the hierarchy of the girls, naming the leader of the group Queenie, and also starts to see their interactions. Sammy now knows that there is much more to the girls than merely their physical attributes and that it is inappropriate to use the girls to satisfy his own sexual desires. His growing appreciation for the girls advances his transition into adulthood, as he moves from thinking of himself to thinking of others. Sammys transition from an adolescent to an adult is evident in John Updikes AP. Sammy experiences a shift from ignorance to knowledge as he rebels against the societal norms after coming to the realization that he is pursuing an uneventful, ordinary life. He further transitions into an adult as his idealistic mindset is transformed into a realistic one, as he becomes aware of the harsh realities of the adult world after quitting his job. Finally, Sammy demonstrates growth when he begins to think of others rather than himself, after seeing McMahon objectify the girls the same way he has. Sammy matures significantly with the knowledge that his romantic gesture has gone unnoticed and he is now jobless in a world where if you do not conform to the societal norms, life will be very difficult. How will Sammy manage in the adult world?Works CitedUpdike, John. AP. The New Yorker, 24 July 1961, pp. 22.