A&P

Females in the sixties were much less involved in society than the males. Although I believe they had a huge underlying influence. In the sixties (1961) which is when this story takes place women for the most part were caretakers of the home and the children. John Updike’s male view portrayed by Sammy a nineteen year old cashier in a local grocery store, was very typical for that time. Although I think the same scenario would take place today. Three scantly clad girls come into the grocery store and two young male cashiers ogle them. The difference from then and now is the fact that it wasn’t as acceptable in the sixties for young women to wear bathing suits anywhere else other than the local swimming pools or to the beach and certainly not in a family grocery store. But the part about the young men ogling them and imaging what they are like could easily have happened today. The manager of the store Lengel was a typical male for that time, he stood for tradition, decency, and store policy. Although he may have had a few thoughts of his own, that he had some conflict about. He takes a stand on the situation by confronting the girls on how they are dressed and demands that in the future, they come in here with their shoulders covered.

Two points in this short story in which the wielding of power switches traditional roles. When the girls mainly Queenie stands up to an older male authority figure, Lengel, which I’m sure was almost unheard of for that time, and when a young teenager Sammy stands up to his boss who just happens to be a friend of the family. Even though Queenie stood up to Lengel saying “We are decent” after his statement “We want you decently dressed when you come in here” she regretted her remark and realized she had crossed the line and then again remembered her place. Sammy also questions his choice of taking a stand against his boss. Quitting his job suddenly because of his boss’s rudeness to the girls may have been a bit hasty and this caused him to contemplate his future.

Updike portrayed typical male and female roles for that time period, with a few exceptions. I think that was his way of making a more interesting story by standing up to society’s norms of the sixties.