A&P

John Updike's story, "A&P" is best described as a story about "manly decisiveness" because here is a young man named Sammy who decides to make a life altering decision in the face of what he believes is the right thing to do. He feels that these three girls are mistreated by his manager when they are lightly scolded for not appearing to be dressed in an appropriate manner. There is a strong sense of during the story that Sammy is not content with his job. "The store's pretty empty, it being Thursday afternoon, so there was nothing much to do except lean on the register and wait for the girls to show up again" (pg 222). This is the main remark made to explain how it is slow and dreary most of the time in their small town store. Sammy comes to his decision the moment the girls feel uncomfortable and decide to leave quickly. He feels that he might be seen as some sort of hero in their eyes if sticks up for them (pg 223). This moment was probably the longest few seconds of Sammys life. He felt his opportunity to make a move and get out and he took it. I think most people would have backed down to Lengel and changed their mind. Even though Sammy didn't win the girls hearts, he is shown to be a man of his beliefs.