From Childhood to Adulthood in Updikes AP Essay

From Childhood to Adulthood in Updikes AP Sammy is stuck in that difficult transition between childhood and adulthood. He is a nineteen-year-old cashier at an AP, the protagonist in a story with the same name. John Updike, the author of AP, writes from Sammys point of view, making him not only the main character but also the first person narrator. The tone of the story is set by Sammys attitude, which is nonchalant but frank--he calls things as he sees them. There is a hint of sarcasm in Sammys thoughts, for he tends to make crude references to everything he observes. Updike uses this motif to develop the character of Sammy, as many of these references relate to the idea of play. Sammy is no longer a child, but much of†¦show more content†¦Sammys play continues as he his eyes follow the three girls around the store, and he notes the way that the one he has named Queenie is definitely the leader. She would buzz to the other two, who kind of huddled against her for relief (28). Sammy sees this as a game of follow-the-leader as well as a game of hide-and-seek, because, as Queenie led them, the other two [would] peek around and make their shoulders round (27). Sammy is shallow and sexist in the way he has named these young women according to his first impression of their bodies and behaviors. Patrick W. Shaw notes that Sammy knows what is on each aisle in the store and constantly thinks of what is inside bottles, cans, and jars; but he has no idea what is inside the girls, no sensitivity to their psychology or sexual subtlety. His awareness stops with their sweet cans and ice-cream breasts (322). Sammy further demonstrates his childishness and chauvinism by commenting on the mental abilities of the girls: You never know for sure how girls minds work (do you really think its a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?) (27). This comment ironically lets the reader know more about the way Sammys mind works. Shaw agrees, suggesting that Sammys mind is even less than a bee in a jar (322). Sammy is still absorbed in thinking about the games he played as a cild and maybe even in the present. HeShow MoreRelatedEssay on John Updikes AP865 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Updikes AP Many of the events that take place in John Updikes AP would not have happened had the town lived under a Marxist society. Marxism is a socio-economic ideal where all people work for the good of the community and is characterized by not having any social class distinctions. 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