Generation Shift in Updike's Short Story "A & P"
A Literary Look At the Cultural Change From the 1950s to the 1960s
Throughout history, the desirable qualities of a culture have changed and changed again from generation to generation. In John Updike’s 1961 short story “A&P,” 19-year-old convenience store clerk Sammy and the three girls who enter the store he’s working at are used to represent the change from—amongst other things—the rigid conservatism of 1950’s America to the more free-spirited ideology of the 1960s.
The Three Girls
Sammy is at the base-level of change—or perhaps he is fully-formed with no outlet for these “radical” thoughts of his. Regardless, the introduction of the girls serves to show a wholly-developed 1960’s youth in three different ways:
They didn't even have shoes on. There was this chunky one, with the two-piece—it was bright green and the seams on the bra were still sharp and her belly was still pretty pale so I guessed she just got it (the suit)—there was this one, with one of those chubby berry- faces, the lips all bunched together under her nose, this one, and a tall one, with black hair that hadn't quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long—you know, the kind of girl other girls think is very "striking" and "attractive" but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much—and then the third one, that wasn't quite so tall. She was the queen (Fiction 997).
The lack of shoes is yet another fashion statement, but also goes along with a free-thinking spirit. All three girls are without the objects that bind their feet and restrict the sensation of rough or smooth, cool or warm. This is a blatant disregard for the overly-protective nature of life in the 1950s.
Self-representation in the 50s had changed from an intense self-consciousness that would have shrouded the “chunky one” in much more than a two-piece to—in the 60s—made her live comfortably with the fact that others would have thought better of her wearing more. Nothing in the text lays claim to her embarrassment or pride, and to her the new swimsuit is as natural as the overall change in culture itself.
The middle girl represents many of the same qualities as the first girl, but she also is the most traditional of three. Her presence in the story is more of a reflection of the sexual desires of the other two girls as the 60s were one of the first times that sex was talked about in a public way. The fact that the other two girls keep the middle one around merely to do better—or at least not have competition—shows an increase in the sexual prowess of the youth of the day.
The last girl is “the queen.” While the immediate information on her is merely that she is the queen, Updike is using her as the queen of the society in, if nothing else, the minds of Sammy, herself, and the other girls. This terse, first statement about Queenie sets her above not only the other girls, but the entire 60’s counterculture movement. Throughout the story, we get more information on Queenie that relates her to the disregard for public-image and the unrest it has caused with the older generation.
Confrontation Between the Generations
Both confrontations at the end—the girls with the A & P manager Lengel and Sammy with Lengel—are the final breakthroughs in the shift from the old ways to the new ways. Queenie reveals that her mother wanted her to pick up some herring snacks, which makes Sammy’s mind wander into a very 50’s “party” environment where the adults timidly enjoy bland snacks in their archaic environment.
Queenie does this errand for her mother, but she does it her way. When Lengel insists that the girls come into the store “decent,” which is combated with, “‘We are decent,’ Queenie says suddenly, her lower lip pushing, getting sore now that she remembers her place, a place from which the crowd that runs the A & P must look pretty crummy” (Fiction 999). Queenie’s headstrong upholding of the 1960’s ideal is either the push or connection for Sammy, as he proceeds to act in blatant defiance of Lengel by ringing the herring up and sending the girls on their way.
With the final interaction between Sammy and Lengel, we get the message of the story summed up in a short space:
"I don't think you know what you're saying," Lengel said.
"I know you don't," I said. "But I do." I pull the bow at the back of my apron and start shrugging it off my shoulders. A couple customers that had been heading for my slot begin to knock against each other, like scared pigs in a chute.
Lengel sighs and begins to look very patient and old and gray. He's been a friend of my parents for years. (Fiction 1000)
Lengel, the elder, is pegged as not understanding, while Sammy, the youth, is in complete control. The customers knocking into one another shows the ripple-effect destruction such a disposition creates amongst the older generation. Before Sammy leaves the store, we are left with one final image: Lengel, Sammy’s parents, and the rest of that era tired and defeated, their regime of conservative ideals laid to rest.
Though “A & P came in the very early 60s (1961), it shows the beginning of the shift in desirable qualities of a culture. This new generation, as represented through Sammy and the three girls—especially Queenie—are exemplary figures of the change from 1950’s America to the 1960s.
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