A Job Not For Me (A&P}
...ng to pay for their items. They had no pursues or pocket books, only there swimsuits. So where is there money? They have him so distracted and nervous, that he rings up an old lady’s crackers twice. The author utilizes the majority of the body of the story to slowly drag out the girls’ traveling up and down all the aisles, distracting the other shoppers, or the sheep as they move against the usual flow of traffic. It is ironic to me that they approach the checkout counter with a mere one item—“Kingfish Fancy Herring Snacks in Pure Sour Cream” for 49 cents (Updike 18). In this time period this snack could portray these girls as uppity, or well off. It leads me to believe that they were enjoying prancing around in their swimsuits, and loving all the attention they were getting. It also seems Queenie was showing the other two girls how to carry themselves, no matter what the circumstance may be. In my opinion, I believe these girls were definitely invoking their rights in doing the right thing. They were showing no respect for the other shoppers in the market. As the girls are checking out, Sammy connects “Queenie’s” voice to a vision of her family wearing suits, bowties, and sipping on martinis at a fancy affair. He compares it to when his family has guests and serves them “lemonade and if it’s a real racy affair, Schlitz…. in tall glasses with cartoons stenciled on” the side (Updike18). Here, Sammy’s realization that the girls are high class and way out of his league makes them even more appealing to him. When the manager approaches and embarrasses the girls, Sammy is embarrassed for them and he truly feels “sorry for them.” I can definitely relate to the feeling of being embarrassed for others, but I find it particularly odd that Sammy actually says that he feels sorry for these three uppity girls. They obviously live a life of luxury—much the opposite of his, and the fact that the manager of this lousy supermarket disrespected them in front of all the other customers isn’t going to ruin their life—probably not even their day. So why should Sammy, just because he felt sorry for these girls quit his job and ruin his day and possibly damage his life? I believe his decision to q...