When the poet begins to speak of what he remembers, he uses vivid colors to describe his surroundings and also his stage in life. He is a typical Malamud character. Sammy was intrigued by watching and analyzing the behaviors of these girls; as was another clerk, Stokesie. Although Stokesie is only a few years older than Sammy, he is already married and has two children. The leader of the trio, who has her bathing suit straps down, catches his eye. Updike continued to explore the issues that confront middle-class America, such as , , and responsibility.
It is a story set during the Depression. We ultimately get the feeling that society has expectations of us, but not everyone will meet these expectations. He talks about Stokesie, a co-worker who hopes to become a manager one day, and Lengel, who he describes as hiding in the office all day. He is ignored by the wealthy girls and ends up without a job in the end. The successful marriage of Kino and his wife, Juana provided them a son, Coyotito. We watch Sammy change from a teen who does what is expected of him to one who goes against authority and realizes that he is alone. Lengel chastises the girls for entering the store in bathing suits, citing store policy.
They keep right on going, into the electric eye; the door flies open and they flicker across the lot to their car, Queenie and Plaid and Big Tall Goony-Goony not that as raw material she was so bad , leaving me with Lengel and a kink in his eyebrow. He didn't like my smiling -- -as I say he doesn't miss much -- but he concentrates on giving the girls that sad Sunday- school-superintendent stare. 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. As I say, we're right in the middle of town, and if you stand at our front doors you can see two banks and the Congregational church and the newspaper store and three real-estate offices and about twenty-seven old free-loaders tearing up Central Street because the sewer broke again. This caught Sammy's attention because the nearest beach is five miles away and he could… 1355 Words 6 Pages Winners Sometimes Quit Try and remember what it was like to be a teenager. The girls probably hear him, but they don't turn around.
The bow tie is theirs, if you've ever wondered. The girls are an example to Sammy of nonconformity. There is also some other symbolism in the story which may be important. There is a sense that Sammy wishes to change his life. We also learn that appearance and what people define as decent can be different, and social class doesn't have to be unchanging. From the minute they enter the store, they are working against the rest. The setting of the story may also be symbolic as by setting the story in a supermarket Updike may be placing a spot light on society itself, suggesting that society in general is driven by consumerism.
Through each work, Updike counters innocence with knowledge and rebellion against submission. In the story, Sammy encounters three girls who come to the store in their bathing suits. He has many more stepping stones to take in life and he will continue to learn from each one. Quitting has been rooted in his mind for a long time. Sammy does not want to stay at the grocery store and work his way to manager. How do people react to these girls? Sammy finishes checking out the girls and then tells Lengel that he is quitting. His grand gesture of sympathy for the girls—his quitting—goes unnoticed, and his motivations are muddled and confused.
John Updike died Tuesday, January 27th 2009 at age 76. He seems to enjoy working at the place where his parents got him the job and finds himself. The jar went heavy in my hand. This may be important as it is possible that Updike is suggesting or highlighting to the reader the desire that Sammy has to live a life beyond what he already knows and which he does not accept. The Pearl, which was written by John Steinbeck, took place in La Paz, Mexico.
In 1954, he sold his first story to The New Yorker. Due Considerations 2007 collects commentary spanning art, sexuality, and. Also Sammy tells the reader that he cannot understand why people other shoppers need to buy so many cans of pineapple juice. Really, I thought that was so cute. I look around for my girls, but they're gone, of course.
Once the woman was gone Sammy went on to describe the other girls. So he followed through, turned over his apron, and walked out. He seems to enjoy working at the place where his parents got him the job and finds himself very intrigued by analyzing the people who walk into his work. Sammy has unknowingly placed himself into a situation that many small town adolescents often fall victim to. When the girls enter the store, however, Sammy wonders what on earth they're thinking.
Sammy hopes the girls are watching him. Frank is real and memorable. Finally, there is the theme of society and class. He comments on her regal and tantalizing appearance. However, Sammy also identifies with Stokesie in some ways and sees him as a cautionary example of how he himself might end up.