John
Updike wrote his 1961 short story, “A&P” in a manner that probably defines
the mindset of the average American man during that time. The women in his
story are written as they are almost a separate entity from Sammy, Stokesie or
anyone else around. The females are in this story characterized by looks, age,
appearance, and usefulness through almost chauvinistic like narrative though
presented in a way in which an open minded reader might not find horribly
offensive.
The woman play the roll of the sheep in this story as someone always
has an eye on them as the mill about till they find their way to the till.
Beyond that every female character is vigorously judged and analyzed through
Sammy, both the attractive and the old. If there is any blemish of sort about
the females Sammy is sure to hue in on it, “You never know for sure how girls'
minds work (do you really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like
a bee in a glass jar?) but you got the idea she had talked the other two into
coming in here with her, and now she was showing them how to do it”(Updike
A&P).
At the end of the story Updike displays the phenomenal control woman
ultimately have over men when Sammy stands to quit. Sammy makes his declaration in front of his workplace with everyone including Mr. Lengel in hopes
of impressing the females, though his attempt dies in vain as the woman walk
away. In this story there are defiantly dominant/submissive women playing roles
of various importance though above all they seem to be the center of attention
for matters of criticism ranging from negative to lustrous, though always
having the essence of not equal.
Due to the time of publication it’s fairly
safe to says that the history of the time impacted the style and tone of this
tale. There were obvious whims of chauvinistic ideals throughout the story
though nothing overly offensive and, given that Updike was rumored to have
misogynist like qualities guides thinking towards the power behind the 1960
feminist movements.
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