A&P

I think that this story is lined with feminine protest. When I noticed that the story was written in 1961 I began to notice that this was a time of great rebellion for women. They were beginning to fight for more rights and burn bras and speak out for themselves. It was the opposite of conforming for some women. They were changing the way they lived and they were creating a new generation of women. I think these teen girls were part of this new generation. They lived how they wanted and wore and did things that demonstrated this. Although Lengel thought that the girls were not dressed appropriately, they most likely believed that they were as the one girl pointed out, "we are decent," Queenie said (Updike, 223).This was something that men and women were still getting used to in the 60s. I think the main reason why Sammy quit his job was to ultimately impress these girls that had caught his eye. He was probably unhappy with his job and this was a way to quit with what he saw as a good excuse. I think Sammy's epiphany was shortlived. He realized when he walked out to find the girls gone that he had just quit and had nothing to show for it. I think he instantly regretted his decision.