Fiction Analysis: Literary Element That You Would Like To Explore

Fiction Analysis
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Fiction Analysis
At times we experience things that seem to be different from what we expected. Being a teenager, the excitement of having a first job seems to be fascinating. However, it reaches a point in life when we see things from a different perspective, especially after an encounter; this becomes the definitive moment in our lives. John Updike's short story A & P talks about a definitive moment of his main character, Sammy.
Updike makes use of character as one of the literary devices in the story to depict the frustrations of a young man as he explores his place in society. Using the main character Sammy, readers come to know him as the 19 year old boy of the early 1960s and his definitive moment that pushed him to quit his job.
Sammy is a typical nineteen year old in his observations when he sees the girls enter the store. Sammy talks to the reader with a dull first-person observation to set the tone of the story (Updike, 2012). The story begins with Sammy attention being diverted when he spots three young teenage girls wearing bathing suits enter the store (Updike, 2012).
In the story, Updike describes Sammy's youth to show his immaturity and his noticeable boyish nature. Sammy is a typical teenager employed at local stores who feel excited about his job, until the three girls walked into the store (Updike, 2012). These girls transform his view about everything, including his fantasies.
In the opening paragraphs of the story when Sammy says "In walks three girls in nothing but bathing suits" (Updike, 2012). Most parts of the story present Sammy thoughts including his fantasies, observation and his desires. All these elements are provoked by the three girls whose dressing becomes the center of attraction (Updike, 2012). For example, he says, "and a sweet broad looking can [rear] with those two crescents of white under it, where the sun never seems to hit" (Updike, 2012).
Sammy is more of a typical young teenager who gets easily be distracted from his duty. When the three young girls enter the store, he is fascinated by their looks and dressing. He watched their movement throughout the store describing each of them in detail to show his overwhelming sexual responsiveness (Updike, 2012).
Sammy immaturity is further examined when he comments on the first girl "she was a chunky Kid with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents of white just under it"(Updike, 2012). Like many young boys of his age, Sammy analyzes these girls with some keenness. Sammy's keenly is evident when he describes the girls presenting every detail ranging from their physical appearance to the body texture and the pattern of bathing suits they are putting on, to show his boyish nature (Updike, 2012).
In the story, Sammy is not only portrayed as someone immature, but keen, the author further describes him as an opinionated individual. His comments reveal his biased ...