I need help writing a response paper to a short story called A&P?

Question

I have to write a brief response paper on the short story A&P and I’m not sure how to start it and it’s due Thursday please help!

Answer 1

Hi Vincent,

     In just a few pages Updike seems to encompass many of the conflicts of his generation. His writings focus on the years during the early sixties that gave birth to changing the world, lending it’s young voice to the VietNam War and the Civil Rights Movement. In “A and P,” a nineteen year old grocery worker expresses his surprise at three young girls who have broken the rules of acceptable behavior by sauntering into his store wearing nothing but bathing suits “in the middle of town,” and also the negative feelings he has toward the store manager’s shaming the girls by telling them that they need to “cover their shoulders” when they are in the store.  

      Updike, in great detail, allows his audience to see stark contrasts between old and young, notions of acceptable behavior. The store manager is described as, “an old and gray” man who embarasses the girls by telling them their dress is unacceptable. Critics have described Updike as a “diagnostician of the human condition.” ” “A and P” clearly illustrates this closeness to the mores of the 60’s middle-class America and of its conflicts.

Best,

Laura B.

Answer 2

Hi Vincent,

I am able to help you write your brief response paper to the short story titled A&P that is due this Thursday.

Feel free to check out my WyzAnt online tutor profile right here at the network to learn more about my professional background and qualifications, including testimonials from students of mine from over the years.

And leave me a message below for us to set up an online appointment.

Thanks Vincent!

Best,

Peter

Answer 3

I don't think either of the previous two responders has got to heart of the story. "A&P" is one of the greatest stories ever written. A&P is about a boy who behaves impulsively and learns a lesson the hard way. When Sammy quits in childish impulse, Lengel sighs and looks at him and implores him not to do it, that his parents will be upset. Sammy knows this is true, but goes through with the action anyway. The key to the story lies in the second half of the final sentence: "...and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter."