A&P

"A&P" by John Updike

Understanding:

A young clerk makes a stand for what he thinks is right, but is met by disappointment from his efforts.

There is not quite a moral, or underlying message, I would find it I guess, an everyday teen's kind of life (grocery, being male he's interested in the barely clothed girls that shopped nearby).

I found it an alright piece because it's a tad different from most short stories because it doesn't quite have a theme/underlying message. In those five pages of text, I had read about a store-cashier and his attracted interest to some bathing-suit clad girls, quitting after standing up for them and then met by disappointment when he tries to join them and reap any potential rewards.

Really boring
No exciting climax
Weak pot
A bit modern (<= what does this mean) Well we can relate to it better now It's relatable to. (somewhat)
We can relate to: the character's age, setting (going to the supermarket)

Long sentences are long to follow
Odd words/word forms

Impulse

Impulsiveness of youth

Lol: Homer Simpson "Do"
Sammy is horny and quit his job
- because he's 19
- he has a lame job
- he's bored
- Sexist => At some point he's going "do girls even have a mind?" <= pretty horrific, and makes character unforgivable
^ Well, he's got all that time to study the girls, apparently bored
- He drones on about the items in the supermarket

Story: What's the consequence of a bored, horny 19 year old boy?

Horny, bored = Narration

When analyzing text, don't try to guess what the writer means, don't spend your time finding the symbol, what's the message. That does not work. Most teachers tell you to do that. What you want to do, is think "What do I think or feel when I read this and what in the story made me think or feel that?"
2 steps
- What I think and feel
- What in the story makes me think and feel in this way

Very often, we'll think "I'm bored"
- A good part of the reason we're bored, has not to do with the story, it's up to you.
You're not even reading when you feel like this. Eyes go across page, and done you don't get it.

Reading is an active process, a lot of us read or watch t.v. passively