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Background
John Updike’s short story A&P is an example of modernism, a literary movement characterized by experimental writing techniques. The main character and narrator, Sammy, tries to act in a heroic way but realizes that such actions are not appreciated in the contemporary world. This paper aims to analyze the elements of modernism in John Updike’s A&P and provide three examples of the characteristics of the modernist literary movement using evidence from primary and secondary sources.
Stream of Consciousness
The first characteristic of the modernist literary movement found in Updike’s A&P is the method called stream of consciousness. According to Lu, this technique is “one of the stylistic hallmarks in his various works, such as “A&P,” Rabbit, Run, among numerous others” (26). From the very beginning of Updike’s short story, the reader is immersed in the flow of Sammy’s thoughts and impressions: “In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits. I’m in the third check-out slot, with my back to the door, so I don’t see them until they’re over by the bread” (163). As Sammy stands at his cash register, he watches customers and thinks of their unattractive appearance and animal-like features. In a slow and detailed tone, he describes his experiences at the grocery store. Based on Sammy’s stream of consciousness, it can be seen how the boy is unhappy with his job.
Epiphany
Epiphany or self-realization is the second characteristic of the modernism literary movement that can be seen in Updike’s A&P. In literature, epiphany means a moment when a character comes to a sudden realization changing their whole view of the world. Sammy is outraged by his manager’s remarks on the girls’ outfits. In a sudden protest, he quits his job without thinking about consequences, only to realize that the girls took no notice of his heroic action. Updike describes Sammy’s moment of epiphany in the following way: “My stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter” (168). As stated by Wells, Sammy realizes “that romantic gestures — in fact, that the whole chivalric world view — are, in modern times, counterproductive” (134). At this moment, the boy becomes aware of his mistake to confront his boss and is left to think about what he should do in such an unfair reality.
Materialism and Consumerism
Finally, consumerism is the third characteristic of the modernist literary movement in Updike’s A&P. This short story takes place in a grocery store, and Sammy reflects on the materialistic behaviors of the shoppers and criticizes them. According to Bezdoode and Bezdoode, “the plot revolves around the main character’s fruitless attempt to challenge the values of the consumerist society” (77). Updike depicts Sammy as a young boy unsatisfied with his job environment and the consumerism-driven city with “two banks and the Congregational church and the newspaper store and three real-estate offices” (164). All these institutions promote materialistic values, and Sammy’s criticism is evident.
Analysis
Based on the characteristics of Updike’s A&P discussed above, it can be seen that this short story fits well into the modernist literary movement. It uses the main themes and methods typical for modernist literature, such as stream of consciousness, epiphany, and consumerism. Throughout the story, Updike captures the reader’s attention with intriguing techniques and themes, using satire, irony, and comparisons. Therefore, his work is an example of the modernism movement in literature.
References
Bezdoode, Zakarya, and Eshaq Bezdoode. “Heroism in the Age of Consumerism: The Emergence of a Moral Don Quixote in John Updike’s “A & P”.” Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, vol. 23, no. 2, 2020, pp. 75-85. Khazar University Institutional Repository. Web.
Lu, Wei-lun. “Translating, Rendering and Re-constructing Updike’s Stream of Consciousness: The Case of A&P’s Translations into Mandarin.” The Fifth Biennial John Updike Society Conference, Svelto, 2018, 26-27. University of Belgrade, Faculty of Philology. Web.
Updike, John. “A&P.” The Norton Introduction to Literature, edited by Kelly J. Mays, W.W. Norton & Company, 2015, pp. 163-168.
Wells, Walter. “John Updike’s “A&P”: A return visit to Araby.” Studies in short fiction, vol. 30, no. 2, 1993, pp. 127-134. Gale. Web.
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