Exploring the Effect of Class Difference on Religious Value Short Story

Exploring the Effect of Class Difference on Religious Values | All the Truths in “A&P” John Updike’s “A&P” is a narrative that follows a young boy and his introduction to a new world—one that he cannot yet enter but strives toward. An unexpected occurrence leads up to a somewhatexplosive chivalrous act, and two possible interpretations lay buried between the lines. One is that the story is a commentary on class privilege, and the other is that it is about religion and its wavering influence amidst changing times. Both interpretations carry substantial evidence, but neither is wrong just as neither is right. There is truth in both statements at the same time, for in this small town, class privilege and the denial of outdated religious values are directly linked. The narrator, Sammy, is an average worker in an average town. He holds a steady position as a cashier in his local A&P along with his older friend, Stokesie, under the supervision of their no-nonsense manager, Lengel. The setting is painted to be a dull, middle-class town riddled with conservative lifestyles and a less-than-exciting way of life. Sammy describes the shop’s visitors as “house-slaves in pin curlers,” and this sentiment carries on to the rest of the citizens. The story begins with the appearance of three young, bikini-clad girls that peruse the store isles. They seem to be putting on a show of strutting around barefoot and in attire that one would never see in this context. Sammy, along with his coworkers and the surrounding shoppers, are taken aback by the sight, but where the shoppers are silently aghast, Sammy is mesmerized. As luck would have it, the girls choose his checkout counter and their leader, Queenie, places a jar of herring snacks between Sammy and herself. Out of the top of her swimsuit, she takes out a bill to pay for the purchase. At this moment, Lengel makes his appearance, coming up to the register and telling the girls that “this isn’t the beach.” Initially, Queenie stands her guard, but as witnesses begin to get invested in the commotion, she and her friends succumb to the embarrassment of being scolded. The story ends with their hasty escape and Sammy’s ill-thought-out attempt to be their knight in shining armour. He tells Lengel that he quits, adamantly maintaining his decision despite knowing the girls failed to hear his display. Lengel tries to give him a chance to reconsider, bringing up Sammy’s parents and the fate of his future, but the young boy’s ideologies regarding gestures are not swayed. He takes off his uniform and emerges outside, standing alone in the Summer heat with nothing but the sinking realization that his life is about to get difficult. Many clues within the narrative’s dialogue and setting suggest either a religious or privilege commentary is at play. The town is depicted as Capitalistic, middle-class, and work-oriented, with banks and churches occupying its center. Citizens care little about the finer things in life, and it is uncertain whether they are truly aware of them. A conservative atmosphere hangs in the air, and it is this subtle theme that makes religious influences apparent throughout. The three girls that cause a scene in the A&P could be representative of sin and moral infractions as observed by Puritan beliefs, as women were tended to be seen as being inherently evil. Their natural seduction (despite being perfectly normal and human in reality) went against Puritan rules, much like the three girls’ outward appearance went against the rules Lengel established for his store. Even the soft, lively colours of the girls’ bikinis were representative of their denial of old religious beliefs, as Puritanism only accepted black to be worn. Their casual demeanor comes from a long day of relaxation and pampering, something taboo for any Puritan, and for this, Lengel exercises his authority with no hesitation. The manager’s strict attitude is brought out by the astonishing level at which the young girls hold themselves at, but its influence may have come from a place besides religious views-- it is possible that Lengel’s display of authority is rooted in the bitterness of being a lower class that them. He had climbed his way to the decidedly average position of store manager after forty gruelling years, yet three young, spoiled women enter the premises, breaking his rules and parading their status. While the girls’ intention may have been to simply attract attention from boys, they inadvertently shed a light on themselves that painted them to be elite to the point of being envied. This idea seems to take shape with one quote from Sammy when he sees Queenie push back against Lengel: “…her lower lip pushing, getting sore now that she remembers her place, a place from which the crowd that runs the A&P must look pretty crummy.” She knows her place, that it hovers above Lengel and the other customers, and that one day, when she is as grown as her parents, she will be able to fully exercise her status. For now, though, she lets herself and her friends be humbled by the manager’s words. But that is all a psychological view of the characters and their intentions; what matters is the context the author held in mind and how these subliminal messages blend into one intricate idea. Because they are of a higher, more carefree class, the girls care little about religion. In this small, working-class town that is hanging onto Protestant values, they choose to be unbothered about labour and body decency— they are used to carefree outings and fancy snacks. The Protestant idea of misery and subsequent reward is lost on them because they are far too inspired by the taste of immediate reward. They have learned that old values have no place in the exciting and ever-evolving world they are headed for, and they have become aware that dreary lives are not worth living for the sake of an afterlife that, although promised, may not be achieved. The middle-class citizens of the town cannot afford this mindset, both physically and mentally. They must continue working hard, earning a steady living and not allowing themselves to be distracted by beaches and Summer parties in the backyard. Hence, to make this fact of life slightly more bearable, they let the idea of Protestant ethic linger in the back of their heads and trickle along the streets of the town. The threads woven by this occurrence are what tie class difference and religious value, showing that not only could both interpretations of this piece be correct, but directly correlated.