The short story titled “A & P” by John Updike can be broken down into a number of components which include; characters, setting, and the plot. However, the most important aspect to look at when analyzing a story is the theme. It is necessary to understand the theme of a story so that one can comprehend the moral that the author is trying to express.
Updike paints a picture for the reader throughout the story to make the reader feel as if they were there. The story consists of a young man, Sammy, working in a small town’s grocery store on