On “A&P”
1. “A & P” is
often described as a “coming of age” story, in which we watch a boy change
significantly – perhaps not becoming a man, exactly, but making a decision that
has implications beyond the literal and will mature him in various ways.
This decision is influenced, possibly caused by his sense of masculinity and
burgeoning sexuality. Explain how you see these things related: how does
his gender identity/sexuality influence his decision? (Hint: consider
his observations of other men).
Answer: In A &
P, this 19 year old boy watches these three girls wearing only bikinis walk
around the store he works at, he notices the other guys in the store looking at
the women and checking them out as he is. The way he checks out the girl is probably how every guy would. After his manager embarrassed the three girls and told them not to come back in the store without being covered up, the boy decides to quit. He tries to say it loud enough for them to hear but they don't because they are rushing out the door. He wanted to show his masculinity by trying to be their "unsuspected hero". He wanted to show the girls that he is a man standing up for them, which makes him feel like he is a man for standing up to his manager sticking up for the girls.
I didn't think of the story that way but it makes total sense now that I think of the narrator trying to show his masculinity by quitting to stand up for these girls; however, the reader is expected to believe that they don't even hear him when he quits, although that is what he was going for. It makes me wonder if he ever tried to get his job back since it was his dad that got him the job in the first place, which makes me believe that his dad probably lectured him for quitting.
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