All things are not as they first appear to be. That sentence thematically summarizes the story A&P, by John Updike. This short story tells of a turning point in the young life of 19 year old Sammy. Superficially it?s a tale of a small town boy quitting his job for all the wrong reasons. In depth, it?s much more significant than that. The story immediately begins with a description of the three girls …showed first 75 words of 577 total…

…showed last 75 words of 577 total…A&P by depicting a very transitional situation in life. There is a point similar to Sammy?s in everyone's life. It is the point where your life where you chose your own path. The fear of the unknown versus the comforting monotony was a battle Sammy had to fight internally to find his path in life. To him, even the fear was a more welcome companion than the hellish boredom of a small town.