numéro trois

I really enjoyed John Updike’s A & P. This wasn’t the first time I had read it, but it was still entertaining, and I was able to pick up on tiny details that I was unaware of in high school. The narrator acted foolishly and in a manner that most would have a hard time with. I don’t think I would have the guts to quit a job in the middle of a shift without thinking about it for weeks. This could have been the case with the narrator, and he was just looking for an opportunity, but he picked a weird one. If I planned on quitting and making a scene, I would simply have done a poor job for a few days, and then when the manager yelled at me, that’s when I would have quit. The narrator really does have an odd way of thinking. He is very impulsive and spontaneous.
The narrator reveals a high level of independence that he takes pride in. Not many his age (high school) would be able to not only stick it to their boss about something they believe in, but stick it too his parents as well, given the relationship the narrator’s family has with Lengal. He knew the consequences of his actions before or immediately afterwards, but he made no attempt to rectify the situation. He didn’t need help from anyone. This narrator thought he could take on the world by himself. The transformation that he goes through is that he becomes a little afraid of himself and his sense of independence. The narrator was expecting something for quitting his job. Whether it be that the girls were there to thank him and ask him to hang out, or Lengal coming out to ask him if he wanted his job back. But all he found was emptiness. He was acting tough, but deep down inside, he was scarred of himself. He knew he made a terrible decision and that it probably would not be the last time something of this nature occurred.