A

1
AP

• John Updike
• Presented by Carmen Cannon Kendra Rogers

2
Major Characters

• Sammy the main character narrator. He is a
  cashier at AP.
• Queenie the leader of the group of girls
• Lengel the manager of the store

3
What is the significance of the title?
AP is the setting of the story. Sammy Stokesie
are cashiers there and Lengel is the
manager.works This is also where the three girls
in their bathing suits come in to shop.
How is the story told? Who is the narrator? What
perspective is used? Is the narrator reliable?
A P is told in a Subjective Narrative where the
story is told by one of the characters in the
story. The narrator of the story is Sammy which
you learn his name near the end of the story. The
perspective is from a teenagers view which may
not make it as reliable.
4
Look closely at the opening and ending. On what
does the author and narrator focus?
In the beginning of the story it talks about the
three girls that come into A P with nothing on
but their bathing suits and Sammy describes what
they are wearing and their features of their
bodies. In the ending the manager embarrasses the
girls and Sammy decides to quit his job.
How does the character transform?
Sammy doesnt have a major transformation but he
makes a decision that was out of his character.
5
What is the major theme of the story?

• Think critically about the decisions you make
  before you make them
• In any event that is going on in the world it
  will be hard to get through and you will always
  regret what you do.

Are there any allusions in the story?
There is one historical allusion to the Salem
witchcrafts in the story but it is not of any
importance to the story.
6
Are there any symbols or other figurative
elements?

• The herring snacks symbolize the social status of
  Queenie, according to Sammy. He feels because she
  is buying the fancy snacks that they have to be
  for a fancy party her parents are throwing.
• The beach symbolizes a more relaxed area of the
  city. The people in the town are more uptight and
  are offended that the girls are not dressed
  properly in the store. Back in the beach area it
  is probably more acceptable to wear a bathing
  suit in the grocery store.

What was the authors primary goal for writing
this short story?
The authors purpose was to write a story that
showed how a teenage boy thinks on a first person
narrative.