Character Development in A&P

Emily Hughes

November 25, 2014

In his story A&P, John Updike condenses an entire adolescence of character development into a single very short and direct scene.  Unlike War and A Worn Path, in which conflict is driven by the setting, A&P uses differences in characterization to fuel the conflict and character development.  It is the childish rebellion of Queenie and her friends that drives Sammy's character to leave the A&P.  Sammy romanticizes their choice to shop in only bathing suits, mistaking their juvenile pride for a better reality.  The setting allows Sammy's attraction to these girls to escalate, allowing a climax of conflict when Sammy finally decides to quit his job.

While Sammy's sudden action does demonstrate character development, his departure from the A&P actually fits well within our perception of him as a character.  I think this is how Updike creates such a strong sense of familiarity within this bizarre scene.  Sammy's decision is certainly surprising, but, for me, this surprise arises more because of the inconsistency presented between Sammy's narration and his actions.  We are drawn to trust the narrator, but he gives us no suggestion that he might consider quitting his job.

However, the decision itself makes sense if we reflect on the carefully constructed depiction of Sammy.  There is something brash and immature about his departure that feels very consistent with Updike's characterization throughout A&P.  We receive this characterization almost immediately, when Sammy describes the old woman at the cash register as the girls first walk in.  Sammy's reaction to this woman's distress shows that he does not like conflict.  However, he is comfortable enough with his settings to rebel in his own thoughts, calling the customer a "witch" who would have been "burned over in Salem" had she been born much earlier.  We begin to feel that Sammy is dissatisfied with his work, but also that he can be easily influenced by his environment, a sort of growing frustration associated with adolescence.  When he at last decides to leave the A&P, we are surprised but certainly not shocked into disbelief.  Sammy's decision to leave the A&P is consistent with Updike's characterization, making this story authentic and believable.

"A&P"- John Updike

I liked “A&P” for John Updike’s use of description. This story is incredibly realistic. I could picture it perfectly. I’m not sure what to make of this story. On the one hand, I dislike Queenie because she’s the stereotypical popular girl, but on there other hand, I feel bad for her because she’s being objectified. I think in the end, though, I actually feel bad for Sammy because he quits because of Queenie. I think she was the catalyst for him quitting, but I feel like she was playing him. I really don’t know how to interpret this story. The way Updike uses description creates a complete picture. He uses unique phrasing that made me burrow further into the story. For example, on pg. 1495, when Sammy describes sliding down her voice into her living room. It’s such an unusual way to describe a voice, but it works so well. I think that’s why Updike’s writing is so great; he was able to use description in a way that’s so unique.

Kew Gardens by Virginia Woolf

When I was younger, there was a particular tree at the park near my house that I would climb whenever I was scared or worried or stressed about things. From up in the branches of that willow tree, I could look over the pond below and enjoy some nature without really having to think about what was bothering me. The only downside, however, was people not expecting someone to be concealed behind the dangling limbs. I would hear the strangest snapshots of conversations from this vantage point, always wondering whether I should try to leave to give them privacy and thus most likely startle and alarm them, or if I should just stay put and let them remain ignorant of my imposition. Most often, I'll be honest, I stayed in the tree. It was always very interesting trying to piece together the context and meaning of the words I heard, to build a mental world around these characters I knew nothing about.

In many ways, this piece is very similar to my experiences in the tree, which is most likely one of the reasons I found it so enjoyable. While the focus is often on the snapshots of these groups passing by these particular flowers and the questing snail, the setting remains the center of the scene while the characters shift around it, the opposite of what is seen inmost stories. The reader is left to try to tease as much as they can from the dialogue they are given before the focus switches to the next subjects passing by. While the dialogue is often very specific, using specific names and experiences of the characters, it still leaves room for speculation and interpretation, leaving a great deal up to the imagination. Through its irregular and somewhat experimental style, it is able to capture the feeling of the variety of people in this garden, all with their own hopes and dreams and experiences, without having to go into great detail on anyone. In short, it is a fantastic example of the "show, don't tell" rule of writing that we all strive to accomplish in this course.

The Use of Force

I thought The Use of Force was a rather eerie piece. A part of the dark atmosphere, besides the topic of disease, is  how Williams use of no quotation marks in the dialogue makes the point of view of the doctor seem much more real, almost like a sort of stream of consciousness style of prose. It also makes it feel like the parents and their daughter are merely tokens in the doctor's eyes, a "Just another job" type of attitude. Williams' structure in this short story also ties in to the plot arc idea we touched on in our last class. He invents the setting in the beginning, followed by the conflict (sick daughter), the rising action (her struggle), and the climax (the doctor being forceful). His gradual escalation of the parents and doctor growing impatient was perfectly executed in my opinion. I thought Williams did a really great job of painting a portrait of the setting. The only thing I would critique is that the daughter's age is rather ambiguous, and I can't tell whether or not she's not talking because of her ailment, her age, or just her overall disregard for the doctor. Williams almost makes the daughter character seem feral to some extent, or at least that's how I read it. I think this story is a great mold that we can look on in terms of crafting a setting (the house), and how it's better to show, not tell, and to have characters move and have action, as opposed to just merely stating what's happening. The gradual rise to frustration with the daughter can also be looked at for writers  as a means of giving a conflict substance, and developing on that conflict to reach a climax.

War and the Five Stages

In reading this I was very pleased to notice how Pirandello handled the parents' discussion of their marked for death offspring. Rather than making it a large pity party as someone who might not have experienced or witnessed such a loss might, they created the argumentation that so often comes with grief, when you try to frame it in a way that is manageable. These parents do so by competing in a small war of their own over who's pain is worse off. What I find most interesting is that they begin bargaining.

Upon noticing this I went back and found that this short story's timeline follows the five stages of grief. It does not by any means bring one character full-circle, but brings the audience through the whole process by way of specific individuals.

We are first met with the mourning mother, who is ensconced within herself and does not speak, she is wrestling with the concept that her son is being sent off to war, and though she may not explicitly be denying this reality, her mannerisms are much of someone who has not yet accepted reality.

Next we are met with the other passengers as they yell at her husband for his tale of woe. They are anger. They flare up at him because he threatens the validity of their own loss, and soon this anger morphs into bargaining, as they discuss what is worse, to lose one son to war and have another, to lose and only son, or to lose all sons.

As the carriage comes to a consensus that all loss is awful they grown grim, a small moment in which we find depression. But this is cut short by the passenger who argues that none should cry. That the best way to die is in war, that he is proud of his son. This man represents acceptance.

However, the story is not as clear cut as this, as all the characters hold multiple facets. In the end the man who seems to accept his son's death, is seen growing closer and closer to tears, implying that he is in denial and only telling himself he has accepted things. In fact, when asked in outright terms if his son is dead, he bursts into tears as he truly realizes that his son is gone.

Setting and Language in Luigi Pirandello's "War"

Emily Hughes

November 18, 2014

In this short, emotionally condensed scene, Luigi Pirandello creates a painfully real illustration of war and its difficult impact on multiple generations.  Pirandello's writing style in "War" reminded me a lot of the extreme minimalistic syntax approach used by writers like Hemmingway and Marquez.  This straightforward, simple language allows the tension and conflict of this scene to be shown primarily through dialogue.

Furthermore, the use of such an enclosed setting helps the conflict escalate quickly and in a way that may not have occurred in other circumstances.  Luigi Pirandello places several very different characters into a confined and uncomfortable space.  Beginning with the husband's first speech -- "he felt it his duty to explain" -- conflict is ignited.  This conflict escalates through the story's conversation, exposing the range of emotional tensions that can surface within such an oppressive setting.

War- Pirandello

Reading this short story, setting is not the first thing that strikes me. We know they are in a carriage but that is all. I really enjoyed the dialogue between the characters. There was a clear rise in conflict when the fat travelers (the one who starts by saying "nonsense") begins to speak about his dead son. Along with the rise in conflict there is a sense of character development. All of the characters are each putting in their opinion based on how many sons they have, to see who has the right to be the most distraught. The woman seems to develop after the fat man ends his speech and she asks him if his son is really dead. It seems that the woman realizes that the fat man is speaking of his son as a duty to the country and just how satisfied his son was, which made him satisfied. But it seemed he never really thought of his son's death through the eyes of a father and that's what the woman brings out of him.