A&P

"A&P" by John Updike, tells of an important event in the life of Sammy, a nineteen-year-old grocery store checker. One summer day, three girls wearing only their bathing suits, walk into the store looking to purchase herring. Sammy is very intrigued by the girls, especially the one he refers to as "Queenie." The store manager, Lengel, sees that the girls are improperly dressed and instructs them to be more suitably clothed the next time …

… is torn between He feels his middle-class upbringing is inferior to the privileged lifestyle he imagines of "Queenie." Daydreaming about her choice of herring snacks, Sammy imagines that at her family gatherings the women are nicely dressed, picking their herring off a "big glass plate," while they are drinking drinks "the color of water with olives and sprigs of mint," while at his house they drink lemonade and cheap beer out of cartoon cups.