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1、ON SAMMYS PSYCHOLOGICAL PILGIM IN A & PA&P中萨米的心路历程ContentsAbstract3摘要31. Introduction42. The Main Characteristics of Initiation Stories53. Three Phases of Sammys Growth73.1. Sammys Immature Behavior and Psychology73.2. The Change of Sammys Psychology103.3. Sammys Growth and Believes124. Conclusion14
2、Bibliography15AbstractA&P is a famous and dapper short story, with simple words, unique point of view and skillful writing technique, the story vividly depict all the changes of Sammys psychological activities. It develops along the clue of Sammys psychological pilgrim. The story shows the process o
3、f Sammys growth and maturity. In the story three girls wearing bathing suits come into a supermarket and this brings different reactions to the other customers and the clash between Sammy, the clerk and narrator, and Lengel, the manager. The story can be considered as an initiation story. The protag
4、onist was gaining experience and being mature. According to the story, this article will analyze the detailed changes in Sammys psychology clearly and gradually. Finally it opens out the meaning of the story and writers motive.Key words: initiation story, psychology activities, change, A&P摘 要 约翰厄普代克
5、的著名短篇小说A&P短小精悍。通过运用通俗的语言以及独特的叙述视角和写作手法，小说始终围绕萨米的心路历程为发展主线，生动刻画了萨米的种种心理活动变化。说明了主人公不断成长、成熟的过程。在小说中，三个穿泳衣的女孩进入商店，使里面其他的顾客产生不同的反应，并使主人公萨米和经理伦吉尔发生了冲突。这篇小说同时也是一部成长小说，主人公从不断获得经验中逐渐成长。本文根据小说的内容，有条理、逐步深入地分析了萨米的种种细小的心理变化，最后揭示了文章的内涵和作者的写作目的。关键词: 成长小说；心理活动；变化；A&PON SAMMYS PSYCHOLOGICALPILGRIM IN A&P1. Introduct
6、ionA&P is a short story which issues great enjoyment to readers of all ages. Updike writes the story from a viewpoint of a younger, more contemporary person. Even though it does not his best short story, the story holds its own merit by its uninvolved nature and its simplicity.The story A&P takes pl
7、ace in 1961, in a small New England towns A&P grocery store. Sammy, the narrator, is introduced as a grocery checker and an observer of the stores patrons. He finds himself fascinated by a particular group of girls. Just in from the beach and still in their bathing suits, they are a stark contrast,
8、to the otherwise plain store interior. Sammy uses the word “sheep” to describe the store regulars, as they seem to follow one and other, in their actions and reactions. The girls, however, appear to be unique in all aspects of their being: walking, down the isles, against the grain, going barefoot a
9、nd in swim suits, amongst the properly attired clientele. They are different and this is what catches and holds Sammys attention. He sees them in such detail, that he can even see the queen of the bunch. Sammy observes their movements and gestures, until the time they check out. At which point, they
10、 are confronted by the store manager and chastised for their unacceptable appearance. He believes their attire to be indecent. Sammy, feeling that the managerial display was unnecessary and unduly embarrassing for the girls, decides to quit his position as checker. Though he knows that his decision
11、may be hasty, he knows that he has to follow through and he can never go back. He leaves, with a clean consciousness, but the burden of not knowing what the future has in store. Sammy is a round character, as we know him intimately through the details of his observations and thoughts and the unpredi
12、ctability of his actions. Sammy does not tell us anything about himself except his age. Perhaps Updike considered it was important we understand that Sammy is at the point of life where decisions are made that affect the rest of our life.The whole novel uses Sammys psychological pilgrim as the clue.
13、 And the description of girls appearance and Sammys psychological activities are very detailed. The author of the story, John Updike, was born in Shillingto, Pennsylvania. His father taught algebra in a local high school, and his mother was a writer. She gave him the idea that being a painter or wri
14、ter would lead him to a happy life, so he launched himself as a cartoonist for the Harvard Lampoon during his college years. After getting straight As in high school, he went to Harvard University on a full scholarship, studying English and graduating in 1954. He spent a year at Oxford on a fellowsh
15、ip, and then joined the staff of The New Yorker. In 1959 Updike published both his first book of short fiction, The Same Door, and his first novel, The Poorhouse Fair. That year he also moved from New York City to a coastal town in Massachusetts, where has lived most of the time since.In the 1960s,
16、1970s, and early 1980s, Updike continued to alternate novels and collections of stories, adding occasional volumes of verse, collections of essays, and one play. His novels include Rabbit, Run (1960), Couples (1968), Rabbit Redux (1971), and Marry Me (1976), Rabbit Is Rich (1981), continuing the sto
17、ry of Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom, a suburban Pennsylvanian whom Updike has traced though adolescence, marriage, fatherhood, and middle age, won virtually every major American literary award for the year it appeared; Updike conclude the series with Rabbit at Rest (1991). Updikes collections of stories i
18、nclude Pigeon Feathers (1972), Museums and Women (1972), and Problems and Other Stories (1981). In 1983 Updike won the National Book Critics Circle Award for his collection of essays and criticism Hugging the shore. In 1989 he published his memoirs, Self-Consciousness. Other recent books are The Aft
19、erlife and Other Stories (1994) and Toward the End of Time (1997). 2. The Main Characteristics of Initiation StoriesThe story A&P is supposed as an initiation story in the literary theory. So what is a “story of initiation”? In general, one can say that there is no single precise and universally app
20、licable definition of stories of initiation in literary theory. This is mainly due to the fact that many theorists (as well as fiction authors) made statements about the character of the initiation-story only as a kind of by-product while analyzing specific examples of the genre. “Initiation” in lit
21、erature focuses in different aspects of the passage from childhood or adolescence to adulthood than the anthropologic term denoting mainly rituals of primitive societies. In general, four aspects of initiation can be found in literature. This chapter will give a brief overview about these characteri
22、stics.First of all, initiation as a process in literary descriptions denotes the disillusioning process of the discovery of the existence of evil, which is depicted as a confrontation of the innocent protagonist and often has the notion of a shocking experience. This confrontation usually includes a
23、 progress in the protagonists character or marks a step towards self-understanding. Thus, the first type describes an episode which leads the protagonist to gaining insight and gaining in experience, in which this experience is generally regarded as an important stage towards maturity.The second gro
24、up differs from the first in focusing on the initiatory experience. This includes the loss of original innocence concerning the protagonist. Furthermore, this approach generally stresses the aspect of duality in the initiation process, which is the aspect of loss of innocence as a hurtful but necess
25、ary experience as well as the aspect of profit in gaining identity.In contrast to the approaches presented above, which focus on the individuals experience and their consequences, the third one emphasizes the sociologic aspect of initiation. This means, that by an initiatory experience (during which
26、 rules, duties and manners of behavior are learned) the protagonist is enabled to become a full member of an existing society.The fourth aspect centers on the story of initiation as describing the process of self-discovery and self-realization, which basically means the process of individuation.All
27、of these four characteristics are shown in the story A&P. The process of Sammys maturing follows the steps above. And, the aspect of movement plays an important role in the story. Often, the inner process of intiation, the gaining of experience and insight, is depicted as a physical movement, a jour
28、ney. This symbolic trip of the protagonist additionally supports the three-part structure, which is usually found in intiation stories.The three-part structure of intiation can shortly be described as the three stages of innocence experience maturity. The following chapter will analyze the three pha
29、ses in story A&P.3. Three Phases of Sammys GrowthThis story illuminates a growth of Sammy. Though it takes place over the period of a few minutes, it shows a much large process of maturation. From the time the girls enter the grocery store, to the moment they leave, you can see changes in Sammy. And
30、 through his thoughts, readers can observe him turning into a matured man. The process can be divided into three steps. Each step also includes many aspects to represent Sammys change. Through the characterization of Sammy, Updike employs a simple heroic gesture to teach us that actions have consequ
31、ences and we are responsible for our own actions.3.1. Sammys Immature Behavior and PsychologyAt the beginning of the story, Sammy is a nineteen years old boy and has no real grasp for the fact that he is about to be living on his own working. He works as a casher in the third checkout slot of A&P. O
32、ne day, three girls come. When they are over by the bread, they soon catch Sammys attention. He immediately sizes the girls up:The one that caught my eye first was the one in the plaid green two-piece. She was a chunky kid, with a good tan and a sweet broad soft-looking can with those two crescents
33、of white just under it, where the sun never seems to hit, at the top of the backs of her legs. (John Updike 1961：22)The result for doing this is he doesnt remember whether he rings the HiHo crackers up or not. Updike soon gives us a feeling that Sammy seems younger than he actually is, who is ninete
34、en. Because of his mistake, the customer complains. Then Sammy thinks of the lady as a “cash-register-watcher”, “witch”, and “it made her day to trip me up” (John Updike 1961：22). He never considered that it is his fault. This also illustrates his immaturity. Only the children would think like this
35、and dont take the responsibility.Sammy continues to stare at the girls. This time he sees more clearly:There was this chunky one, with the two-piece-it was bright green and the seams on the bra were still sharp and her belly was still pretty pale so I guessed she just got it ( the suit ) -there was
36、this one, with one of those chubby berry-faces, the lips all bunched together under her nose, this one, and a tall one, with black hair that hadnt quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long-you know, the kind of girls think is very “strik
37、ing” and “attractive” but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much. (John Updike 1961：22)He mentions the third girl as queen. He calls her queen because she seems to be the leader. Sammy expresses what his idol is:She didnt look around, not this queen; she jus
38、t walked straight on slowly, on these long white primadonna legs. She came down a little hard on her heels, as if she didnt walk in bare feet that much, putting down her heels and then letting the weight move along to her toes as if she was testing the floor with every step, putting a little deliber
39、ate extra action into it. (John Updike 1961：22)In this paragraph, the depiction is more particular; Sammy even noticed the “seams on the bra” (John Updike 1961：22). These descriptions reinforce the idea of his immaturity. He is obviously very distracted and most likely he is simple staring at the gi
40、rls, instead of doing his job. John Updike gives the reader an inside look into the adolescent mind of Sammy.Sammy is shallow and sexist in the way he has named these young women according to his first impression of their bodies and behaviors. Patrick W. Shaw notes that “Sammy knows what is on each
41、aisle in the store and constantly thinks of what is inside bottles, cans, and jars; but he has no idea what is inside the girls, no sensitivity to their psychology or sexual subtlety. His awareness stops with their sweet cans and ice-cream breasts” (Shaw 1988：322). Sammy further demonstrates his chi
42、ldishness by commenting on the mental abilities of the girls: “You never know for sure how girls minds work (do you really think its a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?). (John Updike 1961：22)This comment ironically lets the reader know more about the way Sammys mind wor
43、ks. Shaw agrees, suggesting that Sammys “mind is even less than a bee in a jar” (Shaw 1988：322). Sammys thoughts reflect the narrow mentality of the ho-hum New England town in which he works. This setting has neither the vitality of neighboring Boston nor the beauty and prestige of the beach that li
44、es only five miles away.The following two paragraphs are totally refers to the description of queens appearance. It is more detailed than the other two:She had on a kind of dirty-pink -being maybe, I dont know -bathing suit with a little nubble all over it and, what got me , the straps were down. Th
45、ey were off her shoulders looped loose around the cool tops of her arms, and I guess as a result the suit had slipped a little on her, so all around the top of the cloth there was this shining rim. If it hadnt been there you wouldnt have known there could have been anything whiter than those shoulde
46、rs. With the straps pushed off, there was nothing between the top of the suit and the top of her head except just her, this clean bare plane of the top of her chest down from the shoulder bones like a dented sheet of metal tilted in the light. I mean, it was more than pretty.She had a sort of oaky h
47、air that the sun and salt had bleached, done up in a bun that was unraveling, and a kind of prim face you can have. She held her head so high her neck, coming up out of those white shoulders, looked kind of stretched, but I didnt mind. The longer her neck was the more of her there was. (John Updike
48、1961：22) All the observation that mentioned above may be happens in a few minutes or even a few seconds. But Sammy pays attention to them very carefully and narrates without any miss. He concentrates on the three girls.As Sammy said, “Our town is five miles from a beach”, and “theres people in this
49、town havent seen the ocean for twenty years”. (John Updike 1961：23) So the girls only in bathing suits and walk against the usual traffic make other customers pretty hilarious. This situation is unexpected in a little town in this era. They “jerk”, “hop” and “hiccup” (John Updike 1961：22). According to this part, the writer hints Sammys growing surroundings.
