短篇小说论文.docx

1、短篇小说论文Paper of Short Story Reading on the theme of “A&P”Headline: All Choices Have a ConsequenceStudent number: 201205340114Class: 2012级10班Name: 田金芳10th January, 2015Abstract: All of the main characters in the story must make a choice and endure the consequence of that choice when constant collision

2、 between the new ideas and conventional ones generated. John Updike illustrates Sammy and the three young girls are representatives of the rebellious youth, while others are on the rigid elders side. On behalf different side, once they have made their own choice between tradition and new things, the

3、 story began to takes place. I think Sometimes we need to challenge the traditional patterns and make choices that let us use our potential as possible as we can. Once a choice is made, were all responsible for our own choices.Keywords: Choice, consequence, Sammy, collision, rebellion, tradition.A b

4、rief introduction to the “A & P” “A&P is an initiation novel written by John Updike in 1961, which is told from thefirst person point of viewof Sammy.” A&P, originally published inThe New Yorkeron July 22, 1961, also later appeared in the collection Pigeon Feathers. It has been widely anthologized a

5、nd is generally considered to be a classic. M. Gilbert Porter called the titular A & P the common denominator of middle-class suburbia, an appropriate symbol for mass ethic of a consumer-conditioned society. According to Porter, when the main character chooses to rebel against the A & P, he also reb

6、els against this consumer-conditioned society, and in so doing he has chosen to live honestly and meaningfully. As with this, A&P is worthy analyzing, especially from choices when characters make choices between individual new concept and conventional ones.The setting of the story is in a small quie

7、t town, north of Boston where most of the customers are conservative. The protagonist, Sammy, a teenage clerk in an A & P grocery, is working at the cash register on a hot summer day when three girls walk into a grocery store wearing only their bathing suits to purchase a jar of herring snacks. He a

8、nd his colleague Stokesie who has got married and has two babies are attracted deeply by three girls. Sammy notices in every detail of the girls physical appearance, from the texture and patterns of their bathing suits to the different boundaries of their tan lines. Just then, the manager Lengel, ca

9、me in, he noticed and embarrassed three girls and told that they should be decently dressed when they enter the store .Offended by the managers disregard for the three customers dignity, Sammy quits his job.The story ends sadly with Sammy standing alone in the parking lot and feeling his stomach kin

10、d of fell as he felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter when he finds the girls have left long. .The analysis of theme of A&PFrom what I understand after reading this short intuition novel and accessing to some relevant information, I hold that the theme of story is the choice and co

11、nsequence between new ideas and conventional ones and they need make choice. Once made，one needs to take responsibility for the choice he or she makes whatever it bad or good. In order to deeply dig of theme of the story, lets first take a look at the environment around this story. A&P was written i

12、n 1961 when the American is a turbulent time. The civil movement, sex revolution, the war versus Vietnam, the cold war and collision of family systems occurred at the same time. During this period(the 1950s and 60s)，conservative dress mirrored conservative social values. In those days in America, pe

13、ople by and large conformed and were expected to conform. Conformity was a measure of popularity as well as a measure of moral rightness. However, there is a new generation of youth who rebelling against old ideas. In the story, we can see the clash between them is the same as the battle between the

14、se two sides in the 1960s. Thus ,living in a traditional and unconventional coexist period， Lengel and other customers choose to conform tradition are reluctant to innovate and change. When Lengel comes into the store after “haggling with a truck full of cabbages,” and he is “about to scuttle into t

15、hat door marked MANAGER,” he could have ignored the three girls. Instead, he makes the choice to confront the girls in front of Sammy. Lengels choice to confront the girls has the unforeseen consequence of losing an employee when Sammy resigns in protest. Maybe Updike uses the role of they play to s

16、atirize the conservatives. This serious, rigid man is acting as the moral supervisor and authority maintainer. Although conform to the customs set by the society is very important, but some changes is inevitable. As we know, the world is constantly changing, so, instead of denying, we should learn t

17、o accept the new things. Whats more, conventional minds are always wrong about pivot moments in a nations history. By contrast, the choices of Sammy and the girls in bathing suits represent a rebellion against conformism. The three girls made the choice of going to the grocery store in their bathing

18、 suits rather than normal dressing, especially Queenie, with her “long white prima-donna legs”, stands out as a nonconformist and an indication of her indifference to the traditional social values. Nevertheless, because of their choice to violate community standards, they suffer embarrassment by bei

19、ng condemned by an authority figure. When Queenie defends herself against Lengel by insisting, “We are decent,” she is only trying to get out of an embarrassing situation. While the other girls seem awkward and abashed, Queenie is undaunted by the disapproving glances of the other shoppers and the e

20、ager gazes of the male employees. The girls have a profound transformative effect on the men in the A&P, especially Sammy.Though many characters make choices throughout the story, Sammy is obliged to make a painful dilemma .Sammy, the narrator of “A&P,” is used to being a sarcastic disaffected teena

21、ger with a healthy interest in the opposite sex and a keen observational sense, whereas Queenie and her friends simply ignore those rules. As Sammy approaches adulthood, he also has to face the consequences of his actions more directly.After an embarrassing encounter with the three girls and his man

22、ager, he has the choice of pretending nothing had happened, or doing something which he believes is right. When Lengel try to persuade him，Sammy says that “ Its true, I dont. But it seems to me that once you begin a gesture its fatal not to go through with it”. Sammy needs to consider his consequenc

23、e before making the decision of quitting. One consequence of quitting his job is it causes a strain in his relationship with his parents. Another, more obvious consequence is that he may have a hard life to live. When he chooses to quit his job, Anyway, I think that he did not necessarily want impre

24、ss Queenie, but instead, he went get her way of living. For one thing, Updike uses the fluorescent light of the supermarket to emphasize a boring future and there is no excitement or mystery involved. For another, he uses the sunlight to represent the never-ending opportunity of freedom. So, when Sa

25、mmy quits his job and enters the parking lot, he sees the vast sunshine in every direction. This is supposed to symbolize a new beginning and the new-found freedom to take his life in any direction he chooses. ConclusionIn conclusion, every choice has an aftereffect. A&P is a story reflecting the so

26、cial reality of that time when folks have made hard choice in the struggle of promoting the society going forward. Updike uses the characters of Sammy, the three girls in bathing suits, and Lengel in the story to show how important it is to carefully contemplate the consequences of their choices whe

27、n be in a turn of old and new times. In todays society, it is also the same. As an independent person, one need keep pace with the times when it keeps changing. The word choices seem not just correct but also inevitable.In other words, eventually Sammy seems to think that he has learned a lesson in

28、the painful ways of the world. Try to think about this, what is Sammys future life if Sammy didnt choose to resign? Maybe he still complaint about everything in life as a cashier. I think sometimes one need determine what is good enough and take the first step towards that. Thats all that one has to

29、 do. Reference:1 Wan Fang Data analysis of A&P ( 2 Google theme of A&P (3 Spraknote A&P (4 Shmoop Editorial Team. A&P. 11 Nov. 2008. Web. 9 Jan. 2015.(5 LitCharts. John Updikes A&P: Analysis & Theme (6 Wikipedia, A&P (http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/)7 Enotes A & P by John Updike ( ) 8 谭占海. The Pleasure

30、-instruction Function of LiteratureA View from the Theme of “A & P”. 贵州省外语学会2008年学术研讨会论文9 赵婧鹏，马丽. The Contrast between Social Criterion and Individual Request in A & P. 分类号：I106.4 语文学刊2007年第8期 10 哈旭娴, 直觉与习俗的撞击简析厄普代克的短篇小说A&P主题. 江苏广播电视大学学报Vol.13No.5 2002年10月 中图分类号:I712.07411 张军丽 赵雪当浪漫遭遇现实时虽败犹荣简析A&P中萨米

31、反叛性格的成因 北京联合大学师范学院姓名：田金芳 学号：201205340114 2012级10班A Day of My LifeOn the endless grassland, birds are singing in the blue sky, small flocks of sheep or goats are being herded by riders on horseback, flowers are stoking our noses, and a stream is flowing under the blue sky. I am intoxicated deeply in beautiful grasslands. Now I feel strong. Free. More free than ever. “May the blue sky and the white clouds be my witnesses, for I will spend the rest of my life loving and cherishing you.”a man said to me. I totally believe that in front of the man is the person I like, and he loved pe