A & P by John Updike, was written in 1961. Updike is known for his fictional, yet situational, stories about middle-class lifestyles. In this time period, already having a job gave you the opportunity to advance your career by working for a growing company like A&P. Jobs in the 1960s needed workers, and the workforce was only becoming more large, men and women were in need of all kinds of things. While many still had to work multiple jobs to maintain a steady income just to live, losing a job was not beneficial. Finding work for women was now becoming much easier and growing at a rapid pace, changing their social status. Updike clearly uses the time period to divide each character into different social classes. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The author illustrates Sammy, the narrator, as a working-class young man. In the 1960s, men had to work nine-to-five jobs to support their families. Holding a job during this time was essential because most families lived on one salary. When Sammy leaves, Lengel, the store manager, says, "You'll regret this for the rest of your life." By quitting his job, Sammy's social status changes completely and he needs to find a new job. Sammy is already lower class, due to his position in the company and the fact that he still lives at home, and leaving his job could harm him if he were to find another job and move up in the company. The store manager, Lengel, is considered to be of a higher social class than Sammy, but still of the middle social class. Lengel has a higher position in the company and earns a steady income, so it makes sense that he is above Sammy, status-wise. As the store manager, Lengel has more responsibilities than Sammy and has to make sure everything goes well inside the store. He can't have girls who only wear bikinis in his store, it would make the store look bad. Updike makes Lengel look like the bad guy by doing his job and chasing girls away. Doing his job unintentionally changes Sammy's status, forcing him, involuntarily, to resign. Updike makes it seem like Sammy is trying to oppose, to Lengel, social discrimination. Another character that Updike uses to represent social classes is Queenie. This is not her real name, it is just a name given by the narrator, because she seems rich. In fact Sammy tries to interact with Queenie, but he doesn't do it because she is considered above him, from the point of view of social status. His nickname alone gives an idea of ​​his status. Also, the confidence Queenie has when she walks into the store in just a bikini, that screams upper class. Sammy also compares the other women in the shop to Queenie even calling some "house slaves". During this time period, it wasn't as common for women to walk around stores in just a bikini as it is today. Updike uses Queenie in this story to also show how social classes have changed and are still changing. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay John Updike uses social status brilliantly to represent this time period. Updike's work is known for using real life situations in his fictional stories and is shown in A&P. He separated the lower class from the upper class without any problem. Sammy is clearly lower class and has just started entering the workforce and making money. Unlike..