I enjoyed reading A & P. I felt the central conflict was the struggle taking place between the upcoming generation and the current one. The story is written in 1961 and during this period there were many things going on in the world. The cold war between Russia and western civilization is referenced in the story when Sammy is talking about Stokesies being the manager some day when the store is called "the Great Alexandrov and Petrooshki Tea Company or something". In addition, the sexual revolution was beginning and the philosophical differences between the two generations were widening.
"His face was dark and gray and his back was stiff, as if he'd just had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter" (Updike, pg. 20). This passage is the last sentence in the story and summarizes the internal conflict of the protagonist, Sammy. He is an 18 year old boy that is coming of age and is struggling with the conflict between two generations. On one hand, he is expected to be like his parents; get a job, get married, buy a house and have 2.4 kids, this was the "norm" in the 50's. On the other hand, he wants to join his generation and be different, carefree, look at girls in the supermarket in their swim suit. The description of the store manager in the passage is critical. The writer depicts him as very hard, unforgiving and unchangeable. This is the representation of Sammy's parents generation. Sammy wants girls to be able to walk in the supermarket without there shoulders covered. The words in this passage that leap out as important to me are "to me". The words "to me" seem to say that Sammy has gone to the other side. The author could have said; I felt how hard the world was going to be hereafter. But I feel he was trying to tell us that Sammy decided he was going to go his own way and make decisions based on his convictions, not what his parents or the store manager believe is right.
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