"A&P" by John Updike

After reading “A&P” by John Updike, I noticed that there were many similarities between this story and the short story “Araby”. First of all, the main plot of both of the stories seem to be motivated by female desire, in “A&P” it is Sammy’s desire of Queenie, and in “Araby” it is the narrator’s desire of Mangan’s sister. Both of these main characters also desire the women from afar, and don’t have any significant interaction with the women other than observing them. This could say something about the power of women and how without even trying women can cause life changes in men. In “A&P” Sammy quit his job based on the sole principle that he didn’t like the way that his boss treated the woman he desired in the story, even though it was made clear in the story that this decision would cause problems for him and his family. In “Araby” the narrator’s entire life is practically driven by a woman, and he finds himself going to great lengths just to be near her and please her. These two instances in these short stories show how the power of female desire can derail men and how it gives women immense power.