Essay descibes John Updike's short story "A & P" and answers two questions- What life lessons does Sammy learn? and How does Sammy's experience relate to a personnal experience? A single event can forever change a person's life. In the short story "A & P," by John Updike, a young boy named Sammy has his life forever changed during what begins as a normal day at his job at an A & P grocery store. …showed first 75 words of 714 total…

…showed last 75 words of 714 total…back, my decision would not change, but it was a decision in which the consequences could have changed my life dramatically. At the end of John Updike's story, Sammy realizes he may have done a stupid thing, but he doesn't go back into the store to ask for his job back. This is similar to my decision of which school to attend. He has finally taken the initiative for the future- and responsibilty for himself.