John Updike -- A & P

This story is about a small town boy who is trying to break free from the mundane routine of his day job and the narrow minded characters he has to deal with day in and out. It seems as if Sammy is a bit superior to the other characters, in terms of mindset. He has a vision of a world beyond their town, beyond the A&P market. He has dreams and desires, which are kind of metaphorically projected onto Queenie, she is symbolizing what is out there for him. She is the source of his spontaneous outburst of anarchy, in a way. When he quits his job, he does it to run after her, to impress her, but in the end it is more of subconscious choice he is making: He is trying to escape, and he knows while having the job he is trapped in this town. With quitting his job, he gets a new opportunity to start anew. Queenie is not important anymore. What is important at this point is this crossroad that he is standing at. He can choose to lose or chose to start anew.