A&P

Juxtaposition places two elements close together or side by side to show similarities and differences. This device is useful in fiction as it allows the author to further emphasize the disconnect between two key ideas.

A major juxtaposition in “A&P” occurs when Sammy considers the difference between seeing a girl wearing a bathing suit on a beach versus in a supermarket. The two thoughts are closely connected but evoke entirely different scenarios with entirely different consequences. In the store, with its “checkerboard green-and-cream rubber-tile floor” (Paragraph 6) the girls’ entrance is jarring. This is partly what leads to Sammy’s speculation that the girls hail from the Point, which is extremely different from the town surrounding the A&P. The juxtaposition highlights these differences.

Imagery appears through vivid descriptions, appealing to a reader’s senses to inspire a mental image or idea. This device draws the reader deeper into the story and allows them to feel immersed as though sharing the characters’ experiences.

“A&P” is rife with imagery, from the physical descriptions of Queenie and Lengel to the auditory descriptions of various parts of the store. Sammy often describes Queenie’s and her friends’ bodies in terms of food, evoking a visceral attraction and even a desire for consumption. When Sammy rings up the girls right before quitting, the machine makes a noise that sounds like “pee-pul” (Paragraph 31). Aside from associating humans with machinery, this detail gives aural expression to consumerism and plants the reader more firmly in the moment. Sammy’s final description of Lengel also houses significant imagery, as he notes how it looks as though Lengel “just had an injection of iron” (Paragraph 32). This description allows the reader to imagine exactly what Lengel looks like in this moment and to even imagine feeling such rigidity in themselves.