ENGL 1121 Lecture Notes - John Updike, Aisle
Document Summary
The details that stood out that were particularly true to life were the difference aisles mentioned of the supermarket, like the deli and meat aisles. The closest detail was when he listed the categories of each aisle cat-and-dog-food-breakfast-cereal- macaroni-rice-raisins-seasonings-spreads-spaghetti-soft-drinks-crackers-and-cookies aisle. The close attention to detail contributes to sammy"s ability to analyze and draw out details of the three girls who enter the supermarket. Updike draws sammy as a regular colloquial teenager whose eye is caught by the three girls who walk into the supermarket wearing less-than-average clothing than the typical customers. Sammy"s detail to visuals helped him identify the attitudes and personalities of the three girls. He tries to show the heroic side of him by quitting his job to get the attention of the girls. This is not heroic at all because his intention is to get the attention of the girls.
