Jenna Mosca
EN102
MWF 11-11:50
Literary Term Essay
2/18/2013

When writing a story, there is way more to it then just writing down a bunch of words. Literary terms are a main element to every story. They are what make a story a story. The two literary terms that to me make a story very important are Setting and Point of view. Without either of them in a story, it would be rather boring and dull. In the stories “A & P” by John Updike and “ A Rose for Emily” by William Faulkner, I believe that both have wonderful examples of setting and point of view. In John Updike's short story "A&P" the boy works in an A&P store. The setting is a grocery store in the 1950's. It is in a small town and the boy works a mundane job as a cashier. He sees the same thing day after day. The same isles, same colors, and the same keys on the cash register. However, for the boy the store seems almost devoid of color. The girls come into the store are totally different than the expected norm. They are cheerful and vibrant. They are the opposite of the store and shift the mood of the boy. The setting is important because the boy is able to see that the girls mean excitement and something better than the store where everything always seems to be the same. A & P is told in first person from Sammy's point of view with a tone allowing the narrator to connect on a deeper level and truly portraying Sammy as a teenager. Updike does a good job making it seem as if Sammy is telling a story to a close friend. Sammy's tone is extremely important, for it sets the scene. "In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits. I'm in the third check-out slot, with my back to the door, so I don't see them until they're over by the bread"(17). The first sentence draws interest and establishes a connection, as if Sammy is your best friend telling you a story of what happened.