Tan Lines and Bar Codes Although refusing to conform to society guarantees a life as a social pariah and may present harsh consequences, the road to individuality gives one an opportunity to discover his or her purpose in life through uniqueness and their morals. In “A&P,” John Updike portrays an exceptional story of a teenager’s battle between doing what is right and going along with society. The teenager, Sammy, works as a cashier at the local grocery store where he is presented with a situation with three teenage girls who walk in the store with only their bathing suits. When the manager spots the girls, he asks them to leave, and Sammy decides that they were not treated fair, so he quits his job at the store. Sammy made a choice to stand up for the girls in hopes of they would recognize his bravery and talk to him. His choice to refuse society’s ways cost him his job, but it teaches the audience a valuable lesson. When stood with adversity between what is right and wrong, one must always stand up for what is right no matter what society will think of them and no matter the consequences. By being unique, one expresses his or her individuality by standing out from the norm of society either by the way they dress and/or the way they act. In a society, one will meet some interesting people who have chosen to be unique and refuse to follow the rules of the standard world. These people are on their way to discovering their purpose in life, but they are criticized often for the choices they make. Nowadays, people are criticized not only by the way they act, but the way they dress, “In walks these three girls in nothing but bathing suits,” which tells the readers society judges people based on what they wear, and they do not care about the person behind the clothing (Updike par 1). However, one must remember that in life they will be criticized, but what one does