Dynamic Character In John Updike's A & P

In the short story “A&P,” John Updike depicts through his static and dynamic characters a time in society where expectations were beginning to change.
Throughout the introduction, we are informed of how through his era of life, Updike wrote his books inspired on memories of his childhood and growing up in Pennsylvania. In the 50’s the number of cars in the U.S. nearly doubled from 39 million to 74 million, making moving around from place to place much easier. The term "teenager" was rarely used before the 1950s. Most young people began to see themselves as a distinct group. Earlier in American history, young people often had to work full-time jobs to help support their families' basic survival. By the 50s, that was usually no longer the case. Teens instead worked part-time jobs or received allowances from their parents, giving them money to spend on fun non-essentials. And that’s exactly what Sammy did. Sammy, a dynamic character, who grows and changes in the course of this story, and Lengal, a static character, who remains unchanged throughout the story take this story to a whole other level.

It was a plain old day at the A&P grocery store; Sammy was doing the regular, cashier duties, until he notices three girls walk into the store wearing only their swimsuits.

“The one that caught my eye first was the one in the plaid green two-piece,” (131) He evaluates their looks and all the details about the way they carry themselves. Sammy also notices their personalities and their motivation for entering the store dressed the way they are. The author purposely had these girls flaunt their bodies to show how society may judge you for what you wear. The way Sammy focuses on the girls and how they are dressed exposes his own prejudices and blind spots. He has a desire to set himself apart so that he can prove to girls that he is different which leads him to quit his job. By doing this Sammy proves to be a dynamic character. He changes with whatever comes his

way.
Unlike Sammy, Lengel, the uptight store manager, is seen as villain in the story. He is the one that tells the girls that they are not allowed to wear their swimsuits in the store, even though the store is on the beach. He embarasses the girls and threatens to kick them out of the store because of what they are wearing. “We want you decently dressed when you come in here.” (134) Updike uses Lengel as an example of a static character and how he refuses to change his view on the three girls to show how society was changing throughout the years. As mentioned above the word “teens” was newcomnig era in the 50s. They were starting to allow them to work or serve in the military.
Sammy, refusing to conform, has now quit his job at A&P. The author leaves us with only that. He is allowing us to determine the fate of Sammy after the rejection of three girls that showed him how society will judge you no matter what you wear or who you are.
All in all Sammy has changed throughout the course of the story, in the beginning he was an average 19 year old boy, and by the end he believes he is the “hero” of the story. Updike shows us how Lengel refuses to change and stays apprehensive, but ultimately the decision of how you view these characters will determine how you interpret the story.