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Sammy in a&p character analysis
Character analysis sammy a&p
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In author John Updike’s thought provoking short story “A&P”, he depicts a classic coming to age tale; 17 year old protagonist Sammy is faced with a conflict: whether to practice what he preaches and be a non-conformist, or to continue with his daily routine of submitting to his boss and the uptight people in the small town in which he lives. When Sammy reaches his final straw of his boss and his hasty remarks toward three young girls, impulsively, he quits his job to impress the attractive females, and to make a bold testament that he was no longer a “sheep”. However, due to his social class and circumstances, naturally the girls stroll away and disregard his courage, leaving Sammy all alone in the store parking lot, alienated, and disheartened …show more content…
after he comes to the realization that he made a grave mistake, and that his reputation from then on was tainted. It appears that Updike empathizes with Sammy as he writes in a style which places Sammy in a relatable, good intentioned perspective. A common fundamental theme in this story is that Sammy is in an existential battle of exerting his power and confidence, otherwise he’ll feel as if he has failed as a human being. “All this while, the customers had been showing up with their carts but, you know, sheep, seeing a scene.” (4) Sammy has a quite clear standpoint that he is not a “sheep”, as he associates the phrase with lack of originality, and weakness. He is also confident that he is nothing like Stokesie, his co-worker who wants to climb the ladder to management. It is already verified through Sammy’s sarcasm and the way he regards his customers and co-worker, he views himself entirely different even though he may not show it. The conflict and climax of the story begin to unwrap as three girls make a scene in the store by their “revealing” appearance, capturing Sammy’s attention-- which is mainly focused on “Queenie”. As soon as he saw her he began to observe every single detail of hers, almost in an objectifying style as well. By being so mesmerized by Queenie, this caused Sammy to build an imagination with his mind. He gradually started to see a different world through Queenie. His focused observations on Queenie are able to give him an impression on her social status, and it appears that she is wealthy by how she carries herself. Sammy refers to her as “Queenie”, as according to him, she has a queen-like presence. The way Sammy describes Queenie and how much his attention is on her implies that he he is quite fond of her. The workers began to become distracted with the girls’ appearances and focused on how different they appeared from everyone else. Lengel, Sammy’s boss, had no tolerance for their choice of freedom. “ ‘We want you decently dressed when you come in here.”’, he coldly states. “We are decent," Queenie says suddenly, her lower lip pushing, getting sore now that she remembers her place, a place from which the crowd that runs the A & P must look pretty crummy. Fancy Herring Snacks flashed in her very blue eyes. ‘Girls, I don't want to argue with you. After this come in here with your shoulders covered. It's our policy.’ He turns his back. That's policy for you. Policy is what the kingpins want. What the others want is juvenile delinquency.” The girls were very confident with themselves to walk around public in bathing suits, being carefree. It appears as though they too were “rebellious”, by performing an act of feminist protest by the way they entered the store, and by defending themselves thoroughly during the encounter with Lengel. Sammy was carefully watching the encounter and wanted to stand up for the girls. “The girls, and who'd blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say ‘I quit’ to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero.” Just as the girls’ were offended by Lengel’s comment, so was Sammy. Sammy was practically protesting with the girls at this point, and finally boldly set his foot down and quit. His act of quitting was a way of showing the girls he was on their side and with the same protest. It also expressed his thoughts by not seeing the girls as sexual objects, the way Lengel might have been seeing them, but as human beings with an inherent dignity. By standing up for their right to wear bathing suits in public, they consequently inspire Sammy to this act. Although he doesn’t overtly state his opinion, it can be interpreted that Updike empathizes with his protagonist, as he doesn’t exactly hesitate to write of the town’s people in a contemptuous style. In an interview in 1994, Updike refers to Sammy as “bold” and “witty”, he continues to say that in the early 1960s "people by and large conformed and were expected to conform”. It’s clear that Updike acknowledges the judgmental, traditional viewpoints of the 60’s, and incorporates these into his work, which can make the audience more empathetic on Sammy, and sorry for him. Ultimately, Sammy’s daring act of quitting was both a feminist protest and also his way of disconnecting from the dull, redundant routine at A&P.
He yearns for new opportunities and desires to live as a trailblazer, somebody who can be admired. Sammy quitting was a coming of age for him and a powerful act. Encountering Queenie allowed him to see a chance to transform his wishes into realities, however it is often said that one must “be careful what [they] wish for”. It is clear that Sammy left his job for various reasons-- he listened to his moral compass, and abandoned the job as he did not want to be a cookie cutter cashier, nor did he want to spend the rest of his life at a low class job. In addition, although his attempt wasn’t exactly successful, he aimed to show himself as a competent, brave individual to the girls, a “man. Unfortunately, his actions weren’t thought out, and he acted upon a gut feeling, rather than with reason and logic. “His face was dark gray and his back stiff, as if he'd just had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter.” The audience can infer that Sammy feels quite foolish and ashamed of his action. Whether he was standing up for what he believed in or protesting, him quitting really didn’t make a difference in anything. In the end, although Sammy initially feels confident about his bold move, in the end he is smacked with the ramifications of his actions, and realizes that his impulsive decision unfortunately cost him his
“name”.
In, “A&P,” Updike depicts an unusual day for Sammy working in the A&P store. Sammy’s days are usually mundane but his day is changed when a group of scantily dressed girls walk into the store and they leave an everlasting influence on his life. Updike’s demonstrates these events through colloquial language and symbolism, allowing the reader to connect with Sammy and see his growth as a character.
In his short story "A & P" John Updike utilizes a 19-year-old adolescent to show us how a boy gets one step closer to adulthood. Sammy, an A & P checkout clerk, talks to the reader with blunt first person observations setting the tone of the story from the outset. The setting of the story shows us Sammy's position in life and where he really wants to be. Through the characterization of Sammy, Updike employs a simple heroic gesture to teach us that actions have consequences and we are responsible for our own actions.
He criticizes his family and their background when he says, “when my parents have somebody over they get lemonade and if it’s a real racy affair, Schlitz in tall glasses with ‘They’ll do it every time’ cartoons stenciled on.” Sammy desires to move from a blue collar to a white collar family to differentiate him from his family. He shows his growing maturity when he says, “the girls who’d blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say ‘I quit’ to Lengal quick enough for them to hear, hoping they’ll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero.” He wants to be noticed by the girls for his selfless act of quitting his job for them. His plan does not work though, and the girls leave him to face Lengal alone. Lengal confronts Sammy and says, “Sammy, you don’t want to do this to your mom and dad.” Sammy ponders Lengal’s comment and thinks to himself, “It’s true, I don’t. But it seems to me that once you begin a gesture it’s fatal not to go through with it.” Sammy has begun to reach maturity and now wants to make his own decisions concerning his future and how he spends
...s that Sammy is taking a stand and that Lengel cannot change his mind about quitting. When Sammy left the store, the girls where long gone. "His face was dark gray and his back stiff, as if he's just had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter." This quote illustrates that Sammy knows that his parents will not like the fact that he quit, but he realizes that he has to take charge with his life, and make his own chooses without being afraid of what his parents would think. He is very happy that he had taken a stand, and he let no one change it.
In the final analysis, it would seem that the most obvious explanation for why Sammy quits his job--the one that he implies--is actually the least plausible. While Sammy would like to portray himself as the fearless defender of the delicate sensibilities of innocent girls, the reality is that Sammy's motives in quitting have far more to do with his own sensibilities than with those of the three girls.
The transition from childhood to adulthood is not only a physical challenge but, psychological and socially exhausting. John Updike who wrote “A & P” recognized this and used it characterize the main character. The protagonist Sammy was developed around the concept of the journey into adulthood. Sammy is a nineteen years old boy who works at the A&P grocery store in a small New England town. It is not until three young girls walk into the store in just their bathing suits that Sammy is faced with the realization that he undoubtedly has to face the harsh truth of growing up.
He wants more out of life and his fantasy about being Queenie's "unsuspected hero" (p.36) allows him to escape. Sammy comes to the conclusion that life is not going to be easy and he is going to make decisions for himself that the people around him will not necessarily support. Work Cited Updike, John. A great idea. "
So Sammy quits his job to prove to himself, maybe to others, that he belongs in this "place." Quitting his job is his first step in achieving this goal. Sammy was obviously enthralled by the girls from the moment they walked in the A & P. He was not keen on the other two girls, but Queenie overwhelmed him. He may have even taken a liking to Queenie, but any average, nineteen-year old male would do the same after witnessing such striking beauty as is described. On the other hand, the average male would not quit a job and create such turmoil if first impression was the only cause. How interested could he actually be? In trying to figure out Queenie’s persona, he asks, "do you really think it’s a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?
Sammy observes their movements and gestures, up until the time of checkout. At which point, they are confronted by the store manager and chastised for their unacceptable appearance. He believes their attire is indecent. Sammy, feeling that the managerial display was unnecessary and unduly embarrassing for the girls, decides to quit his position as checker. Though he knows that his decision may be hasty, he knows that he has to follow through and he can never go back.
...p and you are not happy with where you are in life, and truly want a change. With Sammy he always wanted to quit but never had the guts to stand-up and go through with it, mostly cause he did not have that free thinking mentality like the girls. Even though when he finally did walk out of the store and the girls were not there, he had no idea what was next in life, but he did know that he was free to make his own decisions. Sammy no longer had to take Mr. Lengel’s nonsense, or stick around and watch Stocksie become manger. This was his time to stop being a push over and pave the path to his own future. His parents may have been upset, but this gave him an opportunity to stand up for his own actions and be confident in his choices he had made, regardless if they were for the right or for the wrong. Sammy was able to press forward and start a new chapter in his life.
John Updike’s “A&P” is a short story about a nineteen year old boy during the 1960’s that has a summer job at the local A&P grocery. The main character in the story, Sammy, realizes that life isn’t always fair and that sometimes a person makes decisions that he will regret. Sammy sees that life doesn’t always go as planned when three young girls in bathing suits walk in and his manager Lengel gives them a hard time, and he comes to term with that sometimes you make bad decisions.
Sammy’s decision in the end to break away from the conformity that is in the A&P to establish himself is a raw truthful decision. He has chosen to follow his heart which Updike shows is what every person should do. This story is great for readers of all ages, because Sammy could be any person in modern contemporary society who is struggling to find themselves in a world dominated by conformity, rules, and standards of norms. Updike’s story is a powerful message to seek individualism. Although sometimes the road to self-identity is not known the journey getting there is worth all the while.
The possible reasons for Sammy quitting his job are numerous: Sammy might have just used the treatment of the girls as an excuse, or maybe Lengel did actually upset him that much. It is possible that Sammy did initially quit to impress the girls and be their hero. Susan Uphaus says, "Sammy’s quitting has been described as the reflex of the still uncommitted, of the youth still capable of the grand gesture because he has
Going against the norm almost always brings trouble. Much more so when the norms relate to gender in our society. From our formative years straight up to adulthood, society upholds certain distinct expectations of behaviors both male and females. Young men and woman are thus expected to follow and fit into these gender roles that are meant to guide and govern their behavior. The theme of gender and gender roles can be examined in the short story, “A & P”, written by John Updike. Through examination it can be seen that various characters go against the expected gender roles of that time period. Specifically the main character and narrator of Sammy. It is through the analysis of Sammy’s behavior that we discover what happens when you go against
Lust makes people do crazy things. John Updike’s short story “A&P” provides a perfect example of how lust made a boy quit his job. In this short story, a boy, named Sammy, catches a glimpse of three under-dressed, attractive girls as they enter his workplace. The manager asks the three girls to leave. As a result, Sammy is outraged by the mistreatment of the girls and quits his job in protest. Sammy’s stand against the mistreatment of the girls makes him feel like a hero. Updike’s use of descriptive words and dramatic irony in “A&P” leads the reader to believe that Sammy’s heroic acts were not actions with rebellious intentions, but actions due to his lust for the three under-dressed girls.