Sammy In John Updike's A & P

The short story, “A&P”, follows the thought process of Sammy. Sammy is a young cashier that finds himself striving to be someone else. The protagonist in “A&P” by John Updike is a static character because he reveals himself as an adolescent who remains censorious, covetous, and narcissistic. The way Sammy describes the customers, the girls, and the choice he makes at the end reveal him as a static character.
The protagonist in John Updike’s “A&P”, Sammy, is a static character due to his censorious attitude towards the customers. Sammy makes the connection between the store and the customers resembling a pinball machine, “The whole store was like a pinball machine and I didn’t know which tunnel they’d come out of.” The quote shows Sammy’s

judgemental attitude because he believes the customers are essentially roaming the store in an aimless manner. Sammy then says, “The sheep pushing their carts down the aisle were pretty hilarious.” This quote proves that Sammy maintains his judgemental attitude about the customers because he is comparing them to mindless sheep. In this same line of thought Sammy says, “I bet you could set off dynamite in an A&P and the people would by and large keep reaching and checking oatmeal off their lists…” Once again, Sammy judges the customers, people that he does not know, and ultimately compares them to mindless beings. Sammy continues to demonstrate this same censorious attitude toward the customers throughout the short story. Overall, Sammy’s lack of change in attitude clearly portrays him as a static character.
Second, Sammy is a static character due to his covetous feelings towards the girls.

Sammy appears envious of the girls; the quote, “Her father and the other men were standing around in ice-cream coats and bow ties and the women were in sandals picking up herring snacks on toothpicks off a big glass plate and they were all holding drinks the color of water with olives and sprigs of mint in them” paints the perfect picture of a posh get-together. Sammy’s lengthy description of what he perceives the girls’ wealth as suggests that he wants the same lifestyle as them. Furthermore, Sammy continues to think, “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.” This quote further proves that Sammy is avaricious of the girls and their wealth because of the comparison he makes between the girls’ families and his family. Sammy then describes Queenie with, “Her lower lip pushing, getting sore now that she remembers the 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.” Because Sammy mentions the “Fancy Herring snack” it further depicts Sammy as envious of the girls’ lifestyle. Sammy is fixating on the lavish treats they casually buy -- something that he cannot buy on a regular basis. Therefore, this proves that Sammy is a static character because he never changes his covetous feelings toward the

girls.
Third, Sammy proves to be a static character through his narcissistic ways.

The short story proves this through the quote, “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.” Sammy quits his job without truly thinking about the consequences to follow three girls that do not know him at all. Sammy hopes if he quits his job he can get the girls to notice him. However, Sammy does not think about the consequences that comes with quitting his job. Moreover, this proves Sammy’s narcissistic ways because he does not think about the people his decision effects. A quote by Lengel, the store manager of A&P, further depict Sammy’s narcissistic attitude: “Sammy, you don’t want to do this to your Mom and Dad.” Despite Lengel’s warning Sammy goes through with quitting. Sammy does not care about how it affects his parents; he only cares about how it makes him look if he goes back on his gesture. Sammy thinks, “I look around for my girls, but they’re gone, of course.” Sammy exhibits his narcissism by possesively calling the girls “his”. It proves that he is selfish and only cares about himself. Sammy shows possessiveness towards the girls because he sees them as an opportunity to find the wealth he desires. Sammy is disappointed when he sees that the girls are gone because he sees his only opportunity of wealth disappearing. Sammy remains a static character due to his constant

narcissistic ways.
In conclusion, Sammy, the protagonist in John Updike’s, “A&P” remains a static character throughout the story. The thought process of Sammy, the young cashier, leads the reader to believe that he never changes. Sammy reveals himself as censorious, covetous, and narcissistic through the way he describes the customers, the girls, and the choice he makes at the end. Sammy strives to be someone else, but in the end he quits his job for girls he never sees again.