Saturday, January 4, 2020

Character Analysis Of A P By John Updike - 1141 Words

The narrative â€Å"AP† by John Updike explicitly takes you into the world of the main character, Sammy. When you first meet Sammy, it seems as though he gives the reader a straightforward explanation as to why he quits his job at the grocery store. He even goes as far as to blame his actions on how Lengel, the manager, embarrassed the girls in the store. Upon Sammy defending the girls, he refers to himself as their â€Å"unsuspected hero†, however some may not see this as fit. Upon closer examination, it does not seem as though Sammy quit as a defense mechanism for the girls, but for his own selfish ambitions and possibly as an authoritative maneuver. The question being, is Sammy exemplifying the characteristics of selflessness or is he a selfish†¦show more content†¦He begins by informing them that the store is in fact not the beach. Lengel continues to chastise the girls to the point of which he embarrassed them enough that they proceed to walk out. At this point, Sammy has had enough. â€Å"The girls, and whod blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say I quit to Lengel† (Updike, pg. 35). Lengel questions Sammy and his reasoning behind his abrupt action. You didnt have to embarrass them (Updike pg. 36) he protests as he quits. â€Å"By quitting his job and telling off his boss, Lengel, for how rude he was to the girls, Sammy experiences a coming of age. Its his first real taste of the power of standing up for what he believes in† (Shmoop). Sammy’s selflessness prevails over the situation as he accentuates the fact that Lengel did not have to be so rash. Sammy did what his inner â€Å"unsuspected hero† would have done. In another aspect, Sammy’s abrupt action of quitting can be seen as a selfish act. â€Å"so I say ‘I quit’ to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping theyll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero† (Updike pg. 35). Sammy’s actions were all self-centered; â€Å"he announces, ‘I quit’ primarily because he wants the girls to overhear him, and the gesture loses resonance when he realizes they didn’t notice it. It seems less wise when he is left not with admiration but with a vague guilt and doubt about his rash action† (Sparknotes). He had a high hope that his rebellion towardShow MoreRelatedA P By John Updike Character Analysis818 Words   |  4 Pages This story could make one wonder, how far would you go to get the person of your dreams. In Updike’s story, three young ladies walk into the AP store wearing nothing but bathing suits. The girls catch the attention of Sammy who is the cashier. Sammy watches the girls walk around the store while making mental notes about each one of the girls. When Mr. Lengel the store manager sees the girls, he lets them know that the store policy is to have your shoulders covered and to dress appropriately whenRead MoreA P By John Updike1190 Words   |  5 PagesA P is a story of Sammy who is a 19 year old boy working as a clerk at a grocery store in a small town in New England. Published back in 1961 narrative defining A P is the popular mythology of 1960s basically where youthful rebellion powers took over the soulless system. (Sustana) Therefore Updike has written a story that includes key elements of myth along with the background of postwar prosperity and the attendant consumer cultu re. 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