A&P By John Updike
“A&P:”by John Updike Evaluation of Sammy’s Persona
In the short story “A&P”, by John Updike, the main character Sammy, is an Eighteen year old boy from a small town outside of Boston who works at an A& P market.
Sammy is an average boy who seems a tad tired of the regular customers who come into his
store. Updike shows how Sammy lets his self assurance, emotions, and anger get a little too far
ahead of him.
Sammy seems like an average boy with high value of self-assurance who seems a tad bit
tired of the regular customers who come into his store. His certainty becomes visible when he
describes these regular customers as: older married women, an overweight lady who has no
regrets wearing her swimsuit that doesn’t quite cover; and the nit picking old ladies who spend
years trying to catch an error by a cashier. He refers to these regulars as “sheep”, as they seem
to follow one and other in their actions and reactions.”He scorns at an older woman well past
her prime and referring to her as a witch”(123).Both of these statements indicates that he is
self assured and thinks highly of himself. Putting others down and calling them names
demonstrates he looks down upon others, and displays his sense of certainty.
Sammy’s emotions are made known when his attention is captured by customers who
have just walked in. Sammy finds himself fascinated by a particular group of girls. Just in
from the beach, and still in their swimsuits, they are a stark contrast to the otherwise
plain store interior. They have the whole market looking at them, some in good ways
and others in bad. Sammy makes a comment to his fellow cashier Stokesie, “Do you
really think there is a mind in there or just a little buzz , like a bee in a jar?”(240)He idealizes
and ogles the prettiest of the three. He names her, to himself, “Queenie”; and jokes with
his fellow cashier about the girl’s sexiness. “Queenie becomes...
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