A & P By John Updike Character Analysis Essay

In “A&P,” John Updike tells the story of a nineteen year old boy named Sammy who makes a dumb decision that he thinks is a wise choice. However, Sammy's knightly act of courage goes unseen by Queenie and her friends, and he has to learn to live with the repercussions of his actions. Updike's Story “A&P,” reveals Sammy as an immature boy who is a judgmental teen, a disrespectful employee, and is prejudiced toward women. First, Updike introduces Sammy as judgmental teen who has a sour attitude toward his shoppers. He calls the customers “sheep pushing their carts down the aisle” (151), meaning they cannot think for themselves and they must be led by one another. Also, Sammy judges Queenie to be the leader of her friends based on her appearance. When he sees her, he claims that “she was the queen” (150). Sammy ignorantly judges everyone around him, and he never tries to see what's on the inside of people. …show more content…
When Sammy carelessly quit his job, he speaks disrespectfully to his boss, Lengel, who has been a friend of Sammy’s parents for years. Lengel tries to convince Sammy he is making a foolish decision by saying “Sammy, you don't want to do this to your Mom and Dad” (153), but Sammy does not listen. He never even tries to consider how his behavior might affect his family. Likewise, he arrogantly thinks there is no difference between him and his more experienced co-worker, Stokesie, except that “Stokesie's married, with two babies chalked up on his fuselage” (151). His rude thought about Stokesie’s manhood and his lack of regard for Lengel's authority shows that Sammy has no respect for his elders and