Examples Of Epiphany In A & P

Heroic Epiphany The main characters in “A&P” by John Updike and “Araby” by James Joyce attempt heroic quests that lead to their respective epiphanies. These quests are significant to the hero because they want to do something good for other people. These epiphanies helped Sammy and the narrator gain experience and knowledge through their mistakes and foolishness. As a result, epiphany and the characters’ quests help signal a change in their personality and actions. Sammy from “A&P” completes a feat that lead him to an epiphany. Sammy’s feat is saving three girls from ignominy when his boss is getting the girls in trouble. Sammy picks the girls over his job when he confronts his boss and quits. The author says,”…and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be me hereafter,” (Updike, pg.3) Sammy realizes his ignorance when he attempted to impress the girls who weren’t interested.This set the stage for a world that will be a difficult place for him from that point forward. This is …show more content…
This quest was significant to Sammy because he thought he would be a hero by saving the girls from embarrassment. Sammy’s quest was meaningless to a reader because his intentions weren’t genuine; they didn’t come from the heart because of his interest in Queenie’s physique. The author says,”…it just having come from between the two smoothest scoops of vanilla I had ever known were there…” (Updike, pg.3) Therefore, this was not an honorable quest because he was expecting something in return. Sammy’s hormones made him want to impress Queenie;therefore, Sammy isn’t mature enough to know what’s good for him and what’s not because his choice would not help him in the future.Sammy’s day-to-day experiences weren’t significant because he is just a regular teenage boy that can be considered lower-class because of his job at a grocery