Hazel in “Raymond’s Run” by Toni Cade Bambara is a young girl growing up in Harlem, New York. Sammy in “A&P” by John Updike is a young man in a New England Town north of Boston. So what do these two characters have in common? Hazel is a headstrong girl with something to prove to the world while Sammy is a judgmental teen who’s thinking falls between condescending and borderline sexism.
Some people go through life thinking everyone is out to get them and they need to prove themselves to everyone they meet. Hazel in “Raymond’s Run” is one of those people. Hazel is not afraid of anyone and she is not afraid to show it. She is especially protective over her brother Raymond. Make a comment about him and you might get knocked out, literally. This …show more content…
His conceited thoughts, paired with his unintentionally apologetic, arrogant behavior towards woman make him quite the charmer. His thoughts towards a woman’s appearance leads to the thought, “a witch, if she'd been born at the right time they would have burned her over in Salem”. This was a direct attack on a woman’s outward appearance. He then attacks the internal part of females by commenting on women’s mind by thinking, “do you really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glassjar?”. His condescending attitude doesn’t stop there however. When he sees an old man in baggy gray pants, his thought is “what do these bums do with all that pineapple juice”. Once again, he is putting someone down, this time on appearance. His supercilious thinking comes out again when he comments on “twenty-seven old free-loaders tearing up Central Street”. Once more, Sammy’s arrogant mindset comes out, this time when it concerns perceived social status. After quitting his job, he felt like he deserved compensation from the group of girls because he did such a favor for them. This is shown by the quote, “I say "I quit" to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected her”. Sammy’s sense of entitlement led him to believe that he was lowering himself to their level and acting as their “white
Some people go through life thinking everyone is out to get them and they need to prove themselves to everyone they meet. Hazel in “Raymond’s Run” is one of those people. Hazel is not afraid of anyone and she is not afraid to show it. She is especially protective over her brother Raymond. Make a comment about him and you might get knocked out, literally. This …show more content…
His conceited thoughts, paired with his unintentionally apologetic, arrogant behavior towards woman make him quite the charmer. His thoughts towards a woman’s appearance leads to the thought, “a witch, if she'd been born at the right time they would have burned her over in Salem”. This was a direct attack on a woman’s outward appearance. He then attacks the internal part of females by commenting on women’s mind by thinking, “do you really think it's a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glassjar?”. His condescending attitude doesn’t stop there however. When he sees an old man in baggy gray pants, his thought is “what do these bums do with all that pineapple juice”. Once again, he is putting someone down, this time on appearance. His supercilious thinking comes out again when he comments on “twenty-seven old free-loaders tearing up Central Street”. Once more, Sammy’s arrogant mindset comes out, this time when it concerns perceived social status. After quitting his job, he felt like he deserved compensation from the group of girls because he did such a favor for them. This is shown by the quote, “I say "I quit" to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected her”. Sammy’s sense of entitlement led him to believe that he was lowering himself to their level and acting as their “white