The Hero In John Updike's A + P

Superman, Batman, Captain America, Spider-Man, all these have something in common. They're super heroes, but what determines a hero? It it the costumes the wear, or how many people they save? Or maybe even the bad guys they defeat, or they're catch phrases? Truth is, heroes come in all different shapes and sizes, and what some consider to be heroic others may consider to be degenerate. In the story "A+P" Sammy quits his job in order to become a hero, but he didn't quite accomplish this goal. I believe that despite his intentions, Sammy's act was in no way heroic. He was acting in the moment despite the obvious outcome. Sammy had a family to help provide for and he quit his job to be noticed by a few girls who didn't even give him a second look. At the time he might have thought he was being heroic, …show more content…
He only did the "heroic" thing to get attention. Sammy might have regretted the way he thought about the young women at first, so he thought this would compensate for his wrong doing. This does not make him a hero, it makes him a good person with high moral standards. To expand these ideas, Sammy's decision was a hasty one. He didn't think about the future for him or his family, and he didn't even stop to think that Lengel might need his help in the store. All he thought about was the three girls who had just left the store. The girls didn't need a hero in this case; Sammy's attempt to be one was unnecessary. By letting his family down, he proved to be an irrational thinking teen, not a hero. From the other point of view, Sammy was willing to risk everything he had in order to stick up for those girls. Yes he might have, but would a hero let his family down? Would a hero risk everything for attention? The answer is no. A hero's job is to save those in need, and these girls didn't need anything but some clothes. Sammy's family needed him, and he let them