The Protagonist In John Updike's A & P

A&P John Updike’s “A&P” presents a story of a young man named Sammy who is quickly learning about the difficulties that are associated with being a young man that is suddenly thrust into adulthood. As the cashier of a grocery store, Sammy is faced with the situation that arises when some under-dressed young women come into his store and he is witness to his boss, Lengel, asking them to leave. However, this quickly escalates, leaving Sammy jobless. By examining the story, it is clear that the antagonist is responsible for Sammy’s trouble in the story is his belief in the individual’s personal legend, that an individual will have the power to successfully overcome the boundaries of society. This interpretation is not readily available, as the …show more content…
Sammy relies on the belief that a young man would be able to best the older generation, but he has now found himself jobless while another person simply picked up his work. The realization that his gesture of self-serving sacrifice was unrecognized by everyone leaves Sammy to understand “how hard the world was going to be hereafter” (5). While Lengel was a symbol of the conflict between young and old, the antagonist was Sammy mistaken beliefs about the nature of …show more content…
This is an important line because he has already claimed the girls as his, as though it was a fact that they would flock to him following the sacrifice of his job for their apparent honor. Yet, they are not there when he leaves, and Sammy is only left with the realization that he is no longer a child, and that such actions have potent consequences. Sammy has lost his job, disappointed his parents, and will now be known as an unreliable man. In this process, Sammy also is given a harsh reminder of reality. This was Sammy’s chance to breakaway from his dull, standard life, and to climb the latter of society. Sammy fails miserably and is left in the same social status, however, this time is left with no job and no form of