Teenagers often find themselves asking questions and trying to do what is asked of them. Teenagers feel like they are part of a larger society, and that their norms are orthodox. John Updike managed to create a more mature story in which Sammy is forced into adulthood quickly by a call. We can see Sammy’s deep depravity through his thoughts, intense observations and his actions.
Sammy is your typical average boy working at the A&P shop in his hometown. We are immediately able see that Sammy is very self-deprecating and sarcastic. This also reveals the depths of the story. Sammy is content to describe everything, but we are able to see a sadness in the way that he views the world and how he feels about it. Sammy spends most of his story describing three women who come into his store. Sammy’s fascinations with these three random women will be evident in the shot. Sammy thinks he’s just being a typical young boy. Sammy goes beyond the superficial details to gather insights into the people he sees. One of his female subjects he examines a lot more carefully and becomes fascinated by. He says, however, that “She was the Queen” and that her natural leadership and ability to catch attention caught everyone’s interest in a split second. His favorite thing about her was her support swimsuit braces. Sammy found this extremely sensual and he was drawn to it. He uses them as clues to build a picture for his inner life. When he hears every woman speak, his imagination is ignited about the women. Sammy’s precise observations and descriptions are a reflection of his prejudices. Sammy’s lustful and unabashedly lustful gaze at the women shows an immatureness. He also views A&P customers as “sheep”, and “house slaves” in a dismissive, scornful manner. Sammy treats Stokesie, his associate and unimaginative robot, equally. Ironically, Sammy’s superiority over everyone throughout the story comes down to his realization that Queenie sees him as a lot like every other person in the store. He felt the only way to show that he is different than them was to stand out from them, and he quit his job. As he watches the women, we begin to see the subtle hints he gives us. We start to understand what he is trying to tell us. Sammy often slips into the daily dream of attending her families parties. It is his way of shaming his family. Sammy has a grudge against his family for not being capable of transferring him wealth over the years.
Even though his parents tried to make Sammy a decent life by getting him the A&P job, Sammy does not believe it is enough and wants to be able to enjoy a carefree and happy life. This is Sammy’s resolution. Lengel attempts to stop him from quitting. Sammy is driven to make the group happy. Sammy believes it would have been “fatal” not to make the gesture of quitting the Lengel treatment of women. Sammy has come to regard this gesture as the best way to be admired by the women. Sammy wants to quit to become Queenie, a world where he can be an expert in beauty, youth and sophistication. Sammy fears that he won’t be able to stop working at A&P, learning to adapt and confirm authority while also sustaining a low level of materialism. Sammy is aware that he is in a very lose-lose situation. He’ll either lose his identity and social norms or quit his job, not knowing when he will return.
Sammy makes his dramatic gesture but realizes that he must accept the consequences. Sammy states that he quit his job because he doesn’t want the women to accept him. Once Sammy has left the women alone, he isn’t able to receive any praise or adoration. Sammy feels guilty for his Brobdingnagian need to quit his job, especially for women who didn’t give him enough time. Sammy’s attraction to Queenie is a natural desire of a young woman. He eventually feels the need to flee A&P and his life. Sammy longs for more than his expertise in Queenies’ carefree, classless world. Sammy says “I quit” to show that he is ready for a change in his lifestyle. Sammy is content with his life as it is. His stance allows him to demonstrate that he has the ability to create a new, better life. Sammy’s call will reveal that he mechanically regrets his actions. Sammy responds in his mind to Lengel’s question, “It’s truth, I don’t.” This is where he begins to regret his call. He explains that once you’ve made a decision it’s difficult to change it. Here Sammy is proud. Sammy knows what he is doing, but he can’t make him change his mind.
The last sentence of this story shows Sammy looking out of the shop windows, noticing Lengel was checking sheep through his place. Sammy realises that those who succeed in this world are the only ones who follow the principles. Sammy looks through the window to confirm that Lengel is not a jittery person. Sammy sees the harshness of Lengel’s eyes and what he is facing in the future. The end will reveal Sammy’s real depravity. Sammy was not able change his life in the way he wanted, but he did learn some things about himself. Sammy was capable of seeing the truth of his character and how it would affect him over the next few years.
The U.S.A. can see the continuous chain of depravity within our lives through Updike’s tale. Sammy felt his life was tedious and monotonous. But the moment he left his job, he discovered a new sense depravity. Sammy was told what he would be required to say upon being reprimanded for leaving the task assigned to him by his family. Sammy’s rash decision to quit his job in order to love and be loved by women he didn’t know was a sign of his desperate need to be noticed. Humans were designed to be in relationships with others. If they become too busy, they will do anything to attract attention. Sammy was the author’s tool to help him connect with his readers. This allows us to recognize that everyone has a need to be well-known around the world. However, if this need becomes too much, America will end up being deprived of the many good things that it already has.
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