What Is The Act Of Quitting In John Updike's A & P

“Sammy, you don’t want to do this to your Mom and Dad,” he tells me. It’s true, I don’t. But it seems to me that once you begin a gesture it’s fatal not to go through with it (323). This statement made by Sammy after quitting his job, was made towards the end of John Updike’s story “A&P”. Sammy had quit his job, a job that his parents helped him to get. Sammy opened up a whole new world; a world that I don’t think Sammy was ready for. He made a quick and irrational decision, rather if it affected his life or not we would never know.

Taken aback by his boss's actions, Sammy impulsively decides to quit his job. After he rips off his apron and waltzes out, Lengel yells out at him, "You'll feel this for the rest of your life" (337). This statement is a perfect example of the irony which presses on throughout this short story. Little does Sammy know that he has just graduated from a child to a man. At the same time, Sammy opens up a whole new world to himself in which he surprisingly enough has a voice in. Sammy

Sammy, having heard enough of Lengel humiliating the girls, takes his heroic stand announcing that “he quit.” He even takes off his apron that had his name personally stitch on it and his bow tie. Another reason why Sammy quit the store probably gravitates toward Queenie and he may have wanted to talk to her, but Lengel ruined his chance by interfering. For example, Sammy said, "remembering how he made that pretty girl blush makes me so scrunchy inside I punched the No Sale tab.” He probably wanted to make Queenie blush by giving her compliments, but Lengel embarrassed her by making judgment due to her outfit and the situation definitely had an effect on Sammy since he punched the machine. Clearly, Sammy wanted the attention and was hoping the girls will give him some recognition for defending them, which became a lost cause and once he realized that his outburst didn’t attract the girls, his intentions changed. Sammy quit displaying that he’s becoming more independent as well as his transition to adulthood while at the same time defending the girls. It would also appear that he might’ve relied on his parents for some time. During the conversation between Sammy and Lengel before making his rash decision to quit, Lengel said, “Sammy, you don’t want to do this to your Mom and Dad,” implying that he will disappoint his parents if they quit because his parents are a friend of Lengel’s and they pretty much got Sammy the job at A&P. This shows that his parents’ efforts to get him the job would be a waste of time on

In today’s world, much of society feels the need to be someone that others want them to be and not what they actually want to be, whether it be someone who is having trouble coming out as gay or transgender or someone who feels the need to follow strict family traditions. Also, people will often have difficulty doing the right thing and making the mature decision. People often accept the role into which they are born and grew up in, and then pass that position onto their children. This cycle will continue until someone has enough power to speak out against it. People will often be pressured into doing something that they may not want to do. As shown in A&P by John Updike, the narrator, Sammy, quits his job at the end of the story in order to prove to the girls that he is on their side and has ultimately done the mature thing. In A&P, Updike examines sexism and the need to fulfill a certain role that society places upon women, as well as the social pressures that occur within our lives. Lastly, this story also represents a coming-of-age for Sammy. Although it takes place over the period of a few minutes, it represents a much larger process of maturation.

In the story "A&P" by John Updike, the protagonist, Sammy, who is a teen working in a grocery store experiences an epiphany after he tries to defend some girls from his manager Lengel. He feels like Lengel is unnecessarily embarrassing the girls and seeks the moment to be the hero and impress the girls. "The girls, and who'd blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say "I quit" to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero,"(Updike, 22). That's significant as Sammy believes that impressing the girls is the true meaning of his quest and that he has completed it by quitting his job and showing that Lengel's actions were inadequate and wrong. After he quits his job he goes outside to "claim his prize" and get the acknowledgement he feels he deserves for his actions, but the girls are nowhere to

"So I say 'I quit' to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me." When Sammy quits his job, it is obvious he is doing out of envy for these girls. He mentions that he was hoping for the girls to stop and watch him but after he quits and walks out of the A&P grocery store, the girls are gone. "I look around for my girls, but they are gone, of course." Sammy's jealousy towards the girls has grown from their good looks to their parents parties to his quitting his job just so they notice him, which they

Sammy decides to stand up for what the thinks is right. “Outraged that his manager, Lengel, had made ‘that pretty girl blush’ and wanting to demonstrate his refusal of such demeaning authority, Sammy quits his job on the spot.” (Saldivar p2) Sammy thinks to himself, “The girls and who’d blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say ‘I quit’ to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they’ll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero” (Updike 145).

Sammy asserts his individuality when he quits. He knows that Lengel has every right, according to the standards of his time, to speak to the girls as he does. But by standing up for the girls, Sammy questions those standards and asserts that there is a higher standard of decency that says one should not embarrass others. In deciding which rules of conduct are more important, he asserts his individuality, unlike the girls who slink away because they know they have violated the rules of conduct.

John Updike’s short story “A&P,” written in 1961, takes place in a small town in Massachusetts. Sammy, a 19-year-old young man, is a cashier for the A&P grocery store and the protagonist of this story. Sammy believes all people in his small town are sheep, or followers of others. Queenie, a patron of A&P, is considered the antithesis of a sheep who has a command presence. She is accompanied by two friends who flock to her like sheep following their Shepard. Lengel, the manager of A&P and a prude, embarrasses the three girls during check out. It was his belief that they should not be wearing bikinis in the store, and make themselves more presentable while shopping. After Lengel embarrasses the girls, Sammy decides to quit his job since he did not agree with Lengel. Sammy has gone against his manager, not following the herd in ridiculing the girls with Lengel. Herding can be hypothesized as a psychological and social trait present in human behavior which characteristically forces us to follow social norms.

Within the plot of the story, one may observe that there are two sections to this narrative. In the first section, Sammy is merely a passive spectator of the situation while in the second he quickly becomes an active participant. Parallel with this switch to activism, is Sammy’s thoughts on his decision to quit and coincidingly the reader learns his name, giving the idea that the revelation of such, corresponds with his achieving an independent identity. This identity revelation is key to his eventual withdrawal from work. Moving further into the story, the girls are confronted by the manager of the store.

After this come in here with your shoulders covered. It 's our policy." (Updike, 145) Sammy wanting to make a good impression for the girls he told Lengel that he is quitting because Lengel treated the young ladies unfairly by kicking them out but once Sammy reaches the exit the girls are nowhere to be found and he basically quit his job for no reason. Sammy decision to quit was not justified due to the girls not being there to praise and love him for being so brave to quit his job for them and the fact that he made such a major decision for people who he did not even know is stupid. Now he does not have a job nor the young ladies.

“‘You’ll feel this for the rest of your life,’ Lengel says, and I know that’s true, too.” A & P is a short story by author John Updike. The story is simple, exquisitely put together, and fantastically detailed. It is told from the character Sammy’s point of view. It is set in the A & P supermarket. Basically what happens is, these three girls come into the store wearing only bathing suits, which presents the conflict. Sammy describes them and follows their movements around the store. He gives them names including, Plaid, Big Tall Goony Goony, and Queenie. He took a particular liking to Queenie. When the manager Lengel took notice and began to berate the girls for their attire, which presents the crisis, Sammy didn’t appreciate it (for he had started to feel somewhat responsible for them). He then quit his job, which presents the climax, after the girls were scolded. Perhaps because he sincerely thought that treatment was unfair or most likely to be seen as heroic. Sammy is used in this short story as a representation of adolescence. He demonstrates all the qualities of growing up. Such as immaturity, rebellion, and typical boy behavior.

The conflict in Updike’s story for the character is internal conflict, for Sammy to boost his self-confidence and get noticed by the teenage girls. For Sammy Internally the issue is a result that he doesn't like the way the manager is treating the girls and wants to stand up against his manager. To Sammy by quitting his job is the right thing to do at the moment. Due to Sammy’s age, his background, and his immaturity, he doesn’t know how to handle the situation but to quit. Even in the middle of the situation he knows he's handled it wrong but has to follow through with his choice. As the story comes to end Sammy knows he shouldn't have acted this way this will not only affect his future but the attention from the girls was unnoticed. With

Leading up to this important scene, Sammy is already questioning whether he wants to stick with this job or not. When the opportunity arises for him to make a scene for the girls’ attention, he takes it and quits on their behalf. This is important for two reasons: he either does this just for their attention, hoping they will notice him, or he truly wants to stand up for what is right and fight on their behalf. Either way, he shows that he is trying to do the right thing and stop Lengel from bullying the girls. The effect is not what Sammy is expecting though; the girls never give him the time of day and leave him to deal with Lengel himself. The only result from this public outburst is Sammy no longer has a job. He learns very quickly that sometimes life is not fair, and that standing up for what is right does not always earn the rewards it

However, when the girls were embarrassed by Lengel Sammy's personality changed. He stood up to his manager and quit his job. This is demonstrated in the dialogue between Sammy and Lengel which states: