FREE ESSAY ON CHARACTER OF SAMMY IN JOHN UPDIKE'S "A&P"

CHARACTER OF SAMMY IN JOHN UPDIKE'S "A&P"

Sammy: Hero or Anti-Hero
There are two types of heroes; heroes and anti-heroes. A person noted for feats of
courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her
life is a hero. Similar to Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Abraham Lincoln and Jesus. A main character in a dramatic or narrative work that is
characterized by a lack of traditional heroic qualities, such as idealism or courage is
an anti-hero. I believe this resembles our character Sammy in John Updike's short story
"A&P". Sammy is an anti-hero because he is an ordinary person who is directionless, and
perplex.
Updike begins the story "with three youthful girls wearing bathing suits entering the
A&P, while young is Sammy working behind the register. There Sammy and the other cashier
Stokes marvel at one of the girls Updike represented as Queenie. Sammy obliviously like
her, and begins flirting with her. Then all of the sudden, the store manager Mr. Lengel
saw the girls and became livid, because of there skimpy bathing suits. He approached the
girls and told them they have to either put clothing on or leave. The girls politely left
after a little argument. But Mr. Lengel was still angry by their rudeness that he started
taking his frustration out on Sammy. Who reached deep inside himself and said, "I
quit."(A&P 12) Which shows that Sammy is a hero, but the question is what type. 
Sammy lacks traditional heroic traits, but does posses the most important characteristic,
courage. The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fears,
and acts out bravery. This enables him to walk up to his boss and say, "I quit". Allowing
Sammy the opportunity to face his fears and go searching for Queenie.
One main obstacle that separates Sammy from being a Hero is the fact he is ordinary.
Hero's are well-noted people like Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, Franklin D.
Roosevelt and Jesus. "Sammy is a common person working at the local A&P behind the cash
register waiting to ring up the next customer." (A&P 13) This distinguishes him from the
heroes who gave speeches at Lincoln Memorial, preached in front of millions on a
mountaintop, and sign doctrines that free the slaves. All Sammy did is tell his boss "I
quit".
Another obstacle that hinders Sammy from being a hero is that he is directionless. While
heroes generally are presidents, religious heroes, national champions, and political
leaders that realized there purposes and attempted to excel at them. "Sammy does not know
where he is going when he walked out aimlessly out of the A&P in search of his dream to
be with Queenie."(A&P 16) This brings him closer to the bracket of an anti-hero, because
he does not fit the stereotypical mold of a hero.
Sammy does not fit the stereotypical mold of a hero, because he is perplexed. He is
uncertain on what he is going to do. Unlike the heroes of today like Kurt Warner who won
the Super Bowl or Mario Lemeuix who returned to hockey after being out for 3 ? years.
They were certain on their destiny while "young Sammy was bewildered on what would happen
if he went to his boss and say "I quit."(A&P 16) 
It is a forgone conclusion that Sammy is a hero, but the question was "what type". It
seems to me that it is safe to assume that Sammy is an anti-hero, because he is ordinary,
directionless and perplex person. 
Work Cited
Updike, John. "A&P". Literature. Ed. X.J. Kennedy, Dana 
Gioia. New York: New York N.Y., 2000. 12-17