Preview

Comparing 'A & P And Winter Dreams'

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
804 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Comparing 'A & P And Winter Dreams'
A&P versus Winter Dreams
Sammy, from the story “A & P” by John Updike, and Dexter, from the story “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, are similar characters from two different stories. In both stories, the two men fell in love with what they pictured as the perfect woman. Each man had visions of the future they would like to have with the lady of their dreams. Sammy daydreamed of a fancy daytime gathering with his dream-girl’s family and friends (page number). Dexter dreamt of taking and marrying the girl that he falls in love with (page number). Even though they are of different social statuses, Sammy and Dexter are the same character because they become infatuated with a certain individual, quit their jobs in order to get the individual, and end up alone.
…show more content…
He called her “Queenie” because she was the dominant friend of the three (Updike 294-5). The three girls had nothing but bathing suits on, and this upset Lengel, the store owner. Lengel made a big scene out of the attire the girls had on, and Sammy knew that this embarrassed the girls (Updike 297). After Queenie’s transaction was complete, Sammy told Lengel that he was quitting his job at A&P. Sammy hoped that the girls would notice he quit as a heroic gesture, but they seemed not to hear what had happened. Sammy walked out of A & P, but Queenie was gone (Updike 298). In the end, Sammy became defeated because he was jobless due to his irrational decision to quit. It is apparent that Sammy was not thinking clearly before making this major decision at his workplace. The story implies that Sammy’s quitting behavior could repeat later on in life and garner him the reputation of being a person who quits. As Sammy 's manager Lengel said, “You 'll feel this for the rest of your life (Updike

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Sammy 's struggle against rules is seen in the way he viewed the company 's policyin regard to the type of clothes the three girls namely; "Queenie", "Plaid" and "Big Tall"wore to the store. To him confronting a customer, and for that matter the three girls, whoflout the store 's policy, amounts to embarrassing the customer and the three girlsRespectively. "You didn 't have to embarrass them" (132) . He thinks it is inappropriate forhis boss to confront the three girls shopping wearing a swimming costume. In the processof registering his disapproval against this policy, he ends up disobeying an authorityfigure in the person of his boss. He shows his disapproval to this policy by giving up hisjob. "I quit"(132). On the part of Tommy, he did not displayed his struggle against ruleswith an open defiance as is the case of Sammy. When the substitute teacher ordered him together with his two friends to take up their seat, he nor any of his friends put up aresistance. Even though they stared at her, but they obeyed her command by taking uptheir seat and not giving up or "quitting" on their education.…

    • 903 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The readers are to view Sammy as a typical teenager: indifferent to those around him (except to queenie) and yet, markedly self-conscious. He proves to be an observant narrator, allowing the reader farther inspection into our protagonist. We see Sammy drink in the details of the three girls; he pays close attention to the textures of their suits, their facial features, and tan lines. However, Sammy goes beyond what he physically observes and attempts to glean what their lives are like outside of A&P. What he sees, is attractive and his appetite for association has a distinct influence over his future decisions. This is drives his observations to become detrimentally tunnelled. As Sammy dismisses A&P customers and co-workers and quits, he is…

    • 197 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sammy's attitude toward the girls was unpleasant. He called one of them chunky, another had a chubby berry-face, and then there was the queen who led them. His attitude never changed throughout the story. Though, at the end of the story, Sammy stands up for the queen who got embarrassed by his manager. He had an attitude about what he was observing throughout the story.…

    • 311 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    He is stuck in a dull world, with the "sheep" and the "freeloaders". His compares himself to his co-worker, Stokesie, by claiming "Stokesie 's married, with two babies chalked up on his fuselage already, but as far as I can tell that 's the only difference". (Kirszner & Mandell, 127). Stokesie 's goal is to become the manager of the store. If Sammy continued on his course at the A & P, he took would end up just like Stokesie. Sammy wants to be free spirited, he wants to break rules. When the store manager, Lengel, approaches the girls and confronts them for wearing swimsuits, Sammy begins to break free of his dull world. He wants to show the girls that he does not stand with Lengel, he stands with them. He quits quickly and without thought, saying "I quit" loud enough for the girls to hear them. He wants them to hear him, he wants them to realize that he is not one of the store workers, not one of the sheep or the…

    • 967 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sammy gave up his job in order to impress Queenie. In doing so he demonstrated a fearless stupidity. Despite all his efforts to get the girl to notice him, he walked away with no reward. Although he did it in order to woo Queenie, Sammy is somewhat a hero of justice. He stood up for the week, and defended her against a prejudice villain. His boss chose to attack the girls in front of everyone, making them look like fools. Sammy only did what he thought was right.…

    • 201 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The author, John Updike, uses characterization to expose Sammy’s true character. Sammy is baffled that the store manager, Lengel, would embarrass the girls in front of everyone. In their defense he stands up to Lengel and scolds him for rebuking the girl’s outfit choices. After the girls leave he then quits his job. When he quits the manager even warns him that “[he’ll] feel this for the rest of [his] life”, but Sammy follows through with his plan. Although he does…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the short story of “A&P” Sammy is a hormone driven young teenager who is attracted to three young girls that walk into his store on a slow day in nothing more than a suggestive swim suit. In a hormone…

    • 782 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Maybe to meet a girl or get a new higher paying job but for now, it’s just another day at work. At least until it all changes when three beautiful women enter the store wearing nothing but bathing suits which is the inciting incident for Sammy. He is so love-struck with awe that he mistakenly rings up a box of HiHo crackers twice and gets heck for it by the customer “I ring it up again and the customer starts giving me hell” (440). He goes on describing the women in very peculiar ways as chubby, tall, and the queen. He describes the queen as the leader of the pack, teaching the other women how to gain attraction and to look like you know what you are doing, as she is the one who made them go in with her in the first place. Other than the fact of being in bathing suits, Sammy is drawn to the queen not only cause of her beauty, but because of the fact that her top was just slouching against her chest with the straps resting down her arms. This overwhelmed Sammy and made her more than pretty “With the straps pushed off, there was nothing between the top of her suit and the top of her head except her. I mean, it was more than pretty” (441). As Sammy is watching the three ladies, they notice him and his coworker staring at them but they don’t mind as they continue on shopping going…

    • 1514 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    A very noticeable similarity is the fact that both young men are dissatisfied with their authority figures. In the beginning of the stories, one will see that Sammy and Sarty are not like their main influences. Each young man has a mature understanding of their unfortunate lives and how they must break the mold to better themselves. Stokesie, Sammy’s friend and co-worker, is twenty two years old and married with two kids. His biggest dream is to become a manager of the A&P someday. Sammy describes Stokesie’s life as a perfect example of his future if he continues working at the A&P. To him the A&P is a dead end job; but in the eyes of his Lengel and his family it is an acceptable future. Lengel is the manager of A&P as well as the town’s preacher. He plays an important role as Sammy’s authority figure. When Sammy quits, Lengel tries to persuade him to stay and makes it very clear that leaving the A&P will be a huge mistake. This is an excellent reflection of Sammy’s authority figure and the close minded ways he must escape.…

    • 636 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After a small tense conversation between the “queen” and the manager, Sammy notices the girls are in a rush to leave and wanted to be their “unsuspecting hero”, so he quit his job on the spot. Lengel encourages him not to quit, as it would be disappointing to his mother and father. Shrugging him off, Sammy drops his apron and bow tie and leaves the store to meet up with his girls, only to find that they are long…

    • 460 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    John Updikes A&P

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The text makes it obvious that Sammy does not hold very much respect according to society. Sammy makes a common mistake by ringing in a woman’s groceries twice and receives hell in doing so. If the woman felt she and Sammy were equals she most likely would have treated him differently and shown more respect. Stokesie and Sammy seem to have a good rapport. Sammy states that he and Stokesie are very similar to one another and it seems like they are able to joke with each other often. Later, when Sammy confronts Lengel and quits Lengel gives the impression he is looking out for Sammy since he is friends with his parents and does not think he will actually follow through with quitting. The girls do not think anything of Sammy. They pay very little attention to him while in the store and leave without a word after he quits. To them he was just another cashier.…

    • 743 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In John Updikes’ short story, A&P Sammy's character as described by the narrator, comes off as immature. The way Sammy is very observant and judgmental towards the three girls reveals something much deeper. It seems as if Sammy is very unhappy at his dead end job, he feels stuck. The narrator makes it seem as if Sammy wants something more from life. He obviously doesn't care about his job. He quits to impress the girls, only to be left alone in the end. I think Sammy is trying to prove something to the girls and everyone else around him. It seems he sort of envy’s the girl’s lives, especially ‘Queenie.’ When he stands up for the girls he is searching for some sort of satisfaction, to be held at the same level of the girls. When he stands…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    This story, in all honesty, did not entertain me or stimulate intriguing thoughts. I felt like the author gave a lot of his time to describe the scene and the appearance of characters that there was nothing really going on. I spent most of my time while reading trying to figure out or thinking what certain things looked like rather than anticipating what may be happening next. Overall this story did not engage me nor hold my interest. I did on the other hand find the way Sammy’s attitude to toward the girls rather baffling because here are these three girls, two of which he mentions are overweight and not on the attractive side, and then “Queenie” whom he points out is too pale but yet in a sense “eye candy”. It was strange how he felt a pull towards them as soon as he noticed them and felt the need to quit his job and become their self proclaimed hero. Was he just as strange or just someone who really needs the attention?…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    sammys epipany

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Without thinking, Sammy makes a rational decision that leads to his own epiphany. It becomes apparent when he feels like he should take charge and do something about the way the girls are being treated. Hoping to get recognition from the girls for being their “ unsuspected hero” ( on page 23) he decides to quit his job. Sammy is very disappointed that he couldn’t impress the girls the way he would have wanted to. Through trying to be the “suspected hero” he knew things aren’t…

    • 758 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The story is set in a small New England town, and it is an average day. Three young girls enter the store where Sammy, a young cashier, works. He watches and analyzes their every move, and tries to guess their personalities based on body language. Sammy identifies the leader girl as “Queenie,” and takes most interest in her. The girls are only dressed in bathing suits, and gain the attention of the other men working in the store as well. This causes tension between the male characters, and causes Sammy to wonder about his own future in comparison to his male peers. Sammy does not like seeing the girls being objectified. The manager kicks the girls out based on their inappropriate attire. In an unexpected response and strange attempt to honor the girls, Sammy quits the job, and leaves the store, but immediately is overwhelmed by the uncertain consequences his actions will bring.…

    • 2050 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics