A&P

In the story A&P by John Updike, Sammy tells the story of 3 girls and their bathing suits and himself trying to be a hero. Sammy like all other boys, young or old like to check out a girl when they walk in the door. Of course he was busy at the check out, when the three of them walked in. The older lady wasn't impressed at his screw up, "giving him hell." (220) I'm sure Sammy was pleased when she left so he could pay attention to the girls. He described them all from chubby, to tall, to the colors of their bathing suits, especially the one he calls "Quennie." She was the leader, the other two just kinda of followed behind and did what she did. Sammy was wondering though "if they had a mind or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar." (220) Quennie could feel his eyes on her but never looked, just held her head up high and looked straight forward, as a gesture of, I'm not interested. (221) When the store manager comes in, Lengel, he doesn't appear to be a very happy man. He tells the girls, "this isn't the beach." (222) As Quennie is trying to explain to the manager what her mother wanted, Sammy slips off into day dream of being at her house. I think the manager was fair at telling the girls to dress a little more appropriate for the store. He didn't kick them out and still let them pay for their herring. When the girls left, Sammy decided to quit and try to be a hero for the girls, they didn't even notice. Maybe he was happy he quit after all due to Lengel's attitued toward people. When the manager didn't like that Sammy smiled at the girls. I think Sammy realized that he didn't even like his job and that the girls where a way out.