His desire to set himself apart from them—to prove that he is different—compels him to quit his job. However, he announces, “I quit” primarily because
he wants the girls to overhear him
, and the gesture loses resonance when he realizes they didn’t notice it.
Why does Sammy quit his job so suddenly Why is it ironic?
Why is it ironic? Sammy quits his job so suddenly in
an attempt to impress Queenie and gain her admiration
. Since Sammy hopes to personally benefit from his dramatic decision, his quitting is not genuinely heroic and would constitute merely the misguided idealism of a rebellious adolescent.
Why does Sammy quit his job?
He wanted freedom and independence from the store, from his job, from his parents, and finally obtained it by quitting. > Sammy quit his job in the story “A&P,” by John Updike
Does Sammy make the right decision to quit his job at the A & P Why or why not?
In “A&P,” one could argue that Sammy did not make the right decision in quitting, because
his decision didn’t achieve the ends he’d hoped it would
. He didn’t get the attention of the girls, loses his job, and puts himself in an even more precarious position than he started in.
Does Sammy regret quitting his job?
Does he regret quitting his job?
Yes
, for a moment, but, ultimately, no–throughout the story, we see that Sammy has achieved a rather cynical detachment from both his job and the store’s patrons, whom he often refers to as sheep.
What does Sammy realize after he quits his job?
Sammy is a dynamic character because he changes in the course of the story. After he quits, he realizes that
his gallant actions have been lost on Queenie and that no one understands his chivalry
.
Who has the most power in A&P?
Lengel, the A&P store manager
, seems to have the most power in the story. He has the power to publicly humiliate people he thinks don’t dress (or act) appropriately. He has the power (or so he claims) to make life hard for Sammy if he quits his job.
Is Sammy a hero?
Sammy is
an unrecognized hero whose drastic actions initially seemed illogical
. His rebellious attitude is an indication of his willingness to stand with those people who are oppressed and also to stand firm for what he believes is right thing. He therefore becomes a hero to himself and to the oppressed.
What kind of narrator is Sammy?
Sammy is a classic example of
an “unreliable” narrator
—that is, a narrator who is a full-fledged character in the story and whose opinions must be analyzed rather than simply accepted.
What is the irony in A&P?
In “A&P”,
Queenie symbolizes Sam’s desire for a better life and to defy authority
. The A&P, in contrast, symbolizes the conformist, dead-end path he is supposed to follow. Ironically, Sam hopes to impress the girls by quitting after Lengel tells them to dress decently in the store, but they do not notice his gesture.
Does Sammy make the correct decision by quitting his job at the end of John Updike’s A&P?
Eventually, Sammy, not agreeing with Lengel because of his opposition towards the three girls,
decided to quit the job no matter how others would
view him.
Why does Sammy call the customers sheep?
In John Updike’s short story “A&P,” Sammy calls the people in the store sheep. Sammy refers to the people as sheep
because he fails to see any differences between them
. Essentially, he does not look at them as individuals. … The girls do not follow the unstated rules and are not considered sheep by Sammy.
What is Sammy’s reaction to the girl he names Queenie?
Queenie. “Queenie” is the name Sammy gives to the gorgeous girl who leads her two friends through the grocery store in their bathing suits.
He has never seen her before but immediately becomes infatuated with her
. He comments on her regal and tantalizing appearance.
How do you explain Sammy’s decision to quit?
His actions made his family suffer massively because it became impossible to find subsistence means. In summary, Sammy says, “I quit” in relation to his decision to stop working at A & P. Sammy
decided to quit because of the girls who had attracted his attention.
How does Sammy change in the story A&P?
In “A&P” Sammy changes
from an immature teenager to a person who takes a stand for what he believes is wrong which is reflected in Sammy’s words and actions
. … At the beginning of A&P, Sammy notices that three girls have walked into the store with only there bathing suits on.
What motivates Sammy in A&P?
Sammy sees the girls’ rebelliousness in their nonconformity. After the manager reprimands the girls for their attire, Sammy quits his job. His motivation in doing so is
to support the girls in their nonconformity
.
