Sammy the Hammy
Sammy, the narrator in John Updike’s “A&P”, is an immature, judgemental, ignorant teen aged boy. Because the author is speaking as the story’s narrator, most of what is depicted in the first two paragraphs accurately portrays Sammy’s initial character.
Sammy first notices the girls as they walk into the store and describes them as “these three girls” (1). It is safe to assume that ‘these three girls’ are not the only group of three females to ever enter the store, so to describe them so casually despite Sammy’s obvious interest in them is immature for his nineteen years of age. Upon describing the customer he was supposed to be tending to at the check-out line, Sammy describes her as “a witch about fifty” (1). Not only does this diction choice show how rude he is, Sammy is also immature in his momentary judgements. This women may not have time to stand around and wait for this young man to carry out his job at a lackadaisical pace. By the way she responds to Sammys inefficiencies -- “she gives me a snort in passing” (2) -- this is not the first time he has become distracted. Including the fact that he later refers to one of the girls as “queen” (2) and places this label on the girl he has not met yet nor made any effort to introduce himself to shows how immature he is when meeting new people that either threaten him because of his/her -- in this case her-- demeanor or physical appearances.
Although Sammy is significantly immature for his age, he is also judgemental of those around him that he finds to be less than himself or not adequate for his personal standards. Specifically in the second paragraph, he describe all three of the girls by pointing out their flaws and how close they are to being good-looking, but haven’t quite made it there yet:
“There was this chunky on, with the two-piece -- it was bright green and the seams on the bra were still sharp and her belly was still pretty pale so I guessed she just got it (the suit) -- there was this on, with one of those chubby berry-faces, the lips all bunched together under her nose, this one, and a tall one, with black hair that hadn’t quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long -- you know, the kind of girl other girls think is very “striking” or “attractive” but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much -- and then the third one, that wasn’t quite so tall. She was the Queen. She kind of led them, the other two peeking around and making their shoulders round. She didn’t look around, not this queen, she just walked straight on slowly, on these long white prima-donna legs.” (2)
By using diction like “chubby” and “chunky” and phrases like “hadn’t quite frizzed right”, “a chin that was too long”, and “never quite make it”, Sammy demonstrates to the audience that he is judgemental of the imperfections he finds in other people. Not only does Sammy point out flaws in theres girls, but he does so with the older woman in the check out line as well by making the snide remark of her lack of eyebrows and the seemingly unattractive “rouge on her cheekbones” (1). Sammy continues to display negative character traits into the end of the second paragraph when he begins to analyze how the ‘queen’ walks.
Including most of the citations in the paragraphs above, Sammy thoroughly displays his ignorance towards women throughout the story, but more densely in the first two paragraphs. By making the comment “You never know for sure how girls’ minds work…” is two simply say that neither does Samy not care for how the female mind works, but nor does he really know that the male and female brains basic functions are nearly the same. Reinforcing the notion that Sammy is oblivious in his ability to understand the basics about girls, he continues the previous sentence with the appositive phrase “(do you really think it’s a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?)” (2) Sammys inability to recognize that these women are probably toying with him by coming in the store dressed the way they are and his comment on the presence or absence of a mind in any female shows his ignorance of girls.
Sammy is a nine-teen year-old boy, who sees these three girls who walk into the store he works at in their bathing suits -- most likely to toy with him -- and immediately begins to display how immature, judgemental, and ignorant he is for his age and demonstrates this through the things he says and the details he points out in those around him.
