Sammy as a Hero Sammy\'s

Sammy as a Hero

Sammy's heroic action in the story "A&P" by John Updike is his decision to stand up to the manager and quit his job. It is heroic because he does not do it for recognition from the girls (they do not even realize he has quit), but because he is standing up against something he knows is wrong. Updike writes, "[S]o I say 'I quit' to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero" (Updike 18). He has morals and a conscience, and that is why his actions are heroic. He tells the manager, "You didn't have to embarrass them'" (Updike 18), and he's right. The manager was overly cruel, and Sammy knows it.

Initially, Sammy does not seem like much of a hero, and many people probably would not see him as one. He is interested in the girls because they are wearing bathing suits, and because one of them is somewhat attractive to him. His manager reprimands the girls for not being "decently dressed," and that is when Sammy stands up for them. What makes his action even more heroic is that he knows he is disappointing others, but he has to do what he feels is right. True heroes do not worry about what others think, they do what they know is right for them, and that makes Sammy a true hero. He may disappoint his parents, but he will not disappoint himself - ever. He also realizes that he has grown up in the few minutes it takes for the story to take place. He thinks to himself, "my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter" (Updike 19). He knows that nothing will ever be as easy as it was to quit his job for the right reasons. He understands he will have to face his actions, and that is a step toward maturity. In maturing, he is also heroic, because he understands his actions cause reaction in others, such as his family. Thus, he is becoming more responsible, even though his actions might seem irresponsible. Sammy is a hero because he understands the consequences of his actions, and makes a decision to stand up for the girls anyway. He might not be the most likely hero of a story, but he is a hero just the same.