Sammy quits his job as a cashier at the local A&P in order to impress the attractive girl he refers to as Queenie. Sammy takes a stand for romantic love and idealistically believes that Queenie will acknowledge his valiant defense. Sammy hopes that his "heroic" act will lead to a budding romance with Queenie. Unfortunately, Sammy publicly quits his job and discovers that Queenie and her friends have immediately left the premises without acknowledging his efforts.
One could argue that Sammy's gesture is merely the misguided idealism of a rebellious adolescent. Sammy resents his authoritative boss and takes pleasure in disobeying Lengel. He also naively believes that rescuing Queenie from the authoritative, oppressive Lengel will lead to a romance with the girl of his dreams. Updike utilizes numerous classical overtones to emphasize Sammy's misguided idealism; it is as if he's playing the role of hero in an Arthurian legend.
One could also argue that Sammy's action is not genuinely heroic, because he has ulterior motives. He is primarily concerned with winning Queenie's heart and does not take a stand simply to defend injustice. It is important to note that Sammy is not attracted to Queenie's friends and would more than likely remain silent if Queenie was not present. Despite Sammy's valiant attempt to gain Queenie's admiration, he walks to the parking lot and accepts the harsh reality of his bold choice. The irony of the story is that Sammy's bold stance backfires, as his romantic notions are crushed by the realistic world.
There are quite a few questions being asked here. I believe that the first question is the main question. The second question actually provides two possible answers to the first question. Either of those choices can be defended too. It's possible that Sammy genuinely thinks that his act will be so heroic in Queenie's eyes that she'll thank him as her knight in shining armor. It's also possible that Sammy believes in his ideals about how Lengel is unfairly treating the girls. Sammy doesn't care what the girls think; he just wants to make a stand against Lengel and what he stands for. I don't think either of those possibilities is the reason that Sammy quits his job so suddenly. I think his main motivation is trying to impress the girls in some way. He wants them to notice him as something more than just a cashier in the store. He doesn't care what the old ladies in the store think about him, because he hardly notices them in return; however, he definitely notices Queenie. Readers get huge amounts of detail about her bathing suit and where she pulled her money from.
Now her hands are empty, not a ring or a bracelet, bare as God made them, and I wonder where the money's coming from. Still with that prim look she lifts a folded dollar bill out of the hollow at the center of her nubbled pink top. . . .
I uncrease the bill, tenderly as you may imagine, it just having come from between the two smoothest scoops of vanilla I had ever known were there, and pass a half and a penny into her narrow pink palm, and nestle the herrings in a bag and twist its neck and hand it over, all the time thinking.
Sammy quits because he wants her to notice him, and quitting his job is just about the only rebellious "look at me" action he has to play. He might believe his action is heroic.
The girls, and who'd blame them, are in a hurry to get out, so I say "I quit" to Lengel quick enough for them to hear, hoping they'll stop and watch me, their unsuspected hero.
Unfortunately, a truly heroic act isn't self-serving, and Sammy is definitely hoping his actions impress Queenie.
No comments:
Post a Comment