In the story “A&P”, the author, John Updike, develops the theme of reality. The story is in the coming of age sense where nineteen year old Sammy, the protagonist, works at the local grocery store. An extremely attractive young girl - in Sammy's eyes - Queenie, enters the shop with her friends who are also physically attractive, and induces Sammy to make a chivalrous decision that ends negatively: he goes unnoticed. Letting his life be turned upside down. In “A&P,” Updike uses Queenie and the girls to reveal Sammy's true character, which is disloyal, impulsive and reckless. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssaySammy can be seen as a typical young boy, in that he chooses Queenie's physical appearance, and his initial impression of being a darling, over his current job. Sammy states, "I say 'I'm leaving' to Lengel fast enough for him to hear... their unsuspecting hero." It seems Sammy's immediate goal in quitting is to impress girls. His reasons for going through with it and the likely consequences of his decision are more complex due to his lack of reflection. His characteristic of being disloyal is noted in the fact that he leaves a job that is significant not only for him but for his parents. Together with Lengel, the store manager. This unexpected but strong characteristic brings out another side of Sammy that readers - and even the characters in the book - may never have suspected. In representation of his impulsive actions, Sammy leads to his decision to quit because he wants to pursue Queenie and allows him to end it. with the opposite of what he wants. Updike expresses himself through Sammy: “But it seems to me that once a gesture has been started it is fatal not to complete it”. Queenie and her friends end up leaving, which allows Sammy to realize that her decision to quit was pointless. Lengel then tries to convince Sammy to stop by reminding him how his parents will feel. Although Sammy realizes that what Lengel is saying is true, and the impression of guilt is rising in him, his sense of pride does not allow him to change his mind. He comes to terms with the fact that he made a gesture in favor of those he called "my girls" and giving up his decision is wrong. Sammy's short temper has left him at a point where it begins to affect him negatively, in a targeted way. Realizing his decisions, Sammy comes to terms with his recklessness and arrogance as his initial task of impressing Queenie failed. Sammy reveals: "I felt how hard the world was going to be for me from then on." With Sammy leaving, the story ends with Sammy coming to terms with what he's done to himself. He takes a look around the shop and notices that Lengel does Sammy's job. Sammy then finds himself caught in the middle of his convenient, safe past and a questionable, despised future. Seeing Sammy realize his attribute of recklessness, shows that his true intentions were not to cause harm to anyone nor himself, but by being abrupt in making a decision, he has brought himself to a place where he is unnoticed and permanently unemployed . Keep in mind: This is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Allows readers to see how Updike illustrates Sammy, developing his personality traits of being disloyal, impulsive, and reckless, illuminating the various effects it can have on a person. Seeing Sammy end up jobless and become invisible to Queenie and her friends also shows the..