Sammy and Lengel: A Comparison
Sammy, the narrator in the story "A & P," is a totally different person from his boss, Lengel. Sammy is a cashier while Lengel is the manager. Their point of departure comes to the surface when three girls walk into A & P in bathing suits. Lengel immediately considers it inappropriate and chastises them in a fatherly manner while Sammy is so taken in he literally drinks in the girls’ physique and mannerisms almost to the point of adoration. Sammy and Lengel not only differ in age but also in opinion and behavior.
Differences in Age and Opinion
In terms of age and opinion and how they view life, Lengel is elderly since he has been friends with Sammy’s parents for long. Moreover, crestfallen at the decision taken by Sammy to quit, he “…sighs and begins to look very patient and old and gray” (Updike 5). On the other hand, Sammy is 19 years old and easily forms opinions. In fact, he is highly opinionated, judgmental and dismissive while his boss is the complete opposite. Sammy is blinded by a very harsh and negative image of the women in his town. He describes one as, “…one of these cash-register-watchers, a witch about fifty with rouge on her cheekbones and no eyebrows…” (Updike 1). He contemptuously refers to shoppers as 'sheep' and 'house slaves.' He, however, uses a different set of adjectives to describe the girls, his objects of admiration. For instance, he doesn’t mind Queenie’s long neck, “The longer her neck was, the more of her there was” (Updike 2). In contrast, Lengel, perhaps being older and boasting of life’s experiences is nonjudgmental, austere and devoid of criticism. In fact, when Sammy threatens to resign, he doesn’t judge him for who he is (foolish, because he quits on the whims of emotions and chivalrous tendencies), but gently tries to dissuade him from self-destruction. Lengel is also a stickler for policy which he quotes to the girls. As brilliant as Updike was in carving out these two characters, he is unfairly criticized for portraying people as being neither evil nor nice (Schwarz).
Differences in Behavior
Sammy and Lengel also differ in behavior and mannerisms. One is rash while the other is patient and slow in reacting. Because Sammy is idealistic and willing to stand up for what his principles, he resigns because Lengel has embarrassed the girls. In contrast, Lengel urges Sammy to reconsider, to think about his parents. Lengel knows about the perils of joblessness, but pride and chivalry get the better of Sammy. While Lengel is moral and conventional, Sammy is immoral and unconventional when he lusts after Queenie, “I uncrease the bill… it just having come from between the two smoothest scoops of vanilla I had ever known were there…”(Updike 4) obviously lusting after Queenie’s breasts. However, Lengel doesn’t mince his words by saying, "Girls, I don't want to argue with you. After this come in here with your shoulders covered. It's our policy." (Updike 4). In addition, Sammy is observant, something his senior is not and the entire story is told in a detailed manner. But Lengel doesn’t seem to have this gift because he hadn’t even noticed that one of the girls was wearing a two-piece. In their critique, Baddiel & Meyers note that Updike’s works always involved moral issues and that he was mainly influenced by his native land, England.
Conclusion
In summary, Sammy and Lengel differ in age, opinion, and behavior. While Sammy is opinionated, judgmental, dismissive, rash, immoral, lustful, observant and unconventional, Lengel is older, nonjudgmental, austere, patient, moral, non-observant and conventional. In short, Sammy is an idealist while Lengel is a realist.
Works Cited
Baddiel, David, and Jeffrey Meyers. "Judging John Updike." New Statesman, vol. 143, no. 5208, May, 2014, pp. 42-45. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/1523937085?accountid=45049.
Schwarz, Benjamin. "Updike: America's Man of Letters." The Atlantic Monthly, vol. 286, no. 6, 12, 2000, pp. 124-125. ProQuest, https://search.proquest.com/docview/223096039?accountid=45049.
Updike, John. “A " P.” The New Yorker, 22 July 1961. Accessed on 9 April 2018. http://www2.umf.maine.edu/mclp/wp-content/uploads/sites/91/2014/06/Lesson-4a-AP-by-John-Updike.pdf
