Amanda Ramlakhan
February 26, 2020
ENC 1102
Professor Koopmann
Inside the Mind of Sammy, an A&P Employee
With the tension of the Cold War lingering over the United States, John Updike shares the
story of Sammy in the literary piece, A&P. Sammy is a low-class grocery store worker who has a
hard time discerning responsibility over desires. Through the story, Sammy’s observations about
the girls, the customers, and his boss, Lengel, tells us that he has a childish, negative outlook on
life. One can see this through him objectifying Queenie, the foul way he describes his customers,
and how he downplays the importance of Lengel’s conventional values.
