week 6- A & P

 “What question (or questions) does the author want me to think about?” Questions are far more important in literature than concrete answers.

This story is a little harder for me to find many questions for. What I interpret of this story is that Sammy is a good, well-mannered boy, working at the grocery store of a small town. He still lives with his parents and seemingly has a good relationship with them (he mentions that his mom irons his shirt for him). Although the story is mainly about how three girls look in their bathing suits than anything else, I am focusing on Sammy and what his actions in the story say about him.

Possibly the author wants us to ask ourselves what the real reason is behind Sammy quitting his job right there on the spot. Which makes me think that Sammy is taking a stand for something that he believes in. When is it right to begin expressing what you believe in, or taking a stand for it? Which is what I believe happened here, Sammy took a stand. He didn't like the way that his manager spoke to the girls, who were unlike the rest of the "sheep" in the store. Was Sammy trying to say that he had had enough of this cookie-cutter lifestyle that everyone, including him to this point, was living? He saw the girls as black sheep in his world, and he admired them. He then took a stand against his manager for what he saw as wrong behavior on his manager's part. What would Sammy have done if his manager was not there? What would he have done if the girls would have ended up in Stokesie's line and not his? What is Sammy's life going to be like now that he quit? You can tell that he has an immediate feeling of guilt, but that he is someone to not finish what he started. Will he go on the rest of his life taking a stand for things he believes in? In which case, would this be considered a turning point in Sammy's life? Is this a deciding moment for Sammy, where he will make the choice of regretting his decisions, or standing by them and reinforcing his beliefs and reminding himself why he made the decision that he did. Really, this story makes me wonder what is next for Sammy.