Something I picked out pretty fast from reading A & P was the level of detail used to describe the main character’s surroundings was very precise. The way Updike described many of the characters provided a clear depiction of them, allowing me to form my own judgments. I feel like I know Lengel and others beyond the accounts given to me, because I know people just like them. People may be predictable or common, or maybe I’m oversimplifying it.
I don’t know if it was Updike’s intent or not, but I felt the whole situation was kind of depressing—from the florescent lights to the ‘sheep-like’ people Sammy had to witness. This might have been an alternative motive to his resignation; instead of aiming to impress the girl, he might have been driven to commit an act of defiance against this environment. Whatever the case, the reader is the one to make a final evaluation of Sammy’s character and why he did what he did. Is he a hero, or a fool? In this case, there doesn’t seem to be that much of a difference.
A quick comic I made composed of internet memes.
Ha. Great post, Mike. Loving the meme.
ReplyDeleteThere is something oddly depressing about Sammy's "heroic" act of defiance, isn't there?