Sammy's Struggle In Manger At A & P

• Central Character: The young nineteen year old Sammy who has been a worker at the grocery store for quite some time. Sammy is bored with his job and most importantly with his daily life . While working, he observes his surroundings and discovers a representation of his future new lifestyle. Overall Sammy is curious, heroic, willing, and intelligent.
• Other characters: The three teenage girls in the bathing suits, whom represent the exciting and adventurous life style in the short story according to the narrator. All three girls come from rich and sophisticated families. Sammy refers to the leader as “Miss Queenie” whom is always in the middle and stands with confidence. Stokesie, is another worker at A&P. Stokesie is a twenty-two year old man who is married and has two children to care for. Lengel is the story manger at A&P and an old friend of Sammy’s Parents. Lengel is obviously mature and the strict one in the story who enforces store policy.
•Setting:

The girls come in nothing but bathing suits and with no shoes. Sammy describes the regular customers he sees when he mentions “women generally put on a shirt or shorts or something before they get out of the car into the street. And anyway these are usually women with six children and varicose veins mapping their legs and nobody, including them, could care less” (Updike).Sammy is excited because not everyday you you get to experience customers like three girls.
(2) Sammy leaving his job symbolizes his first step to independence and a life full of adventures. He quits because he will not work for Lengel whom criticizes the lifestyle he wishes to have.
(3) Lengel and Stokesie, symbolize a dull lifestyle which Sammy does not want to continue to life until later on in life. Sammy knows their living is not bad but he wants to have some excitement before he stays in a store for years without having some