Conflicted Maturity in

            "Conflict is, among other things, the process of building and sustaining very different perceptions and interpretations of reality." (http://fusf.org/fusf/sinkford_sermon.html)
             This quote by Paul Lederach, Professor of Peace-Building at Notre Dame reaches out especially to John Updike's "A&P." Sammy suffered a variety of conflicts in the story including conflict among characters, conflict among characters and environment, and a conflict of his own personal thoughts leading him eventually to develop as a person. Conflicts throughout this short story illustrate how the narration used by the author was not only reliable but absolutely necessary to obtain the view point intended by Updike. Through various conflicts calling for this specific first person narration, John Updike shows us how Sammy was able to grow and mature as a person.
             First, Sammy is faced with the conflict among characters. One conflict Sammy seems to have is the conflict with Stokesie. "Stokesie's married with two babies," and twenty two opposed to Sammy's nineteen. (115) Although Stokesie's life forces him to be much more mature, Sammy feels like they are on the same level other than his family and a few years. Sammy's other conflict among characters is with Lengel, the store manager who wants to embarrass the girls he has been ogling since the walked through the door. This conflict leads to Sammy's decision to quit his job. Lengel is obviously
            
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             aware that this is a hasty decision on Sammy's part and replies, "Sammy, you don't want to do this to your Mom and Dad...you'll feel this for the rest of your life." (117) Sammy takes no time to think with what he thinks as heroic and decides to go because "once you begin a gesture, it's fatal not to go through with it." (117) This conflict among characters appears to have a positive affect on Sammy by making hi...

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Conflicted Maturity in. (2000, January 01). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 09:33, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/83606.html