Important Quotation Analysis Sammy, the main character of “A&P” by John Updike, says “But it seems to me that once you begin a gesture it is fatal not to go through with it,” towards the end of the story when he was quitting his job at the A&P. This quote has a couple of meanings. He thinks his decisions, or the gesture in this scenario, determine his lifestyle. Another thing this quote conveys is that once you say something, you cannot take it back. In a twisted way, the quote means that he thought about what he did before he did it.
Therefore, to not go through with it, would mean he is giving up on what he believes is the right thing to do. The way of life Sammy has is not satisfying to him and he w
...ants to better his values in life to something more exciting. He mentions it is true that he does not want to disappoint his parents. However, he would rather not feel entrapped in the traditional life he is living. He wants to be associated with Queenie’s carefree and more desirable lifestyle. He wants to break away from obeying the rules and be more young at heart, like Queenie and her friends.
When he says “fatal”, it does not mean deadly or lethal, he means that it determines his future. He knows the consequences will be hard to deal with because he quit his job and he is aware he must learn to live with them. Sammy says that once you say or do something, it’s important for you to stick to that decision. Otherwise, your fate
is at greater risk. If he was to be persuaded by Lengel to stay working at the A&P, he would not have entirely proved that he believed embarrassing the girls was the wrong thing of his boss to do.
Sammy thought that the girls were decent because he was very attracted to their beauty. He also wanted to impress the girls, especially Queenie, by quitting as they left the A&P. If he did not quit, his point would not have been proved and he would have been following the rules of the same boring life he desperately wanted to be free from. By following through with quitting his job, he was intending to be more bold and sophisticated so he could escape the feeling of being trapped in his uninteresting and rule-following life.
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