P without having awe-filled reverence for the grocery clerk named Sammy. However, from the beginning, Sammy's idealistic dreams of renown had a sour taste to them.Sammy began his grocery clerk glory days as a victim of his own parents' over watchfulness. His parents had known Lengel, the store manager, for years, and took it upon themselves to get Sammy a job. Perhaps his parents believed that doing Sammy's dirty work would somehow shelter Sammy from the so-called "real world," or perhaps they merely wanted the best for their son, and getting him a job was their way of giving Sammy what they felt he was due. Whatever his parents' motives were, the end result was somewhat of a loss of Sammy's independence. Given the circumstances surrounding the rest of the story, it is not unreasonable to assume that Sammy had felt somewhat dependent upon his parents and did not like that dependence at all. But he had never faced the right circumstance that may have potentially given him a reason, or an excuse, to break his ties with his parents and become truly independent. Lengel points out, "Sammy, you don't want to do this to your Mom and Dad . . . You'll feel this for the rest of your life. Despite this warning, Sammy is more than willing to break the unwritten covenant he has with his parents and attempts to become a single autonomous agent. He knows that he will disappoint his parents if he decides to quit working, but he feels it more important to stand up for and impress the girls. He has the goal of leaving his victimized life behind him so that he can continue it without external impediment.It is unfortunate that Sammy's lofty goals are not realized. The moment he steps out the door of the A & P, "I look around for my girls, but they're gone, of course. There wasn't anybody but some young married screaming with her children about some candy they didn't get by the door of a powder-blue Falcon station wagon." Sammy must come to the harsh reali...
