Comparing 'A & P And Winter Dreams'

A&P versus Winter Dreams
Sammy, from the story “A & P” by John Updike, and Dexter, from the story “Winter Dreams” by F. Scott Fitzgerald, are similar characters from two different stories. In both stories, the two men fell in love with what they pictured as the perfect woman. Each man had visions of the future they would like to have with the lady of their dreams. Sammy daydreamed of a fancy daytime gathering with his dream-girl’s family and friends (page number). Dexter dreamt of taking and marrying the girl that he falls in love with (page number). Even though they are of different social statuses, Sammy and Dexter are the same character because they become infatuated with a certain individual, quit their jobs in order to get the individual, and end up alone.
He called her “Queenie” because she was the dominant friend of the three (Updike 294-5). The three girls had nothing but bathing suits on, and this upset Lengel, the store owner. Lengel made a big scene out of the attire the girls had on, and Sammy knew that this embarrassed the girls (Updike 297). After Queenie’s transaction was complete, Sammy told Lengel that he was quitting his job at A&P. Sammy hoped that the girls would notice he quit as a heroic gesture, but they seemed not to hear what had happened. Sammy walked out of A & P, but Queenie was gone (Updike 298). In the end, Sammy became defeated because he was jobless due to his irrational decision to quit. It is apparent that Sammy was not thinking clearly before making this major decision at his workplace. The story implies that Sammy’s quitting behavior could repeat later on in life and garner him the reputation of being a person who quits. As Sammy 's manager Lengel said, “You 'll feel this for the rest of your life (Updike