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“A&P” by Updike
Gone are the days that humans could live impulsively, only taking physical pain and pleasure into account when making decisions. Or so one would like to believe. In a display of sheer innocence and ignorance, Sammy, a grocery clerk at the A & P, managed to revert back to the original behavior patterns of his ape-like ancestors. One cannot possibly predict the future of Sammy, given his own illogical and irrational behavior. But one can, through a careful examination of Sammy's life, determine that Sammy is just a naive, young man whose impulsive acts, partly as a consequence of his upbringing, compel him to participate in a cause not worth fighting for, instead of using his talents for more constructive purposes.
No matter how much Sammy tried, he could not transcend the rational barriers of his evolutionary counterpart, the ape. From the moment that Sammy first gazed upon those three young women in bathing suits to his outburst and subsequent resignation, Sammy was not able to separate reason from basic sexual instinct. Sammy first makes the comment, The longer her neck was, the more of her there was, and later says, From the third slot I look straight up this aisle to the meat counter, and I watched them all the way.” After hours--perhaps even years--of being deprived of the sight of a beautiful girl, Sammy gave in to the natural animal tendency to observe and pursue a member of the opposite sex. It was of no consequence to Sammy that he did not even know the three girls and had not seen very much of them. Sammy's only overriding desire was, simply put, sex. Sammy made no effort to rationally think about what he was doing; instead, he acted on an impulse stemming from the most primal instincts. When the three girls walked into the A & P, Sammy was no more a rational being than Adolf Hitler was a humanitarian. He had only one goal: do everything in his power to impress the girls, making sure they would not escape the hallowed A & 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 realization that the big scene he made, the trusts and loyalties he compromised, and his own hormonal imbalance have brought him nothing. His cause was, on the face, noble. Save Maid Marion from the oppressive king. To Sammy it was as if he was actually going to rescue these girls from the seemingly inevitable predicament they found themselves in. But in reality, the cause was not noble at all. Sammy never really thought about being the hero, at least nowhere else but his own misguided fantasies. He had been deprived of the sight of beautiful women and could not resist the urge to play the ‘clerk in shiny apron-ware.’ His newfound cause was a trite one at best. More than anything, Sammy wanted to expand his mediocre achievement into some historical event. But he still ended up seeing the girls walk out of the store, never to see them again. At least Sammy had found a cause, but the least Sammy could do would have been to find a cause worth fighting for. By his attempt to ensure the girls' satisfaction, Sammy went against any rational loyalty that he could have had to his parents and his manager. He opposed the opinions of people who were close to him, and he gained nothing.
Sammy did, however, find a talent. He rushed off into his goal without thinking, going where angels fear to tread. Although his actions were drawn almost exclusively from sexual urges, Sammy could become a good leader if he would become better disciplined. He was not afraid to face the potentially adverse consequences of his actions. The principle of his actions, even if they were just a response to a hormonal imbalance, remains noble. He stood up for his belief despite what others said to him. Sammy concludes his thoughts saying, His [Lengel's] face was dark gray and his back stiff, as if he'd just had an injection of iron, and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter.” Sammy realized, since he had disappointed those who were very close to him, his life would be more complex and more prone to problems. Yet, he did not back out of his actions and decide to stay at the A & P. He instead went on with his life, realizing that the past should not be rewritten or regretted. For that, if nothing else, Sammy should be commended.
Sammy's initial motives were driven by his own innate instincts and impulses of wanting girls. Much of his motives were based upon his ape-like tendency to shed inhibitions and seduce the female sex. The ability to judge, inherent in any human being, seemed to be the only thing separating him from his evolutionary counterparts. However, as the circumstances surrounding his actions were divulged, and Sammy began to really realize what he was doing, his actions became nobler. One can learn from Sammy the importance of not backing down once decisions are made, and to stand up for one's own opinions despite what other people think. If one can disregard Sammy's initial ape-like motives that stressed the importance of the sex drive, there is much to be learned from that now-eminent grocery clerk. If people finally decide to stand up for what they believe, themselves and the world would indubitably be bettered. Then, the world would run less rampant with people who appear to have missed their fair share of natural selection, and the world would be a much more spiritually sound place.
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Atirtotle's Politics Aristotle's Politics is a timeless examination of government structure and human nature that explains his ideas on how a utopian state can be achieved. In this work, Aristotle examines ubiquitous issues such as government structure, education, crime, property ownership, the honesty of occupations, and population control. He states in Book IV, Chapter Eleven …the best form of political association is one where power is vested in the middle class, and secondly, that good government is attainable in those cities where there is a large middle class… The polis is a partnership of citizens in a system of government that serves to achieve the common good. It is not just a place where people live together for defense against enemies and for the exchange of goods. It is rather a partnership between households, clans, and villages for the sake of a fully developed and self-sufficient life. The polis gives those who possess wisdom and moral intellect a chance to move up to high positions Justice is the political good in the polis, and it must promote the common interest of the people. What is perceived to be good has to be distributive and regulative. The law is the regulating mechanism that emerges from free and equal people in civic associations. It serves as the final arbiter of problems, and stands above individuals and binds their actions. Laws change habits and training, but are changeable through certain circumstances and procedures if it is believed to be unjust. The well-being of a society is contingent upon to what extent its citizens obey the law. A member of the polis can be defined as someone who can participate in judging (serve as a juror in the court system), and in governing (serve in public office). A good citizen must possess moderation, prudence, and justice, and must be able and willing to rule and be ruled. Aristotle defines a constitution as an arrangement in regard to the offices of the city. By this arrangement the citizen body distributes office, either on the basis of the power of those who participate in it, or on the basis of some sort of general equality (i.e. the equality of the poor, or of the rich, or an equality existing among both rich and poor.) There must therefore be as many constitutions as there are modes of arranging the distribution of office according to the superiorities and the differences of the parts of the city (Page 138). He believes that the organization of a state's constitution is directly related to the kinds of citizens that reside in the polis. The constitution has a direct root to the most powerful or most populated class. The middle class is where most of the power comes from because they are the majority, and therefore best reflect the common interest. The upper class is not fit to form the constitution because they, like the lower class, would base it on t heir own values and beliefs rather than the needs of the state. There are problems with the lower and upper classes creating laws. The lower class constantly feels that the government is cheating them out of something because they do not have the wealth, stature, and possibly education that the upper-class possesses, thereby making it difficult for them to work towards the common good. Aristotle thinks that the upper class has too much ambition, and would only create laws that would further their economic and social well-being with little or no regard to the rest of the population. These classes consist of self-interested individuals that want to further their own needs and concerns. They create factions in order to go against the system. Factional conflict is the result of inequality, and the passion for equality is the root of faction (Class Notes). The middle class acts as the mean between the concerns of the rich and poor. Goodness itself consists in a mean; and in any city the middle class is a mean between the rich and the poor (Page 156). Th e middle class is free from the ambition of the rich and the pettiness of the poor, which helps to ensure political cohesion. We can conclude that a constitution based on this class (i.e. a 'constitutional government' or polity) is most likely to be generally beneficial. It will be free from faction, and most likely be stable. People who know how to deliberate and give instruction should be eligible for positions in the government. The best form of constitution would have the power vested in the middle class. The golden mean is correlated with moderation which can only occur when there is a large middle class population. Freedom is the defining principle of democracy. The main aspects of freedom are being ruled and ruling in turn, since every one is equal according to number, not merit, and to be able to live as one pleases. The majority should have authority rather than those who are best fit to rule, and groups few in number. Although everyone in the polis may not be a political scientist, they can work better together with peers. With each individual having qualities of excellence and intelligence, they join to form a single entity. The real difference between democracy and oligarchy is between poverty and wealth. Oligarchy occurs when rulers owe their power to wealth whether or not they are the majority. Tyranny can be described as the worst of two potential evils. It is extreme oligarchy in its distrust of the masses and extreme democracy in its hostility to the noteables (Page 211). Aristotle says the best form is one based on merit. A combination between oligarchy and democracy is constitutional government. Although people can agree on what justice is, they often fail to reach it because they can not stop from pursuing their own goals and desires. A good government can moderate between what people think is just and what is best for the common good. Aristotle's theories are fundamentals of our current political system and earned him the title The Father of Political Science.
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