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Comparing Epiphanies In Sonny's Blues And A & P

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In the short stories “A&P” by John Updike and “Sonny's Blues” by , both narrators experienced epiphanies that changed their perspective on life. An epiphany is when someone has a moment of realization or understanding to what they looked passed. Both main characters experience this but have totally different outcomes, positive and negative. Sonny’s older brother, the narrator, being a kind man has sees only disappointment through his brother. Until a sudden change, he begins to see the different personalities one can obtain and change overtime and learns never to judge what is on the outside. Sammy, young and immature, believes in living in the now, and with such dramatic decisions he is not brought into complete happiness. In “Sonny’s Blues”, …show more content…

In the beginning of the story he notices a group of girls, though in his eyes they were not being treated properly he made a comment to himself, “You never know for sure how girls’ minds work (do you really think it’s a mind in there or just a little buzz like a bee in a glass jar?)”(18), showing his arrogance he is assuming that if there is no way of understanding the female mind then there is probably no mind to understand anyways. Even though he completely insults the females at the store, he still has an attraction to them just has a funny way of expressing it. Continuing on with his observation with the girls being rudely confronted on the attire they were wearing, at least in his preference it was inappropriate, he tried to show off as they were leaving that we was going to quit his job. This was said in hopes of the girls actually noticing him and maybe giving him the chance he wants. His boss, Legel, replies “I don’t think you know what you’re saying” (21); giving him the chance and impression that he knows what might be best for him. Sammy commits to what he states, “But it seems to me that once you begin a gesture it’s fatal not to go through with it” (21), “fatal” meaning that this decision will affect him in the future, but it is one he was willing to risk to impress Queenie. In the end, he began to re-evaluate his decision, “[...] and my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hear after” (21), implying that not one will Sammy have hard time trying to find and get another job, but if he continues with the same judgment and actions he is going to have a hard time getting through life and it will only get tougher as it goes

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