Question 4-Sammy describes his quitting as a gesture. For whom is this gesture made- for one audience or multiple audiences? What does it say to each audience?
Sammy’s gesture was a reaction to an event, which indirectly engaged him. Three women entered the store, and one of those three girls (Queenie) mesmerized Sammy. Married women with their children were the usual visitors to the store, which was why the presence of these three girls got such extraordinary attention. Sammy kept on looking at Queenie for as long as it was possible. These three women moved around the store in a particular attractive fashion, which demanded attention. When Lengel witnessed this audacity, he reacted like a typical Sunday school teacher, who was depressingly dull and whose outlook on life was quite bleak. He questioned attire and reminded the group that they were not at the beach. This attitude of Lengel was the action that generated a very sudden and dramatic reaction from Sammy, who felt that the attitude of Lengel was inappropriate and rude.
Therefore, when girls were leaving after a short but uneasy argument with Lengel, Sammy said “I quit” quite loudly. His tone was high and slightly unpleasant (but also calm) when he made that gesture. He classified his quitting as a gesture because he wanted to create multiple impacts on different audiences. For instance, he said I quit quite loudly so that Queenie might hear it. He wanted to get her attention, and it was an extreme gesture to get the attention of Queenie. It is apparent from the reading that the job had great importance for Sammy as the income from this job not only addressed monetary issues of Sammy, but also of his immediate family; however, despite that, Sammy quitted.
This loud gesture suggests that Sammy was trying to engage multiple audiences. He wanted both Lengel and the group to notice his gesture (his quitting). However, only Lengel took the appropriate notice of the gesture, which must be followed through according to Sammy (fatal not to go through it). It is also obvious that the message of the gesture was different for each audience. For instance, the message to the group of girls, which was led by Queenie, was that Sammy did not like how they were treated, and the attempt was also devised to convey Sammy’s feelings to the Queenie. For the Lengel the message was that 1) his behavior was inappropriate, 2) work environment was depressing and 3) anything was better than that place.
It is also evident that the gesture has many layers, which makes it a very special gesture. For instance, the gestures not only show sympathy towards a particular audience, but also try to engage (romantically) the members of a particular audience. The gesture dawns at Lengel that his position demands a different managerial behavior towards workers and a different attitude towards customers.
It is apparent from the last paragraph of the reading that Sammy’s gesture, which slightly loud and brief (targeting multiple audiences), strongly affected Lengel and it is apparent from the post-event description by Sammy. According to him, Lengel’s facial color changed, and his back became stiff after the event. Suggesting that Lengel was in a state of shock, perhaps because he was not expecting such gesture from the employee of the A&P store in response to his action that directed towards the group of girls, who were in their beach suits. This reading suggests that our actions or gestures can engage multiple audiences. However, such gestures or actions produce mixed results.
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