Free «Character and Conflict» Essay

This story is about three young girls who go to a food store dressing up against the norms. At the desk girls meet the employee of the store named Sammy and he engages with them in a talk admiring how they are dressed. Two of the girls try to shield one of them named Queenie who is more skimpily dressed. The girls however get terrified when another employee named Lengel comes in. Lengel argues that it is the store’s policy for people to come well dressed and insists that the three girls are demonstrating juvenile delinquency from the way they are dressed. After the three girls leave, Sammy and Lengel engage in a conflict as Sammy thinks that Lengel has embarrassed the girls while Lengel thinks that the girls embarrassed them.

Sammy is indifferent and enjoys conversing with girls. He is also engaging as he talks to the three girls while ignoring other customers until Lengel arrives. Lengel, on the other hand, is authoritative as he commands the girls to come in only when their shoulders are covered. He is also firm because when the girls could not cover their shoulders, he dismisses them and lets them go even against the will of his fellow colleague.

It is also clear that Queenie is brave because she comes in as the most skimpily dressed while her friends are embarrassed and start covering her up. Queenie is also a leader because it is only after she decides to leave that the other girls also follow.

In conclusion, there is an internal conflict between Sammy who would want to break the rules and let the girls in despite their kind of dressing, and Lengel who insists that it is the policy of the store for people to dress up well before they come into the store. On the other hand, the external conflict happened between Lengel and the girls concerning the policy of the store. The girls want to play juvenile delinquency, while Lengel is up to serious business.