Is Sammy a Hero?

In 2005, a teenager by the name of Jordan Thomas was in a life altering accident. At the age of 16, Jordan and his parents took a scuba diving trip on their family boat. Jordan jumped out of the boat and his feet were pulled up by the boat’s wake into its spinning propellers. The propellers in turn cut up his legs and left him helpless. His parents, doctors, did their best to help him as they rushed back to shore to get their son to a hospital. After extensive surgery, Jordan still lost most of his right and left leg. He now has to depend on a set of prosthetic legs to walk for the rest of his life.

After his life altering accident, Jordan Thomas realized what he was going to make his life’s purpose about. The prosthetic legs that enable him to walk like a normal person cost $24,000 on average. Insurance will only cover up to a fifth of the costs. Since he comes from a well off family, Jordan was fortunate enough to easily obtain a pair of prosthetic legs. However, many families do not have the option to pay that kind of money for medical help. Children in particular, who will out grow several different sets of limbs that cost thousands of dollars cannot have the luxury of an arm or leg with a bendable joint. Seeing how much the prosthetics help his life, Jordan Thomas wanted his opportunities to become available to small children. He started the Jordan Thomas Foundation as a way to raise money to give kids a chance to have a normal childhood. The charity raised hundreds of thousands of dollars through bracelets, fundraisers, and cookouts.

Jordan Thomas helped children have the ability to run and play the way a child is suppose to. He was deeply affected by his condition and realized there are people in his same condition that could not get the help he had received because of a lack of money. Jordan Thomas had the intention to help others for the sake of making the world a slightly better place. His foundation was not started to gain a little bit of fame or limelight. He is a true hero for the children who can now live happy lives instead of being looked at as outcasts.

True heroes are defined by the intentions behind their actions. If a person saves someone’s life, but only because of selfish motivations, it does not make him or her a true hero. The person may be a hero in the eyes of the person they saved, however, it does not make him or her a true hero at the core.

Since a person’s intentions are the definition of a true hero, Sammy, in “A & P,” is not a true hero. In the short story, Sammy quits his job to impress the girls. Quitting his job does not seem to be that much of a sacrifice for him to make. Throughout the story Sammy’s bored tone makes it apparent he does enjoy working at the grocery store. He may have been trying to stick up for the girls; however, his motivation was to get their attention. He did not want to stick up for them because he thought they were treated wrong and is therefore not a true hero.