Groundhog Day , starring Bill Murray, is a film about a television weatherman named Phil who relives the same day, 2 March, over and over again. A & P is a short story by John Updike in which a cashier, Sammy, has his routine day disrupted when three girls wearing swimming suits stroll into the grocery store where he works and are confronted by the manager. Though their storylines vary greatly, in both works the main character in each is a self-centered, condescending male who eventually realises the flaws in his character. This realisation is, in part, brought out by supernatural forces in Groundhog Day and by a manager's harsh words in A & P . However, in each work, the female protagonist, Rita in Groundhog Day and the character nicknamed 'Queenie' in A & P , acts as a catalyst, inspiring and motivating the main character to change.

As each of the male protagonists is confronted with a contrast to his own character in the form of a woman he desires, he is forced into re-examining the flaws in his own character. With Phil, the moment of realisation comes when after repeatedly failing to win Rita, she accuses him of only loving himself. He responds by saying, "I don't even like myself." He proves his dislike for himself by repeatedly committing suicide. It is only when he abandons his habit of lying and cheating and finally opens up to Rita that he can win her friendship. And it is Rita's optimistic suggestion to make the most of his situation that finally inspires him to fully grasp life. By the end of the film his character has changed completely. He spends his repeated day repeatedly helping those that he can help (changing a flat tire, saving a choking diner, rescuing a falling boy, etc.) and doing whatever he can to improve himself (taking up ice-sculpting, learning piano). The negativity of his condescension, deceit and repressed self-loathing is replaced by a positive compassion for others, honesty and a feeling that he is at peace with himself. Once the change has been completed he not only wins Rita's heart, but he also wins his escape from Groundhog Day . He finally awakens, a new man, on 3 March.

Some topics in this essay:
Phil Sammy, Groundhog Day, Unlike Phil, Twice Sammy, John Updike, Day Sammy, , Bed Breakfast, Rita Queenie, Phil Sammy's, groundhog day, main character, rita queenie, main character self-centered, own character, pigs sheep, hero phil, attraction phil, character self-centered, male protagonists, phil sammy,