"Hindsight is twenty-twenty." - Billy Wilder

          Selfishness is one of the most common sins humans take part in on a daily basis. There is a constant need to fulfill ones' own desires prior to the desires of those around us. In some cases, helping others and obtaining the self-gratification can fulfil personal desires. However, wanting to fulfill personal priorities is often stalled by other obligations that get in the way. Obligations such as work, school, caring for children, etc. In John Updike's short story, A&P, and in Ernest Hemingway's short story, Hills Like White Elephants, readers experience what selfishness leads to and what occurs when obstacles are present. Similar to these two stories, the popular song from Disney's Frozen, "Let It Go," expressed selfish rebellion after years of obeying orders.

          In A&P by John Updike, readers meet Sammy. Sammy is a cashier at a grocery store in the 1960s. While at work, three women wearing only bathing suits come into the store. After Sammy's boss, Lengel, confronts the women about their appearance, the women are in a hurry to leave. After they exit the doors, Sammy quits in an effort to stick with the girls. As Sammy begins to exit Lengel states, "Sammy, you don't want to do this to your Mom and Dad," (Updike). Sammy then has a soliloquy being that he really doesn't want to dothis to his parents. Sammy is faced with his first obstacle, upset his parents or follow the women. Sammy continues to exit and Lengel tells him, "You'll feel this for the rest of your life," (Updike). Sammy again realizes that Lengel was right; he will always feel this decision. He continues to exit for his selfish reason of siding with the women. He describes the women earlier and states, "She held her head so high her neck, coming up out of those white shoulders, looked kind of streched, but I didn't mind. The longer her neck was, the more of her there was," (Updike). From the moment the women came into the store, Sammy wanted nothing more tha to have the women to himself. After Sammy walked out expecting to see the three women, he was disappointed to see that they had left without him. He then realizes just how hard the 'real world' is, "my stomach kind of fell as I felt how hard the world was going to be for me hereafter," (Updike). Sammy acted selfishly thinking he would become more enhanced in his life only to be let down. His selfish acts made his life harder for himself and for his parents.

          Selfish acts donot only affect one person, they tend to affet multiple people. In Hills Like White Elephants, by Ernest Hemingway readers met the girl and the man. The story is a metaphor for the girl getting an abortion. In an effort to bring comfort, the man tells the girls, "It's really an awfully simple operation, Jig. It's not really an operation at all," (Hemingway). The man has never experienced an abortion operation and is comforting the women while also implying his view on the situation. Another example of his selfishness is when his answer to the girl asking if the two of them will be alright after everything happens. He states to the girl, "That's the only thing that bothers us. It's the only thing that's made us unhappy," (Hemingway). The girl doesn't respond and instead looks at the window. The man selfishly decided that because he does not want the child, neither does she. The man also refuses to see that the girl can only be happy with both the unborn child and the man.

          Disney's Frozen won the academy award for best-animated feature film in 2013. Within the movie, Queen Elsa sings Academy Award winner for Best Original Song, "Let It Go." This song is sung after Queen Elsa accidently freezes the coty of Arendelle. As she is fleeing her city she sings, "Let It Go" and shows the viewer's her selfish rebellion. She sings, "It's time to see what I can do To test the limits and break through No right, no wrong, no rules for me I'm free." This shows the audience that she will do whatever she pleases now because she simply can. As the movie progresses, Queen Elsa's sister, Princess Anna, finds Elsa. Anna urges Elsa to return to Arendelle and return the summer weather and un-freeze the city. Elsa states, "No, Anna. I belong here. Alone. Where I can be who I am wihtout hurting anybody." Elsa tells Anna that she has decided that selfishly she will stay isolated to be bale to be herself without hiding her powers. She is un-selfish in telling Anna that she was to return to Arendelle without her and continue living her life. Frozen shows the audience that selfish acts are not always the answer to solutions. Although Anna selfishly left her city in a time of crisis to find her sister, she would have betrayed her family.

          Selfishness doesn't get people anywhere they should be headed. Billy WIlder once said, "Hindsight is always twenty-twenty." This quote means that when people look back at the actions they have taken, there will always be something they wish they could fix. As Sammy walked out of the A&P, he saw just how harsh his life would be. He wanted to go right back in and take back what just occurred, but it was already too late. The girl in, Hills Like White Elephants, wanted to be able to keep her unborn child, but it was already too late by the time she realized. Elsa left her city in a major crisis and thought there was no way she would be able to return and fix what she ruined. Elsa returned however, and did her best to make right what went wrong to begin with. Self-less acts help not only oneself, but also the people directly affected by the intial actions taken.