Why does the following code get compile error?

```
public class A
{    
   protected int _i;
   public A(int i)
   {
       _i=i;
   }
   public boolean equals(Object other)
   {
       System.out.print("A ");
       return ((other!=null) && (_i==other._i));
   }
}

```

The `Object` class is considered parent of `A`, that is, superclass and subclass. So how come The `Object` class doesn't have an access to protected variables?