Sammy By John Updike Analysis

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When Sammy is first introduced he is an immature teenager who has a hard time focusing on anything that’s what right in front of him. But as the story continues on, his level of maturity and feelings change, including his feelings for the girls that walk in to the store. Sammy seems to be telling us the truth as he sees it, but he's not reliable because his point of view is limited. he sees all adults as sheep, all difficult to tell apart from one another which plays into his immaturity. Then three girls, that walk into A and P in their bikinis, create quite a commotion with Sammy and the other customers. Sammy get’s so distracted checking them out he rang his older customer's item twice. He gets this puerile idea in his head that they are in the store walking the way they are for attention and to be noticed. When really they are uncomfortable and feel awkward. “You never know for sure how girls’ minds work… but you got the idea that she had talked the other two into coming in here with her, and now she was showing them how to do it, walk slow and hold yourself straight,” (Updike 16).…show more content…
Walking up and down the aisles like a maze, behind them thinking about their bodies. Eventually his 22 year old co worker plays along with him in his little game. “‘Oh Daddy,’ Stokesie said beside me. ‘I feel so faint.’ ‘Darling,’ I said. ‘Hold me tight,’” (Updike 16). Proving that age doesn’t mean maturity, especially with the next few paragraphs in the short story. When the manager, Lengel, comes in the store he takes notice in the girls and makes his way over to them at Sammy’s checkout line. He addresses the issue with the girls not being properly dressed in a loud embarrassing way that makes the girls rush out of the store as fast as they can. He had made a scene in the store to make an example of the girls which made Sammy angry and
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