Sammy In John Updike's A & P

The readers are to view Sammy as a typical teenager: indifferent to those around him (except to queenie) and yet, markedly self-conscious. He proves to be an observant narrator, allowing the reader farther inspection into our protagonist. We see Sammy drink in the details of the three girls; he pays close attention to the textures of their suits, their facial features, and tan lines. However, Sammy goes beyond what he physically observes and attempts to glean what their lives are like outside of A&P. What he sees, is attractive and his appetite for association has a distinct influence over his future decisions. This is drives his observations to become detrimentally tunnelled. As Sammy dismisses A&P customers and co-workers and quits, he is