Ever wonder what really goes through a nineteen year old boy's head? After reading the story "A&P," written by John Updike, I have a better sense of how the average nineteen year old boy probably thinks. "A&P" is written in first person point of view. The story takes place in a small town grocery called the A&P. Sammy is a nineteen year old cash register clerk there. One quiet afternoon, three young ladies walked into the A&P and struck Sammy's attention. His actions and thoughts in the story allow the reader to understand some of the feelings that go through a nineteen year old boy's head. Sammy is the narrator as well as the major character in the story. We see from the story that Sammy had many personalities. He is very observant, sometimes thinking dirty thoughts. He also has a caring side that comes out when you least expect. Through Sammy, Updike expresses the theme that young, observant, dirty minded boys have a caring side too.
             Sammy's different personalities really showed in many parts of the story. When he spotted the three young girls in the A&P, he observed every feature on their bodies. He saw them and said, "They did not even have shoes on" (90). He then said, "There was a chunky one with a two-piece top, a tall one with black hair and sunburn under her eyes, and the last one was no quite as tall. She was the queen, wearing a dirty pink suit with the straps down over her shoulders" (90). Sammy was doing what most any nineteen year old boy would be doing. He was critiquing all three of the girls in his head, thinking dirty thoughts at the same time. Near the end of the story, Sammy's caring side came out when his boss Lengel came in and started to embarrass the three young girls because of what they were wearing. Lengel says to the girls, "This isn't the beach" (92). The girls said
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