The short story "A&P", by John Updike, proves that it is human nature for lust to greatly influence one's actions. The main character in this story, a grocery store cashier, finds himself overpowered by the yearning he has for the three young girls in swimsuits that he watches shop. One in particular catches his eye, and leads him to a rash decision in the end. From the moment the girls walk in, Sammy, the young grocery clerk begins basing his actions purely upon his desire for them and curiosity with them. This is risky business considering the consequences of his lust-influenced actions. .
Lust has the ability to cause great distraction. If one does not have the power to control one's longing for another, that lust may take over all of one's thoughts. One's distraction can often lead to complete disregard.
"I stood there with my hand on a box of HiHo crackers trying to remember if I .
rang it up or not. I ring it up again and the customer starts giving me hell." (Page .
398) .
Sammy, who presumably was a good worker, let himself slip away into a world of observation when the girls entered the store. Human nature allowed him only to watch the girls and try to figure out each of their personalities, and identify which one he was .
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most attracted to. Lust can catch one off guard, as it did to Sammy, and cause great havoc in one's life. The chemistry one may feel towards another is unpredictable and unplanned. No one ever can say they know when the next time is going to be that one will feel lust for another, nor what that feeling may cause one to do. .
The feeling of lust and infatuation can cause one to do things they normally would never dream of doing. When lust overtakes one's thoughts, all of one's normal, everyday beliefs and feelings may become skewed. This is a scary thought considering that it can be an uncontrollable feeling that makes one commit out of the ordinary actions.
