Updike’s character, Sammy, who is a happy teenager, currently works at the check out slot of a supermarket. He is completely enlightened with the sight of three girls walking into the store wearing very little clothing. Sammy can’t contain himself; his focus has shifted from ringing up a frustrated old woman to a young boys number one reason of losing focus. He was so fascinated by the girls that he couldn’t remember what he had rung up for the old pes

Unlike Sammy, the narrator in “Lust” doesn’t make decisions based upon a reasonable or valid motive. It would be safe to call the narrator illogical with her ideals. It is understood that fear, depression and solitude can make a person act illogically, but there are alternatives rather than acting unreasonably. For example, this girl put herself in a predicament when a guy merely talked to her; “Or it’d be, trying to be reasonable, in a regular voice, “Listen, I just want to have a good time.” So I’d go because I couldn’t think of something to say back that wouldn’t be obvious, and if you go out with them, you sort of have to do something” (Minot 1006). Sounding a bit crude, this girl is senseless. It is also understood that a lot of ridiculous acts occur at boarding schools, but no one person can take away your personal right of speaking your mind. Acting the way she does is simply stupid.

It is understood that happiness at boarding schools can be quite difficult to acquire, usually drastic measures are taken to deter problems and blank them out from student’s repressed freedom. In the case of the narrator, she doesn’t turn to odorless, smokeless, nor undetectable substances i.e. (hard-core drugs); rather she finds what she may think of an attempt to find a happy median. Similarly, this young girl is saddened by the choices she makes. “At boarding school, everyone gets depressed” (Minot 1010). The narrator has made a conscious decision to sleep around and it haunts her as a result. It’s not to say that she is becoming an inferior person for it, it just means that her moral values may be inflicted by her decision-making. It wouldn’t be fair if her unhappiness was the downfall to her personal achievements.

Any person who isn’t sure of whom they might be as a person in the slightest bit would not be able to commit to following through with quitting a job once given by a friend. To be able to make a decision firmly is completely the opposite of shying away from what you want to do. The narrator in “Lust” had trouble saying “no” to certain things she did n

Some topics in this essay:
Susan Minot, Mom Dad”, Unlike Sammy, STD’s HIV, narrator “lust”, quitting job, John Updike, updike 1347, decision quitting job, saying “no”, main character, quit job, “that girl, personal achievements, sexual acts, family friend,