Peter

The entire story centers around an encounter between Peter and Anna, so these two characters are the only ones who have a significant role in the story. Peter is a man who is obsessed with his physical health. He was married to Anna, and he has a daughter with her, named Judy. Peter is presented as being self-centered, vain, and greedy. In the story, Peter seduces Anna despite the fact that he and Anna are separated. Furthermore, Peter appears to be a character with a controlling nature.

Paley presents Peter as an egocentric character through patterns in Peter’s dialogue. Throughout the story, many of Peter’s conversations often serve as a means for Peter to make the topic of conversation about him. One of the first examples of this arises when Peter invites himself to Anna’s apartment. In this scene, Peter tells Anna, “I’d like...