Sammy Keyes and the Hotel Thief

The binoculars are a motif of the theme of The Power of Observational Skills and Critical Thinking. Sammy is drawn to the device because it complements her personality traits, particularly her curiosity and attention to detail. The binoculars expand Sammy’s field of vision, facilitating the young detective’s keen observational skills and leading to many of her most important discoveries. In the novel’s inciting incident, they allow her to see a robbery in the hotel across the street. By adjusting the binoculars’ focus, she’s able to note key details about the thief, such as his “bushy brown hair and beard” (5). No one else witnesses the crime, and it would have gone unnoticed by the protagonist if not for the binoculars. In this way, the device supports the character’s natural observational skills and presents to her a mystery that challenges her critical-thinking skills. Another key moment for the motif occurs when the binoculars allow Sammy to observe Oscar “cleaning his glasses with a hanky” in Chapter 12 (91). When she applies her critical-thinking skills, she realizes that this detail is the vital clue that reveals that he is the thief. Van Draanen uses the motif of Sammy’s binoculars to develop the theme of observational skills and critical thinking, facilitate key moments in the mystery, and accentuate the protagonist’s strengths.