In the short story"A&P", John Updike's character, Sammy, descriptively introduces the characters. I loved the time spent detailing, even how "Queenie" walked unnaturally in her bare feet. It set the scene well, and helped demonstrate Sammy's background. I interpreted his situation to be kind of desperate. I felt that working at a grocery store at the age of nineteen, college is probably not high on his agenda. I understood that he is still living at home, so he will not be on the streets without a paycheck, but may not have many other job opportunities, (especially since his parents helped him land this one). The details in describing the bodies of the girls intensely shows his interest in them, which makes it more plausible for him to give up his livelihood to impress them at the end.
Sammy's diction is very informal, almost coarse, leading me to the conclusion that he is not highly educated. This in turn, implies that his best prospects for the future may be at the A&P, like his friend, Stokesie.

I think that Sammy's motivation for quitting his job is to impress the girls, especially,"Queenie". I think that he did feel right about the moral decision of standing up for the girls, but ultimately, it is always on the minds of nineteen year old boys, impress the girl.