Clueless Rebel in John Updike's A&P Adults always stress the importance of making a good first impression. That's what Sammy was trying to accomplish in John Updike's "A&P." Although some people think Sammy is a hero for standing up for what he believed in when he quit smoking, there is conclusive evidence that he quit in order to impress a girl he was obviously attracted to, Queenie. We know he's attracted to Queenie because he goes to great lengths to tell us what she looks like, what her mannerisms are, and how other girls follow her. For example, he says: “She was the Queen. She was leading them as it were, the other two looked around and rounded their shoulders” (1026). This simple quote shows that Sammy immediately identified Queenie as the one responsible. Another quote that describes this perfectly is: "but you got the idea that she had convinced the other two to come here with her, and now she was showing them how to do it, to walk slowly and stand up straight" (1026 ). Naturally, Sammy is attracted to Queenie and wants to be noticed by her. Sammy thinks to himself "She must have felt out of the corner of her eye me and over my shoulder Stokesie in the second slot watching, but she didn't trip. Not that queen" (1027). Sammy is surprised to see something like this in his town. He says, “and women usually put on a shirt or shorts or something like that before they get out of the car and go out onto the street. And anyway, it's usually women with six kids and varicose veins who map their legs and no one, including them, cares. less" (1027). Sammy's descriptions also indicated that he had a lot of sexual interest in Queenie. He describes her in the most vivid way possible. He begins by saying, "With the middle of paper...this will be from there. Sammy managed to draw attention to himself, but it didn't work as he had hoped. The girls probably didn't even recognize that he stopped. He tried very hard to convince Queenie to see him and accept him, but that didn't work either since Sammy's attempt to impress the girls didn't work. he found himself in a deep shadow called life. I agree with Nathan Hatcher who wrote: "Sammy quits his job not for reasons of ideals, but rather to show off and try to impress the girls, especially Queenie" (37) Works Cited Hatcher, Nathan. “Sammy’s Motive.” fiction Ed Sullivan Barnet NY: HarperCollims., 1989. 1026-1030.