The protagonist, Jerry, is a dynamic character whose perspective is one of several that are central to the novel. Jerry suffers throughout the novel both physically and emotionally and has few moments of happiness or triumph. As a freshman underdog who recently lost his mother to cancer, he compels sympathy from the reader—no matter how many times Jerry is tackled on the football field or figuratively knocked down by his peers or the girls he admires, he gets back up again. He is the personification of resistance and resilience. This forms the basis of his tragic hero status at the end of the novel. His desire to step outside of his position in the social hierarchy of high school and “disturb the universe” defeats him.

Early in the novel, Jerry is defined by his commitment to the expectations and routines of attending his Catholic prep school. He pours his heart into the football team, elated when he gains a sign of approval from the coach. However, there are hints that beneath his shirt and tie, Jerry admires rebellion. He peeks at Playboy magazines in the drugstore and feels envious of the kids across the street from the bus stop who represent 1970s counterculture, of “their old clothes, their sloppiness, the way they didn’t seem to give a damn about anything” (19).