Jimmie

Jimmie is the oldest of the Johnson's three children, and he is a fighter. The story opens with him leading his neighborhood gang into a confrontation with a gang from a nearby neighborhood that results in a big fight. The fight is broken up initially when an older boy approaches. Shortly thereafter, Jimmie picks a fight with one of the boys from his neighborhood. This fight goes on until Jimmie's father approaches and begins kicking both of them. Jimmie's personality and direction in life are foreshadowed in this opening scene.

As Jimmie grows up, he continues to protect himself from pain by believing that he is better than the others around him, even the wealthy businessmen that he passes on the street. The job he gets as truck driver has him metaphorically sitting on top of the carriage, high above the other people in the street and sidewalks...