Small Steps

The theme of discrimination flows throughout the book. Race, gender, and disability discrimination are all addressed. Armpit (a tall, muscular Black teenager) faces a subtle form of discrimination when a stranger crosses the road to avoid him. The white woman watching Armpit chat with Ginny could just be happy to see “two people smiling and laughing” (54), or she could be suspicious that Armpit is pushing drugs on a “little white girl” (54). The fact that this question crosses Armpit’s mind highlights the judgment that he routinely faces. When Armpit is released from Camp Green Lake, his counselor warns him that as a young Black man with a criminal record, “People are going to expect the worst from you and will treat you that way” (4). Kaira (who is Black) notes her own assumptions based on race when she assumes that Armpit is Ginny’s caretaker. Overt racism is shown in the officers’ brutal treatment of Armpit. When Armpit reaches for his tickets, the security guard flinches because he already judged Armpit to be a threat.

The escalation of unprovoked violence and silencing of Armpit, the assumption that he drugged Ginny, the officers’ false assertion that Armpit was resisting arrest (thereby justifying their actions) are all instances of raw racism. To underscore the point, the mayor, a small white woman, spells it out when she asks the police: “I’m not going to let you justify your actions by blaming the victim […] let me ask you something […] would the gesture have been so threatening if he was white?” (108). If the mayor had not intervened, Armpit would be back in jail and Ginny would have had her stomach pumped, causing lasting damage to both of them.

The way in which the mayor, Cherry Lane, is treated is an example of gender discrimination. Cherry Lane, the town’s mayor, is shown no respect by the security guards or the police. The police tell her to “stay back” and ignore her when Cherry tells them not to beat someone handcuffed and on the ground and to let Armpit go. It is not until she pulls rank on the officer, “You let him go right now, unless you want to spend the next 10 years walking up and down Lamar Boulevard” (106) that they reluctantly listen. Even so, the police continue to try and dismiss Cherry so they can charge Armpit with resisting arrest. It is unlikely that the mayor of Austin would have been so persistently and patronizingly sidelined if she had been a man. The way in which Kaira is treated like a sexy commodity by Jerome and her band members is another example of gender discrimination. Kaira is seen as an object first and person second. Kaira is a talented artist, but any songs she writes are ignored, and Jerome tells her to “just keep singing and shaking that sexy little body” (33). The lasting effects of the discrimination Kaira has suffered from are shown when she is finally free—she is lost and unsure of who she really is.

Ginny also suffers daily from discrimination. Ginny’s disability is caused by cerebral palsy, which affects her motor skills, balance, and speech—but not her intelligence. However, she is called “’tard” at school and knows that teachers pity her. The endless (but well-meaning) comments, such as the ticket taker at the concert asking, “Is she alright?” (99) are a constant reminder that people judge Ginny’s disability before they know her and assume that she is stupid, drunk, or drugged. Armpit is one of the few people who genuinely does not pity or judge Ginny, and for this she loves him.

With her quick and precise response to bullies who mock her, and her sunny, optimistic personality, Ginny hides how deeply she is affected by the discrimination she faces. Ginny has invented backstories for her stuffed animals that mirror her own experience of misplaced assumptions. Her toy owl has big eyes, and her toy dog has big ears, therefore they must have great eyesight and hearing, respectively. However, her owl is blind and her dog is deaf, but they have exceptional gifts in their other senses (the owl can “hear really g-good” [44] and the dog has a “keen sense of smell” [45]). Her toys speak to how Ginny understands her world: People assume she is unintelligent because of her gait, the same way people assume her owl can see because of his big eyes. Like her toys, Ginny has developed strengths and coping strategies, but most people do not bother to see past their initial misjudgment of her.