Character Analysis
Hippie-Dippy
When the new boy shows up at Frannie's school, it is obvious that he's not going to fit in. First of all, he's a white kid attending an all-black school, and secondly, he has long hair that makes him look like a hippie… or like Jesus:
The boy was pale and his hair was long—almost to his back. And curly—like my own brother's hair, but Mama would never let Sean's hair grow that long. I sat at my desk, staring at his hair, wondering what a kid like that was doing in our school—with that long, curly hair and white skin and all. (1.9)
Needless to say, the boy's odd appearance and the way that he just wants to be everyone's friend (even when it's obvious that people are keeping a wide berth) earns him a reputation as an outsider. The other kids are also confused by the fact that he doesn't stand up to the boys who pick on him (like Trevor) most of the time. Instead, he exercises extreme non-violence, just like a hippie… or like Jesus.
Just Like Us
Despite the fact that the boy is oh-so-different, it soon becomes apparent that he's not a crazy hippie or even a miraculous appearance of the real live Jesus (like Samantha suspects). He's just a regular boy:
And the hurting proved to all of us that the Jesus Boy was just a boy. A white-black boy. A human boy all complicated and crazy as the rest of us. (15.23)
The fact of the matter is that Jesus Boy isn't so different from the other people on this side of the highway. He has a normal family, hangs out at the rec center with the other kids, and just wants to fit into the community. When the other kids realize this, they come to accept him despite his skin color, despite the fact that he has long hair, and despite the fact that he's new. Even Rayray decides that he's cool:
"You all right, my man," he said, giving the Jesus Boy the Power sign. "You think you gonna stay at Price?" (15.11)
Jesus Boy wants the same thing as the rest of them: He just wants to belong. And as the story wraps up, it seems like this is finally happening for him. Yay.