Jody is young  and obedient, but he is also sensitive and thoughtful.  The story describes his coming of age from a naive boy to a hardened young man.

When the story starts, we learn that Joy is “only a little boy” about ten years old.  He is obedient, jumping up as soon as he hears the triangle.

[He has] hair like dusty yellow grass and with shy polite grey eyes, and with a mouth that worked when he thought. (Ch. 1, p. 2) 

It never occurs to Jody to disobey the triangle.  He says that no one he knows ever has.  Jody gets up quickly, and dresses quickly.  Both of his parents seem strict, and Jody is shy around them.

His father was a disciplinarian. Jody obeyed him in everything without questions of any kind. (Ch. 1, p. 4)

(The entire section contains 417 words.)