Small Steps

Armpit and X-Ray realize that ticket scalping is a thriving industry when they meet Felix and Moses with their crew in line for tickets. As X-Ray watches Felix and Moses, he comments, “Those guys are so cool […] That could be us in a few years” (39), underscoring that X-Ray and Armpit have different dreams. Despite X-Ray’s naïveté in thinking they could get front row seats, his good humor and optimism shine as he finds positives to their 13th-row seats: “Besides, you really don’t want to be too close. It’s better to be a few rows back” (36). His refusal to sell their tickets to Felix (while Armpit is ready to take the deal) shows that X-Ray is the risk taker of the pair. X-Ray “believes” that he can sell the tickets for more while Armpit, who now understands the supply-and-demand economics of ticket scalping, is wary. This difference is underscored by the anger Armpit feels when he sees the exaggerated price and description in X-Ray’s newspaper ad. Armpit is a conservative realist who enjoys “good clean work” (52) and worries that the tickets will not sell at the advertised price while X-Ray is a proud, risk-taking optimist. X-Ray’s pride is highlighted by his refusal to sell the tickets to buyers who keep him waiting, and he explains to an exasperated Armpit, “Our respect is worth a lot more” than the $270 they lost. Their differences make them an interesting team; Armpit tries to keep X-Ray in check, and X-Ray pushes Armpit to take high-risk/high-reward moves.

The racial discrimination that Armpit faces from strangers is touched on in this section. A man crosses the street to avoid Armpit, and a woman stares at Armpit and Ginny chatting outside the store. Armpit considers that the woman might just be enjoying “seeing two people smiling and laughing” (54) but knows that she is more likely to be memorizing his face in case the “little white girl” (54) is being abducted.

Armpit’s speech project presents the opportunity to explore the theme of Discrimination and Inaccurate Assumptions. Ginny’s cerebral palsy has caused her physical disabilities: she has trouble keeping her balance and controlling her limbs while walking. She stutters when she speaks, especially when she is under stress. Often people incorrectly assume that Ginny is not smart based solely on her unsteady motor skills. Like Armpit, Ginny gets called names and faces discrimination based on appearance, but when she’s challenged or disrespected, she rises above such behavior with a clear explanation about her condition. However, the backstories that Ginny invents for her stuffed animals give insight into how people’s assumptions have affected her. Ginny introduces Armpit to two of her stuffed animals; Hooter, an owl with huge eyes; and Daisy, a basset hound with long ears. Based on their appearance, the assumption is that Hooter has great vision and Daisy has amazing hearing, but Hooter is blind (with great hearing), and Daisy is deaf (but has a good sense of smell). Ginny’s toys have disabilities that affect their most visible attributes, but they both have unexpected gifts that allow them to overcome their challenges. Ginny’s disabilities are also impossible to hide, so she faces them with grace, strength of character, and a determination to improve them, one small step at a time. Ginny’s favorite animal, Coo, is an unusual mix of person and rabbit. Coo doesn’t have a visible disability or one that affects its senses. Instead, Coo has leukemia. Coo, the toy Ginny turns to for comfort and support, is her nod to the multitude of invisible “disabilities” that people not only live but thrive with. Ginny projects her own desire for strength and bravery onto Coo (“He is always strong and brave” [45]), and this strength makes Coo the perfect companion to help Ginny face the world. Ginny wants to share that strength and bravery with Armpit. When he expresses apprehension about the speech, Ginny assures him that “Coo will help you” (45). Coo embodies Ginny’s strength and bravery, which she uses to help Armpit, who helps Ginny in return with his own inner strength of character. The positive impact of mutual respect is clear, while a lack of respect (shown by strangers they both encounter) highlights the negative cycle of distrust and discrimination.