People That Influence Josh Arnold's Life.
Two characters that influence Josh's life (both in different ways,) are Marcia and Steenie. Marcia made him realize that your body is from God and you should not be ashamed of it. She also taught him that girls can be tough, and not need to be pampered all of their lives like his mother was. Steenie taught him all about doctoring. (His father was an obstetrician, but he did not teach him all about babies. He taught him all about everyday health.) He also told him what to eat, and how to keep himself healthy. Both by not messing with the wrong people and by having a good diet. Both Marcia and Steenie will be ingrained in Josh's memory forever.
*When Josh was growing up, in Mobile, Alabama, Mr. Arnold took his family and moved because Josh had bad knees and moving to a dry place would cure them. They looked everywhere until they found Sagrado, New Mexico. Mr. Arnold bought nine acres of land (p. 31). Then he found someone that could build him a stucco house. After they stayed there for the summer they went back to Mobile, Alabama. Josh did not come back to Sagrado for seven years (p. 34). When he did come he stayed for school and became friends with Marcia and Steenie. .
*During the school year Marcia made it clear that she thought that her body was God's temple, and therefore should not be hid modestly, and that she likes the things that a guy would be interested in, like a game called "chicken." She is a tough girl. She will stand up for what she believes in and she takes everything lightly but seriously. Marcia was an Episcopalian (p. 47) so she believes that her body is art made by God (p. 55). She also thinks, what most girls think is gross or scary, is cool. When they play "chicken" Josh is the one grossed out and not Marcia (p. 59-61). When Mr. Cloyd comes in the classroom with a gun and threatens to kill the boy(s) that got his daughters pregnant, Marcia thinks that it was a really neat experience (p.
