Gerald Nickelby is the protagonist of Forged by Fire. He is a young African American boy from Cincinnati, Ohio. At the beginning of the novel, he is “a quiet boy who listened more than he talked and who rarely shared his dreams or fears with anyone” (20). For the first three years of his life, he lives with his mother, Monique. During that time Monique neglects and beats him. One night, while is mother is out, he accidentally sets the apartment on fire, which sets the plot in motion. Although he later reunites with his mother, their relationship is not loving. He refers to her by her first name “Monique.” Gerald never fully recovers from this difficult time in his life. As he gets older, these memories continue to haunt him. Although Gerald has had a rough childhood, he strives to be better and more caring to others than his mother is to him.

After Monique is arrested for neglecting him, Gerald goes to live with his Aunt Queen, where he experiences a normal childhood for the first time before she unexpectedly dies. Gerald moves in with Monique, Angel, his half-sister, and Jordan, his stepfather.