Jesse is the 17-year-old protagonist of Jesse, whose first-person perspective propels the story. Despite being young, Jesse deals with adult problems. He drops out of high school, enrolls in junior college, and moves out of his mother and stepfather’s house. Jesse is close with his 21-year-old brother Abel, with whom he moves into an apartment. They attend school and work together, as well as support each other through life’s challenges. Jesse looks up to Abel and loves him yet is surprised whenever he extends generosity. This demonstrates that Jesse struggles with low self-esteem.

Jesse is lonely and stressed, but his faith in God helps him maintain hope and the belief that his life is unraveling for a reason. He is a gentle, good-natured boy whose stresses do not prevent his genuine gratitude for life. Jesse’s character arc examines how external conflicts and formative relationships transform him into a more confident young man.

At the beginning of the novel, Jesse is concerned that racist attitudes about Mexicans “stealing” jobs from Americans might be true. But with schoolmate Raul’s influence, Chicano rallies, and the merits of his own hard work in the fields, Jesse develops a sense of pride in his Mexican American identity.