Jemmy is the protagonist of The Whipping Boy, and events are narrated from his perspective. Readers have access to Jemmy’s inner thoughts and feelings throughout the story. Jemmy is a young boy who grew up in poverty, living a “ragged but carefree life” (2) as the son of a rat-catcher. While the details are unclear, at some point, Jemmy came to live in the castle to serve as Prince Horace’s whipping boy. At the beginning of the novel, Jemmy is largely unhappy with his fate, and longs to go back to the streets.

Jemmy has many heroic traits, but also deploys them in unusual ways. He is brave, intelligent, and resilient. Whenever he is beaten or whipped on Prince Horace’s behalf, he never cries out in pain: He is “determined never to spring a tear for the prince to gloat over” (4). Jemmy can likely tolerate physical pain because he grew up exposed to discomfort, and is also stubborn. He shows his intelligence and resourcefulness by rapidly learning all the lessons that the royal tutors intend for the prince: He “learned to read, write, and do sums” (6). Jemmy’s intelligence and quick wits are particularly prominent once he and the prince are confronted with their antagonists, Billy and Cutwater.