Amal Shahid is the protagonist and narrator of Punching the Air. At the age of 16, he was wrongfully convicted of beating Jeremy Mathis into a coma with his skateboard. Although he pleaded not guilty in court, the character descriptions from his teachers and the lack of faith from his initial lawyer painted him as a “monster” (16). Amal’s writing reveals that Amal believes himself to be a product of a racist system, one that pits white people against Black people. Everything that happens to Amal is because he is Black. The world has been set up to see him as violent and uneducated even though he knows that he is not. The juxtaposition of who Amal truly is versus what people see him as is what causes most of the inner conflict for Amal in the novel.

Amal’s image of himself is one of a loving son and talented artist and poet. He respects his mother and is close with her. He can tell from her facial expressions what she is feeling, and they share similar mantras, like Maya Angelou’s words about dust rising as a symbol for perseverance (181). Without a father figure in his life besides his Uncle Rashon, Amal’s mother is his greatest cheerleader.