Sheinkin depicts Arnold (1741-1801) as a man with a complex personality and psychology. He is born during a brutal winter in Connecticut and survives, much to everyone's surprise. Arnold comes from a middle-class family that falls on hard times due to his father's drinking and financial troubles leading to imprisonment. Arnold is forced to leave school and become an apprentice to support his family. The misfortunes of the Arnold family become the gossip of the town, which angers young Arnold further. He retaliates by acting out wild stunts in public, such as igniting cannons and stealing materials to make a bonfire. 

On the cusp of adulthood, Arnold desires to restore the name of his family, “wipe out the marks against him” and “soar up and over everyone who'd ever dared to judge him” (23). He sees soldiery as the way to achieve this. 

Arnold “longed for action, craved attention, and bristled at anything he perceived as criticism or disrespect” (13). He is a touchy person, quick to take offense at perceived personal slights and lacking a talent for diplomacy or politics. When passed over by Congress for a military promotion, he believes that he is the victim of a slander campaign. He threatens to resign from the military unless he is treated with what he regards as due respect.