Characters

The most important characters in the short story “Joe” by Peter Carey are Joe and the narrator. The other family members are secondary characters about which the narrator only gives a few details.

Joe

According to his outer characterisation, he is sixteen years old (p. 134, ll. 11-12) and has two other brothers (Jack and the narrator) and one sister (Doreen).

His physical portrait presents him as different from the rest of his family members, uncircumcised and with a different type of nose: “Joe has the ears but not the nose.” (p. 133, l. 33).

Also, the narrator presents the way he was dressed on the night of the rape:

…he shaved the fuzz of his lip with my razor and then he changed into a clean shirt and Jack’s tartan tie. Then he borrowed my white sports coat and wore his own trousers and brown desert boots. The sports coat was too big for him across the shoulders. (p. 134, ll. 16-20)

Inner characterisation

Joe’s inner characterisation is conveyed using the narrator’s perspective, but also through his actions and attitude.

According to the narrator’s presentation of his brother, Joe has no special characteristics or talents, and the family avoids talking about it: “Joe doesn’t seem to have any characteristics. I don’t know if we’ve actually said that out loud. But when it comes to the time of night when we discuss such things, Joe doesn’t seem to come up.” (p. 133, ll. 25-27)

The fact that Joe raped a girl suggests that the boy does not have a good understanding of intimacy or sexual relations. This is later confirmed throughout the rest of the story.

First, the fact that Joe leaves the birthday party organised by his family suggests that he might have planned to sleep with Shirley before the events:

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The narrator

His outer characterisation suggests that he is also a boy, probably a bit older than Joe as he mentions that Joe uses his razor and his bigger sports coat.

Inner characterisation

The narrator’s inner characterisation is constructed through the way he presents the events. Firstly, the narrator identifies completely with his family and the family’s values as indicated by the constant use of the personal pronouns “we” and “us”.

From the beginning, it is clear that the narrator adheres to family values like sticking together and appreciating each other: “We stick together through thick and thin. After all, that’s what families are for.” (p. 133, ll. 2-3); “In small ways like this we know of each other’s talents. It is great comfort to us.” (p. 133, ll. 15-16)

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