Summary

“Joe” by Peter Carey starts with the narrator and his family, who are doing dishes together and afterwards gather in the living room. The narrator reflects on his family and presents the way they all share some common traits like the long noses and pointed ears, but also the fact that each one has their individual characteristics. The family likes to tell family jokes and respect the police. However, one of the narrator’s brothers, Joe, is different. He does not have the family’s long nose and does not have any specific trait. Furthermore, it is revealed that Joe raped a girl the night before during the interval at the movie hall. The narrator believes that the fact that Joe is not circumcised might have contributed to his action.

Then, he describes...