Themes and message

The main themes explored in the short story “Joe” by Peter Careyare family relationships and perception. The author explores the interactions between parents and children, as well as between siblings. Furthermore, the story touches upon the theme of perception as it presents the narrator’s and his family’s perception about Joe, as well as the way the characters perceive rape. Two motifs also stand out in the story, that of rape and that of the outsider (represented by Joe).

Family relationships

The story presents family relationships and interactions using the perspective of a first-person narrator, who is a member of the family.

The narrator, probably a teenage boy, describes his family and their activities at length. First, we find out how the family eats and does the dishes together, and then gather in front of the TV. The initial presentation suggests a traditional, almost perfect family life style, from the 1960s: “We stick together through thick and thin. After all, that’s what families are for.” (p. 133, ll. 2-3); “In all likelihood we are not so different from other families. We like to joke about family jokes and we have a great respect for the Police.” (p. 133, ll. 17-19)

The narrator presents how the family members share common traits, such as the long noses, but also how they have individual traits that differentiate them.

Some of their family values are respect for the police, and appreciation for other family members.

ut despite these seemingly perfect family relationships, we discover deeper, hidden problems. One of the brothers, Joe, is different from the rest.

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Perception

The theme of perception is explored mainly through the narrator and Joe, but also through other family members.

First of all, the narrator and his family perceive and treat Joe differently. Although they try to act like they are all the same, the fact of the matter is that every family member perceives Joe as different: “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)

Then the story explores how the characters perceive Joe raping Shirley.

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