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Cheese
Josh lives in Kitamaat Village where he is uncle to Frank, Bib, Cheese, Pooch, Ronny, and Karaoke (Adelaine Jones). He and Uncle Mick were best friends and basketball teammates in high school, and he has an on-again, off-again relationship with Aunt Trudy. Like them, Josh went to residential school in his youth and was evidently molested by at least one priest. In turn, he later sexually abuses Karaoke. Josh is a man of inconsistencies and extremes, sometimes very generous with his money, other times penniless. Josh dies at Jimmy’s hands on his fishing boat, Queen of the North, after Jimmy learns that Josh molested and impregnated Karaoke.
Josh Quotes in Monkey Beach
The Monkey Beach quotes below are all either spoken by Josh or refer to Josh. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 3: In Search of the Elusive Sasquatch Quotes
“Alberni? Really? There’s a treatment centre where the residential school used to be?” one of the women said to Aunt Trudy.
Another woman laughed, then said, “Hey, how many priests does it take to screw in a lightbulb?”
“How many?”
“Three. One to screw it, one to beat it for being screwed and one to tell the lawyers that no screwing took place.”
“That’s not funny,” Josh said.
“That’s the point,” the woman said.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Josh Character Timeline in Monkey Beach
The timeline below shows where the character Josh appears in Monkey Beach. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: Love Like the Ocean
...became too distraught to answer their questions, so Lisa took over. They told her that Josh and Jimmy left port on Friday to head to fishing grounds where they were supposed...
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...if the words alone will keep him safe. No one has such high hopes for Josh, the boat’s owner, who is in debt and recently refused to pay his employees. Gossip...
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Lisa’s parents are going to Namu—Josh and Jimmy’s last known location—to be closer to the search area. Lisa regrets telling them...
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...strained silence, punctuated by snappish comments about respecting one’s elders and about Trudy’s involvement with Josh. Lisa’s family brings Mick home for coffee after the feast, where he waits for Trudy...
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...living room, pulling apart his eight-track tapes, distraught because Elvis Presley has died. She calls Josh to come calm Mick down. Afterward, Mick takes off on a pilgrimage to Graceland without...
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...promising that Lisa is his “favorite monster in the whole wide world.” Three days afterward, Josh—Frank’s uncle, as it turns out—shows up to tell Lisa that he has “taken care” of...
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...fifth grade sex education. After the class, she goes home with Tab. Aunt Trudy and Josh are drinking with friends. The hazy cigarette smoke and yeasty smell of the beers make...
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...shaking voice; the Coast Guard found an empty life raft which they presume came from Josh’s and Jimmy’s boat. Lisa promises to come as quickly as she can and hangs up...
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Chapter 2: The Song of Your Breath
...and at Ma-ma-oo’s house where everyone gathers for refreshments. There, Jimmy brings Lisa cake, and Josh presses a sympathy card with a $100 bill into her hand.
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...Aunt Kate criticizes Trudy’s life choices. Dad finally divides the trophies between them. That night, Josh tries to take some from Trudy; he and his buddies fight with her and her...
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...water. She was thrilled when Jimmy announced that he was going fishing. When he and Josh stopped at Bella Bella on Friday, he called home and complained to Mom about his...
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...to Tab, who explains the “munchies.” But she refuses to talk about Trudy or Vancouver. Josh arrives the following morning to drive Tab home. Tab gets into the car without saying...
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...gets home, she finds Tab and Trudy in town on a visit from Vancouver with Josh in tow. Lisa envies Tab’s freedoms while Tab envies Lisa’s stable family. Dad, Tab says,...
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...watching one of the basketball games, they catch sight of Pooch and Karaoke talking with Josh. Jimmy freezes with a lovelorn look on his face, and Lisa encourages him to talk...
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Chapter 3: In Search of the Elusive Sasquatch
...find not the expected party, but Trudy in the middle of packing for a move. Josh has gotten her a new place in “Native housing,” and Trudy is going to rehab...
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Just then, Josh arrives to pick Trudy up for a date. He and Trudy drag Lisa to a...
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Trudy ends the conversation and pulls Josh to the dance floor. Frank comes up while Lisa stands in the long line for...
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...absent, a very drunk Karaoke tells Lisa how much Pooch talked about her and how Josh says Lisa reminds her of Mick. Then she mumbles something about beating up Josh one...
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...him again. With hollow eyes, he announces that he’s going fishing as a deckhand on Josh’s boat. Mom is thrilled that he’s getting on the water, making some money, and (although...
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...Jimmy leaves, he hugs Lisa and asks her to tell Karaoke that he’ll call later. Josh pulls up in his truck, and Dad loads Jimmy’s gear. As Josh and Jimmy drive...
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...photo is of a priest and a little boy. On the back it says, “Dear Joshua […] I miss you terribly […] Your friend in Christ, Archibald.” Karaoke has pasted a...
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Chapter 4: The Land of the Dead
In a vision, Lisa sees Jimmy leaning over Josh, the oar in his hand dented from where he hit the older man. Jimmy knows...
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