Tab Character Analysis in Monkey Beach

Tab is Aunt Trudy’s daughter and cousin to J.J., Erica, Lisa, and Jimmy. When they are young, wild, tomboy Tab is Lisa’s favorite playmate. Tab has a complicated relationship with her mother; although she understands how Aunt Trudy’s past traumas affect her present behavior, she still wishes her mother were more stable and involved, like Mom and Dad are in Lisa’s life. When Lisa and Tab are young, Tab represents an escape from the strict rules of Lisa’s own house. But by the time they are teenagers, Tab moves into a more supportive role, teaching Lisa about family history and encouraging her to face the facts of the world around her.

Tab Quotes in Monkey Beach

The Monkey Beach quotes below are all either spoken by Tab or refer to Tab. 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:

I plugged my nose and jumped.

Although the ocean around Kitamaat warms up by August, this means that it’s no longer ice water but isn’t exactly tropical. Given a choice, I like to move in up to my ankles. Wait until my body adjusts. Up to the knees. Wait. Up to the thighs. Wait. And on and on, slowly, until I am dog-paddling around. Even then, I never enjoyed the first icy shock as much as Jimmy. I always felt panic, felt my heart stutter until I reached the surface.

Related Characters: Lisa (speaker), Tab, Erica, Jimmy

Page Number and Citation: 43

Explanation and Analysis:

Lisa remembers a day at the Kitamaat beach when she was about seven years old. Although Jimmy loves the water and jumps in as soon as they arrive, she sits on the dock with her cousins Erica and Tab, only jumping into the water after a group of boys arrives and begins roughhousing with the girls. Lisa takes the plunge into her own hands to avoid being thrown in. In this passage, she describes the way she usually likes to enter the water, slowly and cautiously. This is a moment of characterization, where Lisa reveals important truths about herself—some of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedi

Ba-ba-oo had lost his arm in the Second World War, at Verrières Ridge. When he came home, he couldn’t get the money he thought he should get form Veterans Affairs because they said Indian Affairs were taking care of him. Indian Affairs said if he wanted the same benefits as a white vet, he should move off reserve and give up his status. If he did that, they’d lose their house and by this time, they had three children and my dad, Albert, was on the way.

“Geordie and Edith helped as much as they could,” Mick had told me […] “But they had their own family. My father worked hard all his life, and now he would say things like, ‘Agnes, I’m useless.’ She didn’t know what to do.”

Related Characters: Lisa (speaker), Uncle Mick (speaker), Ma-ma-oo, Aunt Kate , Aunt Trudy, Dad, Aunt Edith, Ba-ba-oo, Uncle Geordie, Tab

Page Number and Citation: 82

Explanation and Analysis:

As she grows up, Lisa gradually pieces together bits of her grandfather’s story, which she presents in this passage. Earlier, Tab told her that Ba-ba-oo had abused Ma-ma-oo, and while this passage and others like it don’t excuse his behavior, they do place it into the context of intergenerational cycles of abuse and trauma. Ba-ba-oo defended the country of Canada, its allies, and its interests in the Second World War, yet after his honorable service, the country refused to acknowledge him or take care of him as they did other (white) veterans—at least as long as he retained his status Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligen

Erica’s eyes were shiny with tears. Her face was scrunched up and beet red. She blinked quickly then looked out the window, and her friends turned away and started whispering again. Making her mad had been fun, but making her cry made me feel like crap. It wouldn’t do any good to say sorry. Erica would be more embarrassed and probably wouldn’t believe it, coming from me. She shouldn’t dish it out, I thought piously, if she couldn’t take it. Erica got off at the stop before mine, punching my shoulder as she went by. I sighed.

Related Characters: Lisa (speaker), Aunt Trudy, Tab, Uncle Mick, Erica

Page Number and Citation: 171

Explanation and Analysis:

In the year following Uncle Mick’s death, Lisa falls into what most readers would identify as a deep depression, although she doesn’t name it as such. She loses interest in school and begins to lash out at others. This passage describes the culmination of a campaign of meanness Lisa carries out against her cousin and childhood friend Erica at school that culminates in a physical fight on the bus ride home. At this point in her life, still immature and unable (or unwilling) to face the difficult, painful loss of Uncle Mick, Lisa lashes out indiscriminately. And, as this passage Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omni

“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: Aunt Trudy (speaker), Josh (speaker), Lisa, Dad, Tab, Mom, Karaoke (Adelaine Jones), Uncle Mick

Page Number and Citation: 310

Explanation and Analysis:

When Lisa reconnects with her Aunt Trudy in Vancouver, she learns that Trudy plans to attend an alcohol rehab in order to get her own life back on track. Then, she and Josh take Lisa along with them to a bar for Trudy’s last “blowout.” In this passage, Lisa overhears a conversation at the bar between Trudy and some of her friends, from which this passage is taken. When Trudy (and Mick and Josh) were children, they were taken by the government and forced to attend residential schools, where they received “education” designed to cut them off completely from their Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur laboriosam. Eum accusamus harum. Accusantium iusto voluptas. Totam quae corporis. Impedit non ut. Incidunt rerum est. Aperiam doloremque eum. Animi soluta perspiciatis. Ut minima autem. Modi omnis iure. Sint qui qui. Qui similique praesentium. Ex consequatur magnam. Aliquid iste enim. Sequi aut maxime. Adipisci voluptate et. Voluptas suscipit alias. In et eveniet. Eaque et repellendus. Dolores aut voluptatibus. Voluptatem qui vo

Tab Character Timeline in Monkey Beach

The timeline below shows where the character Tab appears in Monkey Beach. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...immediately, while Lisa—much more mature at seven years old—sits on the dock with her cousins. Tabitha, known as “Tab,” is a wild child whom Lisa loves playing with. Their other cousin,... (full context)

Sitting on the dock at noon, Lisa shares her Jell-O with Erica and Tab in exchange for Oreo cookies and Kool-Aid. She watches Jimmy and his friends swim out... (full context)

...learning to ride her bike, as soon as she’s ungrounded, Lisa remembers, she goes to Tab’s house. It looks dirty and run-down even though it’s fairly new. Aunt Trudy cares far... (full context)

...for Trudy to pick him up for a night on the town. Trudy drops off Tab for a sleepover and confides in Lisa that Ba-ba-oo used to beat Ma-ma-oo, and instead... (full context)

...memories carry her to 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... (full context)

Although Tab tells Lisa that Trudy won’t remember anything in the morning, Lisa goes back to ferret... (full context)

...buddies until he falls down the stairs and breaks his leg. Soon afterward, Trudy and Tab leave for Vancouver. (full context)

...a month after Mick’s funeral, Lisa recalls, school starts again. She has a terrible fall; Tab moves to Vancouver and the terrible Frank appears in her class one day, having been... (full context)

Late that night, Tab pinches Lisa awake, terrified that “someone” is in the room. Tab pulls out a knife;... (full context)

The next morning, Dad makes French toast for breakfast. Tab, Lisa, and Jimmy plan to attend the rec center’s “Santa Night” for the candy—or, possibly,... (full context)

...they return to Lisa’s house, Dad is on the phone with a frantic Trudy; apparently Tab hitchhiked north without her permission or knowledge. He hands the phone to Tab, who listens... (full context)

Soon after Tab leaves, Mom and Dad leave Lisa at Ma-ma-oo’s for the night while they go to... (full context)

When Lisa gets home, she finds Tab and Trudy in town on a visit from Vancouver with Josh in tow. Lisa envies... (full context)

When Lisa finally stumbles into her bedroom that night, Tab assures her that she hid her absence from Mom and Dad. Lisa feels nauseated and... (full context)

...for an intervention. Lisa declares her intention to get a job at the cannery with Tab, but her parents fear that she will waste her potential. Lisa can’t understand their concern.... (full context)

One day, Lisa wakes up in a cheap hotel bathroom to find a furious Tab leaning over her. In the adjacent bedroom, nine unfamiliar people lay passed out. Tab picks... (full context)

Lisa trails Tab out of the diner and tries to make a peace offering of a cigarette. But... (full context)

The next day, Lisa decides to visit Aunt Trudy, reasoning that if Tab truly is dead, her aunt needs comfort. She arrives to find not the expected party,... (full context)

Tab Character Analysis

Tab Quotes in Monkey Beach

Chapter 1: Love Like the Ocean Quotes

Chapter 2: The Song of Your Breath Quotes

Chapter 3: In Search of the Elusive Sasquatch Quotes

Tab Character Timeline in Monkey Beach