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Adolescence and Responsibility
Themes and Colors
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Orbiting Jupiter, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
In Orbiting Jupiter, prejudice prevents some adults from giving traumatized children and adolescents the help they need. Fourteen-year-old foster kid Joseph Brook clearly needs help: before he came to live with the Hurds, his father, Mr. Brook, was beating him, and his beloved Madeleine, the mother of his baby, died due to complications of childbirth. After taking unidentified pills and violently attacking a teacher, Joseph was sent to Stone Mountain, a juvenile detention center where other boys beat him and (it is implied) sexually assaulted him. Yet when Joseph’s social worker Mrs. Stroud gets him placed in foster care after the repeated assaults, several adults at his new school respond to his obvious disadvantage with prejudice rather than support. The bus driver Mr. Haskell refers to Joseph mockingly as “that kid that has a kid” in front of all the other students on the bus. The vice principal Mr. Canton warns Joseph’s foster brother Jack Hurd that Stone Mountain boys like Joseph have “brains [that] work differently,” causing them to act out violently. Initially, the Language Arts teacher Mrs. Halloway treats Joseph like a bomb that might go off, though she later comes to support him. Through these incidents, the novel illustrates how disadvantaged kids in foster care sometimes face social prejudice from adults who are supposed to be supporting them—making their difficult lives even harder.
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Prejudice ThemeTracker
The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Prejudice appears in each chapter of Orbiting Jupiter. Click or tap on any chapter to read its Summary & Analysis.
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Prejudice Quotes in Orbiting Jupiter
Below you will find the important quotes in Orbiting Jupiter related to the theme of Prejudice.
Chapter 1 Quotes
They sent Joseph to Stone Mountain, even though he did what he did because the kid gave him something bad and he swallowed it. But that didn’t matter. They sent him to Stone Mountain anyway.
He won’t talk about what happened to him there. But since he left Stone Mountain, he won’t wear anything orange.
He won’t let anyone stand behind him.
He won’t let anyone touch him.
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In this passage, Orbiting Jupiter’s narrator, 12-year-old Jack Hurd, is summarizing what Maine social worker Mrs. Stroud has told him and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Hurd, about Joseph Brook, the 14-year-old boy that the Hurds may foster. According to Mrs. Stroud, Joseph was sent to a high-security juvenile facility because he tried to kill a teacher after another boy gave him “something bad and [Joseph] swallowed it.” When Jack says that the authorities sent Joseph to Stone Mountain “even though he did what he did because the kid gave him something bad,” it isn’t clear whether Jack is summarizing 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 repellend
“I don’t need the milk,” said my father. He pointed at Rosie. “But she needs you to milk her.”
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Joseph’s second day on the Hurds’ farm, he tries to milk the Hurds’ friendliest cow, Rosie, who has mooed lovingly at Joseph when he’s rubbed her rump. When Joseph initially fails at milking Rosie, he stands up and moves away, indicating that he’s given up. At this point, Mr. Hurd steps in, telling Joseph that while the Hurds don’t need the milk, Rosie “needs you to milk her.” This small scene illustrates both Mr. Hurd’s good parenting and Joseph’s bond with animals, which slowly reveals that the friendly cows judge Joseph more accurately than many of the prejudiced people around 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
”Do you think Joseph will fit in?” my mother asked me later.
“Rosie loves him,” I said.
I didn’t need to say anything more. You can tell all you need to know about someone from the way cows are around him.
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This conversation between Jack and his mother, Mrs. Hurd, occurs immediately after Joseph has successfully milked Rosie all by himself for the first time. When Mrs. Hurd asks whether “Joseph will fit in,” it isn’t clear exactly what she’s asking—she may simply be worried about whether Joseph will like and get along with their family, or she may have absorbed a little judgmental worry about Joseph’s character from his social worker, Mrs. Stroud. When 12-year-old Jack replies that “Rosie loves” Joseph as if that is a definitive judgment in Joseph’s favor—“all you need to know about” Joseph—his reply aligns him 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
“I respect your parents, I really do. They’re trying to make a difference in the world, bringing kids like Joseph Brook into a normal family. But kids like Joseph Brook aren’t always normal, see? They act the way they do because their brains work differently. They don’t think like you and I think. So they can do things . . .”
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Jack has begun walking with Joseph to their shared middle school rather than taking the bus because the bus driver, Mr. Haskell, was loudly rude to Joseph about Joseph being a teen father. One day, the school’s vice principal, Mr. Canton, finds Jack alone by his lockers and essentially warns him not to spend too much time with his foster brother. Mr. Canton’s little speech implicitly criticizes foster parenting, suggesting that it’s largely useless. Mr. Canton claims to “respect” Mr. and Mrs. Hurd fostering Joseph, but he seems to protest too much when he claims, “I really do.” When he 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 h
Chapter 3 Quotes
“Being responsible,” Mr. Canton said, “means being ready to do what you’re supposed to be doing, even if no one is watching or making you do it. Do you boys understand that?”
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Jack and Joseph have fifth-period “Office Duty,” which involves running errands for vice principal Mr. Canton. One day, Mr. Canton hasn’t given them any work, so after a while Joseph takes out a book and begins to read. When Mr. Canton sees Joseph reading, he lectures Joseph and Jack about responsibility. On the one hand, Mr. Canton’s lecture has some truth to it, but on the other hand, the context of his lecture undercuts his message. Mr. Canton argues that responsibility “means being ready to do what you’re supposed to be doing.” Much of the novel’s plot turns on 14-year-old 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 ni
“Joseph,” she said, “we began poorly. Shall we try again?”
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Mrs. Halloway, the language arts teacher at Joseph and Jack’s middle school, was initially wary of Joseph because she had heard that he attacked a teacher while in a juvenile facility. Yet after she sees him reading a novel while bored on “Office Duty,” she approaches him in the hallway, admits that their relationship “began poorly,” and asks to “try again.” Mrs. Halloway is different from vice principal Mr. Canton, who remains prejudiced against Joseph due to his background and troubled past throughout the novel. She is also different from Math teacher Mr. D’Ulney and PE teacher Coach Swieteck, who 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 labori
Chapter 5 Quotes
“You might get suspended for fighting. All because you were hanging around Joseph Brook. I’m telling you, I know his type. Trouble follows him like a yellow dog.”
“I’ve seen what happens to yellow dogs,” I said.
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When eighth-grader Jay Perkins and two of his friends jump Joseph in the locker room after PE, sixth-grader Jack enters the fray to protect Joseph. Afterward, Jack is sent to Mr. Canton’s office while the other boys are sent to the principal’s office. Mr. Canton immediately blames Joseph for the fight and for Jack’s involvement, saying that he knows Joseph’s “type” and that “trouble follows him like a yellow dog.” When Mr. Canton uses the phrase “yellow dog,” it has the colloquial meaning of a bad, low-down, or despicable person. By talking about Joseph’s type and comparing him to a 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
Chapter 7 Quotes
Mr. Canton had already come by, so full of himself, my mother said, all about how he knew something like this would happen, and kids who come from Stone Mountain are bound to run off, and it’s not our fault, it’s just that’s who Joseph Brook is.
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After a meeting with social worker Mrs. Stroud in which she reveals that Joseph’s daughter Jupiter is being fostered in Brunswick, Maine, Joseph runs away to try to find her. When they realize what has happened, Mr. Hurd and Jack drive out in search of Joseph, but a serious snowstorm drives them back. When they return, Mrs. Hurd informs them that Jack and Joseph’s middle school vice principal, Mr. Canton, came by and told her it “wasn’t [their] fault” that Joseph ran away because it’s “who Joseph Brook is.” Two adults at Jack and Joseph’s middle school, Mr. Canton and 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.
