The Joneses were the sole Aboriginal family living in the suburb of Perth where the narrator of “Aquifer” grew up. Not well liked by their neighbors, likely at least in part due to racism, the Joneses largely kept to themselves; the narrator always found them “angry.” Once, the Joneses hit the narrator’s brother, prompting a lifelong animosity in his brother toward other Aboriginal people. Ironically, the Joneses are the only old residents remaining upon the narrator’s return; in an even dark twist of fate, he arrives as they are being evicted.
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The Joneses Character Timeline in The Turning
The timeline below shows where the character The Joneses appears in The Turning. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Aquifer
...and other delivery trucks bringing them food. The diverse neighborhood even included an Aboriginal family, the Joneses .
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...or nearby. As time passes, the only family the narrator and his peers avoid are the Joneses , who he describes as “angry”; the Joneses beat his brother once, inspiring lifelong animosity...
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...As he leaves, driving back toward the highway, he at last sees people he recognizes: the Jones family , who are being evicted. Reflecting on the nature of time, the narrator concludes that...
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