Joe Christmas

It is easy to see Joe Christmas as simply an evil and angry man. While misunderstood is a possible definition for the reaction of the mill workers and other people, Joe Christmas partially placed himself within that situation with his silent and brooding nature, keeping closed within the presence of others, so much so that the reader also has a weak understanding of who Joe Christmas really is. This may be because Joe Christmas does not understand himself and makes no effort to try to. Because of that, Joe’s actions do not reflect who he is, or who he wants to be, simply because he does not know. Instead, he acts in accordance to his desires and his needs, trying to get money the honest way, before quickly deciding that illegal liquor works out better in gaining his desires. Similarly, his own life is important to him enough that he would kill to defend it without shame, although he does not realize the moral implications of such actions. For example, by killing his foster father, Bobbie and her acquaintances cut all ties to Joe, leaving Joe to run away and begin to wander on his own.

His desires and his needs also focus on the present day. He has no desire for finding out about his racial heritage or his birth name, even if it might bring meaning to his life or help him find a place to call home. Even so, he does desire and find something to bring food to him, and a woman to stay by his side, although he does not understand the nuances of holding a relationship, which eventually ends horrifically. Most of it is not the fault of Joe Christmas, as they are things that he mainly had very little control over. Being abandoned and then raised in bad conditions brought up a man who simply knew he wanted to live but did not know why and did not know how to find out.