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David’s Father
Joey is David’s childhood friend, and the first male with whom David has a sexual encounter. Spending all of their time together over one summer, David and Joey kiss and explore each other’s bodies one night at a sleepover. The next day, David is horrified by what they’ve done, so he quickly leaves. For the rest of the summer, he spends time with a different group of boys who pick on Joey. The sadder this makes Joey, the meaner David becomes.
Joey Quotes in Giovanni’s Room
The Giovanni’s Room quotes below are all either spoken by Joey or refer to Joey. 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:
).
Part 1: Chapter 1
Quotes
I was ashamed. The very bed, in its sweet disorder, testified to vileness. I wondered what Joey’s mother would say when she saw the sheets. Then I thought of my father, who had no one in the world but me, my mother having died when I was little. A cavern opened in my mind, black, full of rumor, suggestion, of half-heard, half-forgotten, half-understood stories, full of dirty words. I thought I saw my future in that cavern. I was afraid. I could have cried, cried for shame and terror, cried for not under standing how this could have happened to me, how this could have happened in me. And I made my decision.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Giovanni’s Room LitChart as a printable PDF.
Joey Quotes in Giovanni’s Room
The Giovanni’s Room quotes below are all either spoken by Joey or refer to Joey. 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:
).
Part 1: Chapter 1
Quotes
I was ashamed. The very bed, in its sweet disorder, testified to vileness. I wondered what Joey’s mother would say when she saw the sheets. Then I thought of my father, who had no one in the world but me, my mother having died when I was little. A cavern opened in my mind, black, full of rumor, suggestion, of half-heard, half-forgotten, half-understood stories, full of dirty words. I thought I saw my future in that cavern. I was afraid. I could have cried, cried for shame and terror, cried for not under standing how this could have happened to me, how this could have happened in me. And I made my decision.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
