Joe Character Analysis in Wild

Cheryl’s ex-boyfriend. A Portlander and heroin addict, the charismatic Joe talks Cheryl into snorting and smoking—then later on, shooting—his drug of choice. Joe is a bad influence on Cheryl, but she spends nearly a year mired in a relationship with him partly out of a desire to dull the pain of her mother’s loss and partly as a way of inflicting her own self-loathing upon herself and those she loves. Joe is not an inherently bad person, and he seems to actually love Cheryl—while she’s hiking the PCT, he sends her postcards and letters, though it’s often too difficult for her to reply to them.

Joe Character Timeline in Wild

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

Cheryl realized she’d had sex a few weeks ago with a man named Joe. Cheryl had first met Joe a year ago while living in Portland—he’d introduced her to... (full context)

...mugged Cheryl at knifepoint, and she swiftly reversed her decision to stay in Portland with Joe. Paul drove her back across the country to Minnesota to help her get clean. Though... (full context)

...Cheryl knows, is not from hiking, though—it’s the site where she last injected heroin with Joe just a few days before the start of her journey. (full context)

...a restaurant, and a small campground. After picking up her care package—and a postcard from Joe—at the post office, Cheryl buys herself a Snapple lemonade and checks out the “FREE” box,... (full context)

...group returns to their camp. Cheryl sits in her chair and writes a letter to Joe. She struggles to find the words to tell him about all that’s happened to her... (full context)

...by noon. She hydrates and reads the letters that have arrived for her from Paul, Joe, and Karen. Cheryl organizes her backpack and sorts through her heavy load of food from... (full context)