# Joe — Riceyman Steps character guide > Joe in Riceyman Steps by Arnold Bennett. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Joey, darling Joe **First appearance:** 0003-part-i-iv-elsie ## Snapshot A shell-shocked soldier and former suitor of Elsie, whose return to Clerkenwell unsettles the household and reopens questions she thought were settled. ## Who they are Joe is the lad in Dr. Raste's service, a war-damaged young man running after Elsie with a persistence that the doctor half-approves and half-fears. His pursuit of Elsie forces Henry Earlforward to confront the possibility that his servant might leave, and forces Elsie to weigh marriage against the strange security of the shop. He is the human cost of the war pressing against the novel's sealed, thrifty world, and his presence keeps the question of Elsie's future alive through the middle chapters. ## Relationships ### [Elsie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/characters/elsie) _romantic_ Elsie and Joe are lovers, deeply in love but struggling with poverty and Joe's war-related health issues. ### [Henry Earlforward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/characters/henry_earlforward) _rivalry_ Henry views Joe with suspicion and jealousy, seeing him as a rival for Elsie's attention and a threat to his own control. ### [Violet Earlforward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/characters/violet_earlforward) _friendship_ Joe and Violet share a friendly, sympathetic bond, both being victims of Henry's miserliness and seeking comfort in each other. ### [Dr. Raste](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/characters/dr_raste) _professional_ Dr. Raste treats Joe for his war injuries and poor health, showing compassion for the struggling young man. ### [Elsie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/characters/elsie) _romantic_ Elsie and Joe are lovers, deeply in love but struggling with poverty and Joe's war-related health issues. ### [Elsie](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/characters/elsie) _romantic_ Elsie and Joe are lovers, deeply in love but struggling with poverty and Joe's war-related health issues. ### [Henry Earlforward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/characters/henry_earlforward) _rivalry_ Henry views Joe with suspicion and jealousy, seeing him as a rival for Elsie's attention and a threat to his own control. ### [Dr. Raste](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/characters/dr_raste) _professional_ Dr. Raste treats Joe for his war injuries and poor health, showing compassion for the struggling young man. ### [Violet Earlforward](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/characters/violet_earlforward) _friendship_ Joe and Violet share a friendly, sympathetic bond, both being victims of Henry's miserliness and seeking comfort in each other. ## In the story ### [Under an Umbrella](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-i-vii-under-an-umbrella) Joe waits for Elsie under an umbrella, is disappointed she cannot spend his birthday with him, and is comforted by her. He reluctantly agrees to buy the braces. ### [Elsie's Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-i-xi-elsie-s-home) Joe arrives at Elsie's home, forces his way in, and hits her, causing her to fall. He then runs to fetch Dr. Raste. ### [II: Elsie’s Retreat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-ii-ii-elsie-s-retreat) Joe is mentioned in Elsie's thoughts and his letter, which she reads repeatedly. He is a source of both grief and devotion. ### [I: At the Window](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-iv-i-at-the-window) Mentioned as the vanished partner whose anniversary of disappearance prompts Elsie's window-cleaning; his absence haunts Elsie. ### [Elsie's Motive](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-iv-ii-elsie-s-motive) Joe's disappearance a year ago is the anniversary that drives Elsie's hope and despair; he is mentioned but does not appear. ### [Midnight](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-iv-v-midnight) Joe is the object of Elsie's hopeful vigil; he does not appear. ### [III: The Message of Violet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-v-iii-the-message-of-violet) Joe is briefly referenced as having praised Dr. Raste, with Elsie previously dismissing him as a simpleton. ### [Out of the Rain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-v-iv-out-of-the-rain) Appears suddenly, ill and soaked from the rain; is carried to Elsie's room and cared for. ### [The Two Patients](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-v-v-the-two-patients) Joe wakes from sleep, asks about his safety, and begins to talk excitedly about his past year; Elsie perceives he is very ill. ### [VII: Malaria](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-v-vii-malaria) Joe is revealed to be secretly staying in the house, suffering from malaria contracted in France. He is bedridden, feverish, and dependent on Elsie's care. ### [A Climax](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-v-viii-a-climax) Is secretly hidden in the house by Elsie; she has been sponging him, which wets her apron. ### [IX: The Kiss](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-v-ix-the-kiss) Lies ill upstairs in Elsie's bed; his clothes are being mended by Elsie. ### [Prison](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-v-xi-prison) Joe confesses to having been in prison for fourteen days after an altercation on Armistice Day. ### [XIII: Disappearance of T. T.’s](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/chapters/part-v-xiii-disappearance-of-t-t-s) Joe is joyful and unapprehensive, walking with Elsie through familiar streets, carrying nothing while Elsie lugs the grip-bag. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/characters/joe - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/riceyman_steps_se/characters