# Joseph — The Middle Five character guide

> Joseph in The Middle Five by Francis La Flesche.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** XV Joe, Joe

**First appearance:** 0017-xv-joe

## Snapshot

Called Joe by the boys, he is a gentle, helpless newcomer whose grandmother left him at the school and who cannot fight back against any tormentor.

## Who they are

Brought to the mission by a weeping grandmother nearing her end, Joe is named without ceremony and grows up soft in a school that punishes softness. He becomes the butt of every trick, howling at a hard look and shrinking from boys his own size. When he fashions a sling from rotten rags despite Frank's warning, his eagerness and humiliation plant a lasting bitterness toward the White-chests.

## Relationships

### [Me](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_five_se/characters/me)

_friendship_

Joseph is a friend and peer in the Middle Five group, often participating in group activities.

### [Little Bob](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_five_se/characters/little_bob)

_friendship_

Joseph and Little Bob are friends and fellow members of the Middle Five, often playing together.

### [Me](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_five_se/characters/me)

_friendship_

Joseph is a friend and peer in the Middle Five group, often participating in group activities.

### [Me](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_five_se/characters/me)

_friendship_

Joseph is a friend and peer in the Middle Five group, often participating in group activities.

### [Little Bob](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_five_se/characters/little_bob)

_friendship_

Joseph and Little Bob are friends and fellow members of the Middle Five, often playing together.

## In the story

### [The Middle Five](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_five_se/chapters/the-middle-five)

A student, part of the community of Indian boys at the school.

### [II: Brush](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_five_se/chapters/ii-brush)

Mentioned as part of the Big Seven; referenced in Brush's story about having no home.

### [XV: Joe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_five_se/chapters/xv-joe)

A new orphan boy brought to the school by his grandmother; he is helpless, bullied, and severely punished by Graybeard for a sling accident.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_five_se/characters/joseph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_five_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_middle_five_se/characters