Joe Trace Timeline and Summary

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• Joe is born in 1873. His mom is Wild, a woman that Golden Gray finds unconscious on his way to meet his father.
• Joe is born in Hunter's Hunter's cabin, and his mother pushes him away as soon as he's born. Hunter needs to find him food.
• Joe is taken in by the Williamses, a kind family with a boy roughly Joe's age named Victory.
• Joe and Victory are buddy-bud-buds.
• Joe changes his last name to Trace in grade school.
• Joe and Victory are taught to be men by Hunter's Hunter.
• Joe wants to kill Wild, but is told by Hunter's Hunter that Wild is his mother.
• He becomes a workaholic and moves to Palestine to work in the cotton gin.
• He falls out of a tree and lands (almost) on Violet.
• They stay together and get married, and in 1906, they leave for New York City.
• Joe works a lot of jobs where he sells "trust," like being a waiter and selling Cleopatra cosmetics.
• In 1917, he is almost beaten to death in a riot.
• The ladies love Joe, but Joe is a loyal husband—that is, until Dorcas catches his eye in July of 1925.
• In October, Joe sees Dorcas again and makes his move.
• Joe secures a room for his affair with the help of his upstairs neighbor, Malvonne.
• Joe and Dorcas carry on their affair for a few blissful months.
• In early 1926, Dorcas leaves Joe for Acton.
• Joe is not exactly pleased, and he cries and walks around New York looking for her.
• He also exchanges his rifle for a pistol.
• He finds Dorcas dancing with Acton at a party and shoots her.
• Joe spends the next months crying and basically being paralyzed with grief in his apartment.
• In the springtime, Felice comes to visit and Joe is able to talk to her about Dorcas.
• Shortly thereafter, he gets a job at a speakeasy.
• His relationship with Violet is restored.