A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
(James Joyce)

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker (HCE)

Also, known as “Here Comes Everybody”. HCE is the protagonist of the novel, married to ALP and father to Shaun, Shem, and Issy. HCE owns a pub where he drinks the dredges of his patrons’ drinks after they have left for the night.

HCE, at some point, morphs into the characters of Finn MacCool, Mr. Porter, Mr. Makeall Gone, Rory O’Connor, a Norwegian captain, and a Russian general, along with many others. He admits to being a despicable man with a taste for young girls, though other than that he seems to be just a typical Irishman with a terribly wild dreamlike imagination. Some people believe that he represents Dublin itself.

Anna Livia Purabelle (ALP)

ALP is the wife of HCE and the mother of Shaun, Shem, and Issy. ALP seems to represent the river which appears in the novel several times. At the end, of the novel ALP becomes the river, at the end of her monologue, and floats away into the dawn. Some believe that she represents the river Liffey, which is part of the foundation of Dublin.

ALP is also presented to the reader as the calm and soft-spoken Mrs. Porter, which is also indicative of her resemblance to a river-run. Though ALP constantly changes characters as the others do, she is the one whose personality and characteristics remain constant.

Shaun

Shaun is one of the twin sons of HCE and ALP and is sometimes referred to as “Shaun the Post” or as one half of “Jerry and Kev”, “Dolph and Kev”, or “Caddy and Primas”. Shaun is rather dull and dreary, and his main mission seems to be conforming to the world’s values and rules and also delivering the letter about his father to the court.

Shaun takes on many forms throughout the novel and at one point is even stuffed into a barrel and interrogated by the invisible narrators about the letter he carried. Shaun has his own chapter in the book, and it is thought that since HCE is not the focus any longer at this point that HCE is in line to become the next HCE, as he seems to be a bit of a dreamer himself.

Shem

Shem is the more independent, wild, and sinister twin and is also quite the artist. It is thought by some that Shem is representative of Joyce’s alter-ego. Shem is the opposite of Shaun, and the twins are portrayed as such, being compared to well-known enemies in mythology. He is also referred to as “Shem the Penman” because he is a writer and quite creative.

In the story, of Saint Michael and the Devil Shaun is equated to Saint Michael and Shem to the Devil. Shem is a bit of a wayward rebel and is always trying to cause trouble for his siblings and his father.

Issy

Issy is the only daughter of HCE and ALP and quite a complex character. It is thought that Issy is molested by her brothers and her father and also that she may have enjoyed it. Issy seems to have knowledge that a character in a novel cannot possibly know, as if she were inside Joyce’s head and knew what he was thinking when he developed the characters.

Issy is a split-personality and often appears as her mirror-image. She is like the twins, one good side, one evil side. Though she is of an unhealthy mental state, Issy may be the most intelligent and astute character of the novel.

Finnegan

Finnegan is introduced at the beginning of the novel. He is a hod carrier, which is someone who carries the bricks to the bricklayers, and he dies from falling off of a ladder while building a wall. He is introduced as Mr. Finn who will be “Finnagain.”

At Finn’s funeral, his wife Anne lays his body out as a buffet, though he disappears before anyone can eat. He also has whiskey splashed on his corpse, which causes him to rise and demand a drink. Finnegan does not appear after the beginning of the novel, but it seems as though he and his wife Anne are yet more versions of HCE and ALP or Mr and Mrs Porter, all of whom seem to be the same.

Mamalujo

Matt, Marcus, Luke, and Johnny. These four men are seen in many forms throughout the novel, as the Four Masters, the Four Evangelists, narrators, and the judges in HCE’s court case. There is also a time when they do not represent people at all, but the provinces of Ireland (Ulster, Munster, Leinster, and Connaught).

It is also thought that Mamajulo is representative of Joyce’s own family, his wife (mama), daughter Lucia (lu), and son Giorgio (jo). The four old men seem to represent the watchers of the novel, as they appear in many forms and nearly every scene.

Kate and Joe

Kate and Joe are the keepers of HCE’s pub. Kate is the maid, and Joe is the handyman, and, at times, the bartender. It is thought by some critics that Kate and Joe represent elderly versions of HCE and ALP.

Kate is also seen as the museum curator, which is obvious in the way she says “Tip! Tip!” and Joe is also Sackerson. He is usually a handyman but sometimes an authority figure and also Kate’s partner in life. The way Kate and Joe revolve around one another is evidence that they are likely older versions of HCE and APL.