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I.3: The Rumors Spread (pp. 48–74)

The third chapter amplifies HCE's disgrace as the rumor spreads through Dublin, growing and transforming with each retelling until the original event (if there was one) becomes impossible to recover.

Quick Reference​

DetailInformation
Pages48–74
Vico AgeTheocratic (Age of Gods)
TimeEvening/Night
SettingDublin—streets, pubs, homes
Main CharactersHCE (accused), various gossips

Synopsis​

The Rumor Machine​

What began as an innocent question in Phoenix Park now circulates through Dublin's collective unconscious. Each teller adds, subtracts, or transforms the story.

Multiple Versions​

The chapter presents various accounts of HCE's crime:

  • Voyeurism involving two girls
  • Exposure or indecent display
  • An encounter with soldiers
  • Homosexual proposition
  • Nothing at all—mere guilty thoughts

Public Judgment​

HCE's reputation collapses under the weight of rumor. He is judged not in court but in the "surreal court of conscience and bad dreams."

The Pattern: Rise, Accusation, Fall​

Joyce establishes a pattern that echoes throughout the Wake:

  1. Rise — HCE is respectable, a publican and family man
  2. Accusation — The rumor spreads
  3. Fall — Reputation destroyed
  4. Possible exoneration — Never quite achieved

This pattern mirrors:

  • Adam and Eve
  • Parnell
  • Christ
  • Finn MacCool
  • Humpty Dumpty
  • Tim Finnegan

Key Themes​

1. The Social Construction of Reality​

What "really happened" becomes irrelevant. The rumor creates the reality. HCE is guilty because Dublin says so.

2. The Dream Trial​

Both Kafka's The Trial and Joyce's Wake "devote themselves to the prosecution of their central characters in the surreal court of conscience and bad dreams." Neither Josef K. nor HCE receives exoneration.

3. Original Sin​

Like Adam, HCE carries guilt that may precede any actual act. The accusation reveals something already present.

4. Ireland and Its Leaders​

Every Irish leader faces the mob: Parnell, O'Connell, Wolfe Tone. Ireland destroys its heroes through rumor and shame.

The Four Old Men​

The "Four Old Men" (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John / Matt, Marcus, Luke, Johnny) begin to appear as witnesses and chroniclers. They represent:

  • The Four Evangelists
  • The Four Provinces of Ireland
  • The Four Masters (Irish annalists)
  • Ancient remnants of HCE himself

Notable Passages​

The Spreading Rumor (pp. 52–58)​

The story passes from mouth to mouth, changing with each telling.

The Witnesses (pp. 58–65)​

Various unreliable witnesses offer contradictory testimony.

HCE's Character Assassination (pp. 65–74)​

His reputation is systematically destroyed.

Characters in This Chapter​

CharacterAppears AsRole
HCEVarious namesThe accused
The Four Old MenWitnessesChroniclers of his fall
Various DublinersGossipsSpread and transform the rumor
The Three SoldiersWitnessesMay have seen the crime
The Two GirlsObjectsMay have been involved

The Wake's Kafkaesque Quality​

Like Josef K. in The Trial, HCE never knows exactly what he's accused of, never faces his accusers directly, and never achieves vindication. The trial proceeds in dream-logic, where guilt precedes any charge.

Audio Resources​

ResourceNotes
One Little GoatVideo with subtitles
Patrick Healy readingComplete audio
Waywords and MeansignsMusical settings

Reading Tips​

  1. Don't look for "the truth" — The point is that truth becomes impossible to recover
  2. Track the transformations — Notice how each version differs
  3. Watch for the recurring numbers — 3-2-1 pattern continues
  4. Note the Four Old Men — They'll become increasingly important

Further Reading​

  • Campbell & Robinson, A Skeleton Key, Chapter 3 commentary
  • McHugh, Annotations to Finnegans Wake, pages 48–74
  • FWEET — Search "48.01" onward

See Also​