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HCE: Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker

Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker is the protagonist of Finnegans Wake—a middle-aged Dublin publican whose dream constitutes the book. He is Joyce's Everyman, appearing under thousands of names as "Here Comes Everybody."

Quick Reference​

AttributeDetail
RoleFather, husband, publican, dreamer
Sigil⌂ (house/mountain)
WifeAnna Livia Plurabelle (ALP)
ChildrenShem, Shaun, Issy
Key ChaptersI.2–4 (scandal/trial), III.3 (defense)
Key Phrase"Here Comes Everybody"

Names and Manifestations​

HCE is referred to by "literally thousands of names" throughout the book. The initials H-C-E recur constantly:

Common Forms​

  • Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker
  • Here Comes Everybody
  • Haveth Childers Everywhere
  • Howth Castle and Environs
  • Mr. Porter

Historical/Mythological Forms​

  • Finn MacCool
  • Tim Finnegan
  • Adam
  • King Mark (Tristan legend)
  • Humpty Dumpty
  • Noah
  • Cromwell
  • Wellington
  • Parnell

Phonetic Variations​

  • Harold or Humphrey Chimpden
  • Haromphreyld
  • Persse O'Reilly
  • Hec (scrambled initials)

The Name's Origin​

In chapter I.2, HCE receives his nickname "Earwicker" when the Sailor King encounters him at a tollgate. HCE is attempting to catch earwigs with an inverted flowerpot on a stick.

The name also connects to:

  • Earwig (perce-oreille in French, punned as "Persse O'Reilly")
  • Hugh Childers (1827–96), a portly politician nicknamed "Here Comes Everybody"
  • Ear (hearing/eavesdropping) + wicker (basket/gate)

Physical Description​

Joyce provides little direct physical description, but we know:

  • Humpbacked — Suggested by his initials and the Humpty Dumpty association
  • Stammering — His "hesitency" reveals his guilt
  • Foreign — Of Scandinavian descent
  • Middle-aged — A settled family man

His body becomes the landscape of Dublin itself—head at Howth, feet at Phoenix Park.

The Crime​

HCE's defining characteristic is his mysterious guilt over an incident in Phoenix Park. The nature of the crime is never definitively stated:

Possible Versions​

  • Exposed himself to two girls
  • Watched two girls urinating
  • Was propositioned by a soldier
  • Committed voyeurism at the Magazine Wall
  • Did nothing—only had guilty thoughts

The Pattern (3-2-1)​

Every version involves:

  • 3 soldiers/witnesses
  • 2 girls
  • 1 cad/HCE

The Real Crime​

The crime may be Original Sin itself—the guilt that precedes any specific act. HCE is guilty because he is human.

HCE and Dublin​

HCE is identified with the city of Dublin:

"His clay feet... at Phoenix Park... while his head lies under the Hill of Howth."

As the sleeping giant beneath Dublin:

  • Head: Hill of Howth
  • Body: The city
  • Feet: Chapelizod/Phoenix Park

This connects him to Finn MacCool, who according to legend lies sleeping beneath Ireland, waiting to rise again.

The Fall​

HCE experiences multiple "falls":

FallParallel
The Phoenix Park incidentOriginal Sin
Social disgraceParnell's fall
Getting drunk in the pubTim Finnegan
Dream-deathEvery night's sleep

The pattern is always: rise → accusation → fall → (possible) resurrection

The Trial​

HCE is tried throughout the book:

  • I.4: As Festy King in dream-court
  • III.3: Through his son Yawn, as voices emerge from the past
  • Throughout: In the court of public opinion

He is never acquitted. Like Josef K. in Kafka's The Trial, HCE remains guilty of an unspecified crime.

"Haveth Childers Everywhere"​

In III.3 (pp. 532–554), HCE delivers his great self-defense, boasting:

  • He built the city of Dublin
  • He conquered Anna Livia (ALP)
  • He fathered children everywhere
  • He is the source of civilization

This section was published separately in 1930 by Faber & Faber.

The Dreamer​

The entire Wake may be HCE's dream:

  • The book takes place during one night
  • HCE lies sleeping above his pub
  • All events are filtered through his dreaming consciousness
  • The initials H-C-E structure reality

Evidence​

  • The book begins and ends with the same sentence (dream circularity)
  • Events blend past, present, and future (dream logic)
  • Characters transform (dream fluidity)
  • Guilt pervades everything (dream anxiety)

HCE and the Family​

As Husband​

HCE's relationship with ALP combines:

  • Tender affection
  • Sexual guilt
  • Mutual dependence
  • Historical partnership (they built Dublin together)

As Father​

His sons represent split aspects of himself:

  • Shaun: The social, respectable self
  • Shem: The artistic, guilty self

His daughter Issy represents:

  • The temptation that led to his fall
  • The young ALP
  • The next generation

Mythological Parallels​

FigureConnection
Finn MacCoolSleeping giant under Ireland
AdamFirst man, first fall
OsirisMurdered god who rises
King MarkCuckold in Tristan legend
Humpty DumptyGreat fall, impossible reassembly
NoahDrunk patriarch, flood survivor

Key Passages​

The Opening (p. 3)​

"Howth Castle and Environs" — HCE's initials embedded in the landscape.

The Cad Encounter (I.2)​

HCE's stammering self-incrimination when asked the time.

The Ballad (I.2, pp. 44–47)​

"Have you heard of one Humpty Dumpty..." — His public mockery.

Haveth Childers (III.3, pp. 532–554)​

His boastful self-defense.

Reading HCE​

Tips​

  1. Watch for H-C-E patterns — They appear in words, initials, phrases
  2. Note the stammer — "Hesitency" signals HCE's presence
  3. Accept transformation — He changes names constantly
  4. Feel the guilt — His anxiety pervades the text

Example​

"that sword of certainty which would indentifide the body never" (p. 51)

Contains: "H" (that), "C" (certainty), "E" (identity/never) — HCE is present.

Further Reading​

  • Adaline Glasheen, Third Census of Finnegans Wake — Complete HCE index
  • FWEET — Search HCE appearances
  • Hatter's Cabinet — HCE names list

See Also​