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The Crime

At the center of Finnegans Wake is a crime—something HCE did (or didn't do) in Phoenix Park. The nature of the crime is never confirmed, but the 3-2-1 pattern (three soldiers, two girls, one cad) recurs obsessively.

The Phoenix Park Incident​

Something happened in Phoenix Park involving HCE:

The Location​

Phoenix Park is Dublin's great public park:

  • Site of the 1882 Phoenix Park murders
  • Contains the Magazine Fort
  • Near Chapelizod (where HCE's pub is located)
  • A place of public and private acts

What Happened?​

The crime is never definitively stated. Versions include:

  • HCE exposed himself to two girls
  • HCE watched two girls urinating
  • HCE was propositioned by a soldier
  • HCE did nothing—only had guilty thoughts
  • HCE committed a crime we cannot name

The 3-2-1 Pattern​

Every version of the crime involves:

NumberElementVariations
3Soldiers/witnessesThree redcoats; the Three Soldiers
2GirlsTwo temptresses; Issy doubled
1Cad/HCEThe accused; the witness; the perpetrator

This pattern recurs throughout the book in countless variations.

The Cad Encounter (I.2)​

The crime emerges in chapter I.2:

The Meeting​

A "cad with a pipe" meets HCE and asks the time. HCE's response:

  • He stammers
  • He over-explains
  • He incriminates himself
  • He protests too much

The Spread​

  • The cad tells his wife
  • His wife tells others
  • A ballad is composed
  • HCE's reputation is destroyed

The Ballad​

"The Ballad of Persse O'Reilly" (pp. 44–47) mocks HCE publicly:

"Have you heard of one Humpty Dumpty / How he fell with a roll and a rumble..."

Versions of the Crime​

Sexual Exposure​

HCE exposed himself:

  • To two girls in the park
  • They saw/witnessed
  • Three soldiers observed
  • Scandal resulted

Voyeurism​

HCE watched:

  • Two girls urinating
  • Behind a bush
  • He was caught looking
  • The gaze was the crime

Homosexual Encounter​

A soldier propositioned HCE:

  • HCE may have responded
  • Or may have fled
  • The "crime" is desire itself
  • Sexual ambiguity pervades

Nothing Happened​

HCE is innocent:

  • He only had thoughts
  • The accusation is false
  • Guilt precedes the act
  • Original Sin is the only crime

The Crime as Original Sin​

The crime may be existence itself:

"O foenix culprit!" (p. 23)

Felix Culpa​

Augustine's "happy fault" (felix culpa) suggests:

  • Sin was necessary for redemption
  • The Fall enables the Rise
  • Guilt is the human condition

HCE's Guilt​

HCE may be guilty simply because:

  • He is human
  • He has desire
  • He exists in a fallen world
  • All fathers fail

The Three Soldiers​

The soldiers appear throughout:

In Phoenix Park​

  • They witness the crime
  • They report it
  • They testify against HCE

As Historical Figures​

  • The three at the Cross
  • Wellington's soldiers at Waterloo
  • Any military trio

As Structural Element​

The number 3 recurs:

  • Trinity
  • Triad
  • Past/Present/Future
  • Shem/Shaun/Issy

The Two Girls​

The girls are Issy doubled:

In Phoenix Park​

  • Two young women
  • Objects of HCE's gaze
  • Witnesses or temptresses

As Issy​

  • Issy and her mirror-twin
  • The 28 rainbow girls reduced to 2
  • The daughter as temptation

As Mythological Figures​

  • Two Isoldes (Ireland and Brittany)
  • Eve and Lilith
  • Any pair of women

The Magazine Wall​

A specific location in Phoenix Park:

The Setting​

"by the Magazine Wall, zinzin, zinzin" (p. 69)

HCE may have:

  • Hidden behind it
  • Exposed himself near it
  • Been observed there

The Pun​

"Magazine" contains:

  • Ammunition store
  • Publication (scandal spreads)
  • Hidden explosive content

The Prankquean Tale (I.1)​

An early version of the crime pattern:

The Story​

  • The Prankquean visits the Earl
  • She steals his children
  • He can't answer her riddle
  • The pattern repeats three times

The Elements​

  • 1 Earl (HCE)
  • 1 Prankquean (temptress)
  • Multiple repetitions
  • Unanswerable guilt

Guilt and Innocence​

The Wake never resolves HCE's guilt:

Evidence of Guilt​

  • His stammering defense
  • His over-explanation
  • His persistent anxiety
  • The scandal that follows

Evidence of Innocence​

  • No clear accusation
  • Conflicting versions
  • Perhaps only thoughts
  • False witness possible

The Point​

The ambiguity is the point:

  • We are all guilty
  • We are all innocent
  • The crime is being human
  • The trial never ends

The Trial (I.4)​

HCE is tried as "Festy King":

The Dream Court​

  • Surreal proceedings
  • Incompetent witnesses
  • Contradictory evidence
  • No verdict

Kafka's Trial​

Like Josef K., HCE:

  • Is accused of an unspecified crime
  • Cannot defend himself
  • Is never acquitted
  • Remains guilty

Parnell and the Crime​

Charles Stewart Parnell's fall echoes HCE's:

Parnell's "Crime"​

  • Adultery with Kitty O'Shea
  • Exposed by her husband
  • Abandoned by the Irish
  • Died in disgrace

The Pattern​

  • A great man
  • A sexual scandal
  • Public exposure
  • Irreparable fall

Reading the Crime​

Tips​

  1. Watch for 3-2-1 — Three of something, two of something, one of something
  2. Note the stammer — HCE's "hesitency" signals guilt
  3. Accept ambiguity — The crime is never resolved
  4. Feel the anxiety — The text is pervaded by guilt

Key Passages​

  • I.2 (pp. 30–47): The cad encounter and ballad
  • I.4: The trial of Festy King
  • III.3 (pp. 532–554): HCE's defense

Further Reading​

  • Margot Norris, The Decentered Universe of Finnegans Wake
  • Adaline Glasheen, Third Census of Finnegans Wake — Crime entries
  • FWEET — Search crime-related terms

See Also​