The Drunkard Characters

Mick is the father of the story’s narrator, Larry. A hard-drinking laborer with a tendency to squander his family’s money on alcohol, Mick is in a period of sobriety at the beginning of the… read analysis of Mick Delaney

Larry is the young son of Mick and Mrs. Delaney. His relationship with his parents is far from ideal: at the beginning of the story, his mother gives him the (near-impossible) responsibility of keeping… read analysis of Larry Delaney

Mrs. Delaney is Mick’s nameless, long-suffering wife and Larry’s mother. A victim of Mick’s carousing, she has to clean up his messes when he drinks, making excuses for him at work when he’s… read analysis of Mrs. Delaney

Mr. Dooley is a local traveling salesman and insatiable gossip who is a friend of Mick’s (despite having much higher social status than the Delaney family). At the beginning of the story, Mr. Dooley… read analysis of Mr. Dooley