A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man · Character
Wells
A bully at Clongowes Wood School who torments Stephen.
minor
First appearance: i
Wells's tie to Stephen Dedalus is one of the pressures that moves A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man—worth meeting in the text, not only on a cast list.
Wells first appears in 0002 i.
With Stephen Dedalus (rivalry): Wells is a bully at Clongowes who pushes Stephen into a cesspool, triggering Stephen's first major illness and crisis of faith.
Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.
Character Web
13 connectionsA slice of how Wells sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.
Relationship types
- Rivalry
- Other
Character groups
- School bullies and antagonists
- Protagonist
- Clongowes schoolmates and early crushes
- Childhood and family influences
+8 more in the full Character Web
Open in readerNarrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Breaking point
Stephen's obsessive, mechanical devotion reaches its emotional and psychological peak here, as he drives himse…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingRelationships
- Stephen Dedalus
rivalry · negative
Wells is a bully at Clongowes who pushes Stephen into a cesspool, triggering Stephen's… How this plays out →
Relationship notes
How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.
See Wells in i