# Aunt Julia Morkan — Dubliners character guide

> Aunt Julia Morkan in Dubliners by James Joyce.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Julia, Poor Aunt Julia, Miss Julia, Miss Morkan, Miss Julia Morkan

**First appearance:** 0014-the-dead

## Snapshot

Elder Morkan sister whose mirthless eyes and slow nods betray a mind drifting from the party she has hosted for thirty years.

## Who they are

Julia Morkan is one of the two elderly sisters whose annual Christmas dance gathers Dublin's musical set into their candlelit rooms on Usher's Island. When the talk turns to goloshes and Continental fashions, she asks quietly what they are, and the smile fades from her face as the conversation moves past her. Her fading attention and uncomprehending nods register the distance between the aunts' old world and Gabriel's modern one, making her a quiet measure of what the party is silently losing.

## Relationships

### [Gabriel Conroy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/gabriel_conroy)

_family_

Aunt and nephew; Julia is Gabriel's elderly aunt, and he feels a protective but distant affection for her.

### [Mr. Browne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/mr_browne)

_social_

Party host and guest; Mr. Browne is a jovial but intrusive presence at the Morkan sisters' gathering.

### [Freddy Malins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/freddy_malins)

_family_

Aunt and nephew; Julia is Freddy's aunt, and she tolerates his drunken behavior with weary affection.

### [Maria](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/maria)

_friendship_

Longtime friends and former colleagues; Maria is a devoted helper to the Morkan sisters.

### [Gabriel Conroy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/gabriel_conroy)

_family_

Aunt and nephew; Julia is Gabriel's elderly aunt, and he feels a protective but distant affection for her.

### [Freddy Malins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/freddy_malins)

_family_

Aunt and nephew; Julia is Freddy's aunt, and she tolerates his drunken behavior with weary affection.

### [Maria](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/maria)

_friendship_

Longtime friends and former colleagues; Maria is a devoted helper to the Morkan sisters.

### [Mr. Browne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/mr_browne)

_social_

Party host and guest; Mr. Browne is a jovial but intrusive presence at the Morkan sisters' gathering.

### [Gabriel Conroy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/gabriel_conroy)

_family_

Aunt and nephew; Julia is Gabriel's elderly aunt, and he feels a protective but distant affection for her.

### [Maria](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/maria)

_friendship_

Longtime friends and former colleagues; Maria is a devoted helper to the Morkan sisters.

### [Freddy Malins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/freddy_malins)

_family_

Aunt and nephew; Julia is Freddy's aunt, and she tolerates his drunken behavior with weary affection.

### [Mr. Browne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/mr_browne)

_social_

Party host and guest; Mr. Browne is a jovial but intrusive presence at the Morkan sisters' gathering.

## In the story

### [The Dead](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/chapters/the-dead)

One of the hostesses, who is moved by Gabriel's speech and is concerned about Freddy Malins.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters/aunt_julia_morkan
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/dubliners_se/characters