Gullible’s Travels · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in Gullible’s Travels by Ring Lardner.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
Unknown Narrator
major
Also known as I, myself, me
He opens on a rummy game where he's seven-fifty in the hole and already cracking jokes about Hatch's luck, setting the tone for a man who'd rather wisecrack than win. His running battle with his Missus—over expenses, over shows, over whether to see grand opera or Charley Chaplin—is the engine of every trip he takes. He matters because his deadpan, self-incriminating voice is the whole book: a gullible Everyman narrating his own fleecing with perfect comic timing.
Mr. Bishop
major
Also known as Bishop, Mr. Bishop
He surfaces in the narrator's account of shipboard and hotel life, one of the acquaintances whose behavior the narrator measures against his own. The narrator's eye for social performance—who's dressed right, who's tipping, who's pretending—plays out through encounters like these. He matters as part of the ensemble that exposes the gap between the narrator's self-image and the genteel world he keeps failing to enter.
Mrs. Hatch
major
Also known as Hatch, Mrs. Hatch
She wins at rummy and, when the narrator grouses, proposes turning the winnings into four show tickets—a gesture that's part generosity, part social maneuvering. She knows exactly how far she can push and reads the Missus's signals better than the men do, eventually steering the party toward grand opera over the narrator's objections. She matters because she embodies the social intelligence the narrator lacks, quietly running the evening while he thinks he's running his mouth.
Bess
major
Also known as Bess
She moves through the narrator's world of card games and outings, one of the women whose judgments and preferences shape where the group goes and how the narrator behaves. The narrator's habit of measuring himself against the women around him—his Missus, Mrs. Hatch, and figures like Bess—drives much of the book's comedy of self-consciousness. She matters as part of the texture of his social life, a reminder that his travels are never solo and his blunders always have witnesses.
Mrs. Garrett
supporting
Also known as Garrett, Mrs. Garrett
She welcomes the narrator and his Missus to a club dinner, only to have him interrogate her about rent, demand liquid refreshments, and settle a bet across her table. Her dry, unflappable replies—'The San Susie's a dry club'—set off his best deadpan rudeness. She matters because her dinner party is the book's sharpest set piece on the collision between the narrator's blunt appetites and the genteel manners he keeps failing to master.
Harry Quinn
supporting
Also known as Harry, Quinn
He misreads his own hand as a straight, wins a pot he shouldn't have, and can't understand why Hatch is furious—because, as the narrator notes, 'him and brains ain't even stepbrothers.' His blameless incompetence exposes Hatch's temper and the narrator's talent for stirring trouble while pretending to keep the peace. He matters because his haplessness is the catalyst that turns the rummy game into the social comedy that opens the book.
Elmer Bishop
supporting
Also known as Elmer, Bishop
Elmer Bishop belongs to the extended circle of family and acquaintances that the narrator navigates with a mixture of obligation and comic resignation. His connection to Mr. Bishop places him within the web of favors, debts, and social expectations that define the narrator's world. Even at the margins, he represents the kind of relationship that can complicate a simple evening or a casual plan.
Don Joss
supporting
Also known as Joss, Don
Don Joss moves through the narrator's world of card games, bets, and informal alliances, where every man is looking for an angle. He embodies the low-stakes rivalry and easy camaraderie that define the group's social texture. His involvement in the narrator's affairs, however minor, contributes to the atmosphere of genial suspicion that colors the story's early episodes.
Bessie
supporting
Also known as Miss Bessie
Bessie occupies a space in the narrator's life that suggests family or close friendship, her concerns running parallel to his comic disasters. Her subplot introduces a quieter register—romantic or familial—that balances the boisterous travelogue. She matters because her presence reminds us that the narrator's gullibility has consequences beyond his own pocketbook.
Joe Tuttle
supporting
Also known as Joe, Tuttle, Big Joe
Joe Tuttle belongs to the loose network of friends and neighbors who populate the narrator's card games and casual outings. His nickname suggests a physical presence that contrasts with the narrator's more hapless bearing. He represents the ordinary social fabric—the familiar faces and easy ribbing—against which the narrator's misadventures play out.
Mrs. Arthur Collins
supporting
Also known as Mrs. Collins
Mrs. Arthur Collins is part of the married-couple social world that the narrator and his wife inhabit, a world of rummy games and shared evenings. Her identity as a wife places her within the network of domestic alliances and gentle competitions that structure the group's leisure. She matters as one of the steady presences whose reactions and allegiances shape the social dynamics the narrator must navigate.
Mrs. Quinn
supporting
Also known as Mrs. Quinn
Mrs. Quinn moves through the same card parties and social evenings that define the narrator's home life, her identity tied to her husband Harry. She represents the stable, married texture of the group—the wives who play rummy, trade barbs, and keep the social machinery running. Her presence, however quiet, helps establish the ordinary world from which the narrator's travels depart.
Genevieve Farr'r
supporting
Also known as Genevieve, Jane
Known as Genevieve to some and Jane to others, she moves through the narrator's orbit with a presence that keeps him guessing about who she really is.
Archibald
supporting
Also known as old Archibald, Archie, Old Fox Archibald
Archibald carries the weight of years and the nickname 'Old Fox,' suggesting a man who has learned to play the angles. Whether he's mentoring or maneuvering, his presence adds a layer of wily experience to the narrator's world. He matters because he represents the kind of street-smart elder whose advice—or interference—shapes how the younger characters navigate their schemes.
Jim Hatch
supporting
Also known as Hatch, Jim
Jim Hatch sits at the center of a card game where his improbable luck empties the narrator's pockets, and his wife's suggestion that they repay the winnings with theater tickets puts him on the spot. He's a man of few words and slower spending, pouring himself generously from the shared pint while his wife does the social negotiating. His stinginess and the pressure to loosen up drive the evening's comic tension, making him the pivot on which the narrator's night out turns.
Carmen
supporting
Also known as Carmen
Carmen isn't a person but the opera itself—a real play where the lines are sung in a foreign language, as the narrator discovers when he reads the libretto to keep up. The show becomes a comic battleground: Hatch and his wife have no idea what's happening on stage, while the narrator pieces together the plot from the English portions. It matters because the opera outing exposes the gaps between the characters' pretensions and their actual cultural knowledge, turning a simple theater trip into a comedy of confusion.
Flora
minor
Also known as Flora
A woman in the narrator's social circle, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
Frau
minor
Also known as the Frau
A German woman, possibly a servant or acquaintance, mentioned in the narrative.
The Missus
supporting
Also known as Missus
The Missus plays rummy badly enough to lose seven-fifty, then smooths over the aftermath by graciously accepting Mrs. Hatch's invitation to the theater. She communicates with her husband through glances—a sign to stay out of the show debate, a look that warns him to hold his tongue. Her tact and social intuition keep the peace between the couples, and her presence grounds the narrator's wilder impulses in domestic reality, making her the silent engine of the evening's diplomacy.
Veto
minor
Also known as Veto
A character with a distinct name, possibly a friend or acquaintance of the narrator.
Fred
minor
Also known as old Al Cazar
A character mentioned in the narrative, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
Jake
minor
Also known as Mrs. Jake
A character mentioned in the narrative, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
Gould
minor
Also known as Gould
A character mentioned briefly, possibly a historical or local figure.
Ada
minor
Also known as Ada
A woman mentioned in the narrative, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
George S. Busy
minor
Also known as George
A character with a distinctive name, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
Mrs. Potter
minor
Also known as the Mrs. Potter
A woman mentioned in the narrative, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
Eph
minor
Also known as Eph
A character mentioned briefly, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
Pardner
minor
Also known as Pardner
A term of address used for a character, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
Mr. Messenger
minor
Also known as Messenger
A character in the narrator's social circle, possibly a friend or colleague.
Marion
minor
Also known as Marion
A woman mentioned in the narrative, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
Eskimo Bill
minor
Also known as Bill
A character with a colorful name, possibly encountered during travels.
Mrs. Messenger
minor
Also known as Mrs. Robert Messenger
The wife of Mr. Messenger, part of the social circle.
The Hatches
minor
Also known as the Hatches
The Hatch family as a unit, often mentioned together.
Mr. Garrett
minor
Also known as Mr. Garrett
The husband of Mrs. Garrett, occasionally mentioned.
President Wilson
minor
Also known as Wilson
Historical figure referenced in the narrative, not a direct character.
Cutie
minor
Also known as Cutie
A character with a nickname, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
The Collinses
minor
Also known as Collinses
The Collins family as a unit, mentioned in the narrative.
The Quinns
minor
Also known as the Quinns
The Quinn family as a unit, mentioned in the narrative.
Pat
minor
Also known as Pat Vanderbilt, Matty
A character with a nickname, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
Mrs. Tuttle
minor
Also known as Mrs. Tuttle
The wife of Joe Tuttle, mentioned in the narrative.
Harold Greiner
minor
Also known as Harold Greiner
A character mentioned in the narrative, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
Gullible
minor
Also known as Gullible
The title character, possibly a nickname for the narrator or another figure.
Flamingo
minor
Also known as Flamingo
A character or entity mentioned in the narrative, possibly a place or person.
Gus
minor
Also known as Gus Verdi, old Gus
A character with a distinctive name, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
The White Sox
minor
Also known as the White Sox
A reference to the baseball team, mentioned in the narrative.
The Messengers
minor
Also known as the Messengers
The Messenger family as a unit, mentioned in the narrative.
Dearie
minor
Also known as Dearie
A term of endearment used for a character, possibly a friend or acquaintance.
