# Jake Brown — Home to Harlem character guide > Jake Brown in Home to Harlem by Claude McKay. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Jake, Mr. Jacob Brown, Jakey **First appearance:** 0003-i-going-back-home ## Snapshot A Black soldier just back from France, Jake chases the sweet stuff of life through Harlem's cabarets, craving pleasure, luck, and a place to belong. ## Who they are Jake returns from two years overseas to a Harlem that burns in his blood, and he moves through it with a rough, magnetic charm that makes buddies want to fight for him and women want to keep him. He loves life too much to be careful, drinking and carousing until a relapse lands him under a doctor's warning and his landlady's gin-soaked sermons about sin. His hunger for pleasure and his refusal to be tamed drive the novel's early wandering, making him both the life of every room and a man always one step from wreckage. ## In the story ### [Home to Harlem](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/home-to-harlem) Returns to Harlem, feeling a sense of belonging and reconnecting with the neighborhood. ### [First Part](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/first-part) The central character, a young man navigating life in Harlem, working as a longshoreman and seeking connection. ### [I: Going Back Home](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/i-going-back-home) A black American longshoreman returning home after serving in WWI. He is disillusioned with Europe and yearns for Harlem. ### [II: Arrival](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/ii-arrival) Returns to Harlem after two years, spends his pay-off on food, drink, and a woman, and wakes up penniless but happy. ### [III: Zeddy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/iii-zeddy) Reunites with Zeddy, shares war stories, and is preoccupied with the brown girl he met the previous night. ### [IV: Congo Rose](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/iv-congo-rose) Jake goes to the Baltimore seeking his honey girl, then to the Congo with Zeddy, where he meets Congo Rose and agrees to stay with her. ### [On the Job Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/v-on-the-job-again) Works as a longshoreman, refuses to scab, and intervenes in the fight between Zeddy and Nije. ### [Myrtle Avenue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/vi-myrtle-avenue) Attends the party with Zeddy, is disgusted by the women and the atmosphere, and reflects on his past and the brown girl. ### [VII: Zeddy's Rise and Fall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/vii-zeddy-s-rise-and-fall) Jake observes Zeddy's new situation with amusement and a sense of his own independence. He acts as a go-between, visiting Susy's for a feast and later accompanying Zeddy to the Congo, where he sits at his table. ### [VIII: The Raid of the Baltimore](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/viii-the-raid-of-the-baltimore) Jake has stopped haunting the Baltimore after giving up hope on his lost brown, but he is present at Madame Suarez's buffet flat during the raid. His connection to Rose has given him access to a more elegant, worldly atmosphere, where he is a high favorite. ### [Jake Makes a Move](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/ix-jake-makes-a-move) Jake confronts Rose about her visitor, slaps her, and ultimately decides to leave her. ### [Second Part](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/second-part) Returns to Harlem and reconnects with old acquaintances. ### [X: The Railroad](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/x-the-railroad) Working as a third cook on the railroad, trying to break Harlem's hold. Engages with a Haitian waiter and learns about Haiti and Toussaint L’Ouverture. ### [Snowstorm in Pittsburgh](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/xi-snowstorm-in-pittsburgh) Arrives in Pittsburgh, finds a woman quickly, and socializes with Ray and other railroad men, showing his adaptability and easygoing nature. ### [The Treeing of the Chef](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/xii-the-treeing-of-the-chef) Works as a waiter in the dining-car, silently resenting the chef's abuse and forming a strong friendship with Ray. ### [One Night in Philly](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/xiii-one-night-in-philly) Persuades Ray to visit Madame Laura's house in Philadelphia; enjoys the atmosphere and becomes intimate with Laura. ### [Interlude](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/xiv-interlude) Ill and recovering, Jake ignores doctor's advice, drinks beer, and later suffers a severe pain attack after heavy drinking at Uncle Doc's. ### [XV: Relapse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/xv-relapse) Suffers a relapse from drinking beer, despite doctor's warnings. Plans to move to a new room. ### [XVI: A Practical Prank](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/xvi-a-practical-prank) Recovering from illness, plays a prank on Madame Laura, and engages in a debate about pimps and civilization. ### [He Also Loved](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/xvii-he-also-loved) Narrator of the chapter, working at a saloon and living in Ma Lawton's flat. ### [A Farewell Feed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/xviii-a-farewell-feed) Hosts a farewell feed for Ray; expresses a wish for education and affection for Ray. ### [Third Part](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/third-part) Recovering from illness in a hospital, reflecting on his past and his relationships. ### [Spring in Harlem](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/xix-spring-in-harlem) Wanders through Harlem, reflecting on love and violence, and witnesses the fight involving Yaller Prince. ### [XX: Felice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/xx-felice) Reunites with Felice, takes her to his room, and waits for her while she retrieves her belongings. ### [The Gift That Billy Gave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/chapters/xxi-the-gift-that-billy-gave) Celebrates with Felice, accepts Billy Biasse's gift, reconciles with Zeddy, and decides to leave Harlem for Chicago. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/characters/jake - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/home_to_harlem_se/characters