Poetry · Character

Jack Satan

Bierce's familiar devil, a wry and worldly presence who treats damnation as a matter of course and hell as a place with a view.

supporting

Also known as Satan

First appearance: poetry

As a supporting figure in Poetry, Jack Satan is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Implied as the creator of the foul planet, which even he cast off.

In the storyTwo SocialistsOpen this moment free

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Jack Satan moves through these poems as the poet's sardonic companion, less a tempter than a bureaucrat of the underworld who has seen it all and finds it tedious. In 'Hell' the speaker sinks for twenty centuries only to be told, flatly, 'this is Hell' — a joke Satan would appreciate. He matters because he gives Bierce a voice for the bleak comedy of the afterlife, undercutting pious comfort with the calm of a man who has read the fine print.

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Character Web

25 connections

A slice of how Jack Satan sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Satanic and Thrifty Characters
Protagonist
Religious and Historical Figures
Personifications and Named Characters
Biblical and Named Figures

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the speaker’s obsessive pursuit of the divine rose fragrance…

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In the story

Jack Satan appears across 20 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Two Socialists
Implied as the creator of the foul planet, which even he cast off.
Genesis
Envious of the Master's power, creates Doxey from slime and lends him his soul.
Constancy
Identified as one of the 'twins of constancy' in the chase after Bryan's head.
The Woman and the Devil
The Devil who sneaks into the workshop and lends his disposition to the Woman.
In High Life
Attends the wedding as a doorman, referred to as 'good Sir John Satan'.
The Day of Wrath
Referenced as 'Satan' in the opening line, whose 'painful duty' is the day of wrath.
A Constructor
The Devil is seen building a customs-house by the sea, stating he has built enough churches.
An Inspired Performance
The Devil is depicted as troubling a pool of mud, from which Vierick arises.
A Commuted Sentence
Appears to deliver Saint Peter's reply regarding the commutation of their sentence.
The Transmigrations of a Soul
Invoked as a rival to Pixley, who is said to surpass Satan in vice and shamelessness.
Emancipation
Disguised as a newly dead deacon, he infiltrates the church and secretly claims a mortgage on the congregation.
The Subdued Editor
The devil, appearing as a sunny, curly-haired youth, who comes to 'inspire' Pixley and reduce him to a sweating, helpless state.
Satan's Modest Refusal of Earthly Monuments
Visits earth and responds to a follower's lament about the lack of monuments to his glory.
A Hasty Inference
The Devil, who comes from the Pit to petition for equal status in Heaven, citing the hypocrisy of the Master's tolerance of corrupt wealthy men.
XXXVI
Implied as the father of Henry Vrooman, referred to as an 'Imp of Satan's getting'.
Peaceful Expulsion
Appears as a friend to Mountwave, supporting the anti-Chinese expulsion movement.
The Fiend's Delight
Mentioned as a demonic entity involved in the punishments.
CLXXXIV
Satan speaks to the narrator, ejecting Hope and blaming the narrator for causing trouble.
CCXXX
Grants entry to the voluptuary's soul and comments on the women.
CCXXXV
Approaches the Gate seeking something, is dismissed by Peter, then seizes Memory.

Chapter companion notes

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