# Joe Rendal — Short Fiction character guide

> Joe Rendal in Short Fiction by P. G. Wodehouse.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Joe, this new Joe, Dear old Joe

**First appearance:** 0000-when-papa-swore-in-hindustani

## Snapshot

Once a tongue-tied Dunsterville youth who worshipped Mary from afar, Joe Rendal has been remade by New York into a confident, well-dressed man of business.

## Who they are

Joe Rendal fled his hometown a shambling, adoring boy and returns in Mary's eyes as a polished stranger whose ease and flippancy sting worse than any awkwardness could. Mary, broke and proud, accepts a post in his office expecting to manage his old devotion, only to find herself the bucolic and awkward one. His transformation forces her to reckon with what New York does to people, and his cheerful refusal to acknowledge their shared past becomes the quiet provocation that drives her forward.

## Relationships

### [Mary Hill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/mary_hill)

_romantic_

Joe and Mary share a deeply affectionate and possibly romantic bond, with frequent interactions suggesting courtship or partnership.

### [Mary Hill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/mary_hill)

_romantic_

Joe and Mary share a deeply affectionate and possibly romantic bond, with frequent interactions suggesting courtship or partnership.

### [Mary Hill](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/mary_hill)

_romantic_

Joe and Mary share a deeply affectionate and possibly romantic bond, with frequent interactions suggesting courtship or partnership.

## In the story

### [Three from Dunsterville](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/chapters/three-from-dunsterville)

A former shy, awkward youth from Dunsterville who has become a successful, confident, and forceful businessman in New York; he hires Mary and confesses his enduring feelings for her.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/joe_rendal
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters