# Tommy — Short Fiction character guide

> Tommy in Short Fiction by P. G. Wodehouse.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** naughty Tommy, Thomas, the luckless Thomas, Tom, Thomas Kitchener, Tom Kitchener, young Tom

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

## Snapshot

A strong, silent would-be head-gardener who plans to eliminate woman from his life — until Sally Williams arrives in Millbourne and ruins everything.

## Who they are

Tom Kitchener is a young man with a career plan and no time for romance, until Sally's bright brown eyes and determined chin hit him like a thunderbolt and he finds himself stammering 'I hope not' over a rosebush. His rivals are legion — every youth in Millbourne crowds the Williams cottage to glower at Sally — and Tom's neglected education in the arts of courtship leaves him badly outmatched. His silent, crimson-eared devotion is the engine of a comedy about what happens when a man who means to be sensible falls hopelessly in love.

## Relationships

### [Sally Preston](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/sally_preston)

_romantic_

Sally and Tommy are romantically involved, with a playful or devoted dynamic.

### [Sally Preston](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/sally_preston)

_romantic_

Sally and Tommy are romantically involved, with a playful or devoted dynamic.

### [Sally Preston](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/characters/sally_preston)

_romantic_

Sally and Tommy are romantically involved, with a playful or devoted dynamic.

## In the story

### [When Papa Swore in Hindustani](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/chapters/when-papa-swore-in-hindustani)

Sylvia's pug, shot by Colonel Reynolds for digging up carnations.

### [Something to Worry About](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/chapters/something-to-worry-about)

A large, grave, self-sufficing second gardener at the Hall, aged 25, who falls in love with Sally at first sight and woos her with vegetables.

### [The Mixer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/chapters/the-mixer)

The narrator of the chapter, a mixed-breed dog who observes and participates in the lives of his various owners.

### [I: He Meets a Shy Gentleman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/chapters/i-he-meets-a-shy-gentleman)

The narrator dog, who reflects on his appearance, his restless nature, and his loyalty to the shy man.

### [II: He Moves in Society](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_42_se/chapters/ii-he-moves-in-society)

The narrator dog, who is hit by a car and taken in by Master Peter, later mistakenly credited with saving Peter from kidnappers.

## Links

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