The Devil’s Dictionary · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in The Devil’s Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
Unknown
major
Also known as me, myself, mine, Myself, Ye
This narrator speaks as 'I' and 'me' throughout the definitions, a cynic who prefers dry wines to sweet, sense to sentiment, and wit to humor. He is indebted to Father Gassalasca Jape for illustrative verses yet insists on his own guiltless authorship after imitators flooded the market with 'cynic' books. His running voice is the book's spine: each entry is a small trap for the reader's assumptions, and his composure under absurdity is what makes the satire land.
Lord Cadde
supporting
Also known as Cadde, himself
Lord Cadde surfaces across the Dictionary as a narrator and cited authority, the kind of figure who footnotes himself and treats intestinal gases as a serious subject for a monograph. He embodies the book's habit of dressing petty human appetites in academic robes, citing Professor Dam and Delectatio Demonorum with a straight face. His presence teaches the reader early that no authority in this volume is safe, least of all the ones who sound most confident.
Old Paunchinello
supporting
Also known as your
Old Paunchinello appears in the Dictionary's illustrative verses as a freshly wed husband who takes his bride straight to the table and feeds 'as fast as he was able.' His oblivious cry of 'I dote upon good grub' against the neglected bride's dry retort makes him a compact emblem of self-absorption dressed as affection. He matters because he shows how the book's satire works: a single comic couplet can indict an entire institution of manners.
John Elmer Pettibone Cajee
supporting
John Elmer Pettibone Cajee belongs to the Dictionary's cast of mock-verifiable persons, the sort of name that appears in definitions as though everyone should already know him. He is less a plotted character than a fixture of the book's method: the solemn invocation of proper nouns to make outrageous claims feel documented. His presence rewards readers who track the running joke that this 'dictionary' has a whole society living inside its cross-references.
Death
supporting
Also known as G. J. Hearse Death
Death moves through the Dictionary as both a personified power and a punchline, quoted in verse and invoked in definitions with the familiarity of a neighbor. In one passage a damned youth, reared from coals, writes a forecast on asbestos: 'Cloudy; variable winds, with local showers; cooler; snow.' The joke is the point: even the afterlife is subject to dull routine, and Death's supporting role keeps the book's darkest material light on its feet.
James F. Bowman
minor
Also known as Bowman, the late James F. Bowman, himself
A deceased character referenced in definitions.
Andrew Carnegie
minor
Also known as Carnegie the dauntless, Carnegie, your
The famous industrialist, satirized in definitions.
Rev. John Satan
minor
Also known as Satan, himself
A clerical figure named Satan, appearing in definitions.
David
minor
Also known as Dave, Himself
Biblical David, referenced in definitions.
Satan
minor
Also known as Jack Satan
The Devil, appearing in multiple definitions.
The Dullards
minor
Also known as Dullards, their
A family or group referenced in definitions.
The Master
minor
Also known as the Master, himself
A title character appearing in definitions.
Christ
minor
Jesus Christ, referenced in definitions.
Homer
minor
The ancient Greek poet, referenced in definitions.
Pharaoh
minor
Also known as Pharaoh the Immune
Biblical Pharaoh, referenced in definitions.
Juno
minor
Also known as herself
Roman goddess, referenced in definitions.
Shakespeare
minor
The playwright, referenced in definitions.
Aristotle
minor
The philosopher, referenced in definitions.
General Barry
minor
Also known as Barry
A military figure in definitions.
Father Gassalasca Jape
minor
Also known as Father Jape, the ingenious Father Gassalasca Jape, the reverend Father Gassalasca Jape
A clergyman character appearing in definitions.
B
minor
A letter personified in definitions.
Moses
minor
Also known as the Egyptian, Moses Who slew the Egyptian
Biblical prophet, referenced in definitions.
Sirrahs
minor
Also known as ye, Ye
A group addressed in definitions.
Dr. Samuel Johnson
minor
Also known as Dr. Johnson, Johnson, me—I’m
The lexicographer, referenced in definitions.
Angel
minor
Also known as The Angel, your
A celestial being in definitions.
Plato
minor
Also known as himself
Greek philosopher, referenced in definitions.
Sir Lavender Portwine
minor
A knight character in definitions.
Eve
minor
Biblical first woman, referenced in definitions.
Horizontalists
minor
Also known as the Horizontalists, their, themselves
A group referenced in definitions.
A
minor
A letter personified in definitions.
Solomon
minor
Biblical king, referenced in definitions.
Dom Pedro
minor
Also known as your, oneself, Your
A character addressed in definitions, possibly the Brazilian emperor.
William Bryan
minor
A character referenced in definitions.
Scarabee
minor
A character appearing in definitions.
Hearst
minor
William Randolph Hearst, satirized in definitions.
Dear Frank
minor
Also known as your, Your
An addressee in definitions.
Mr. Clark
minor
Also known as Clark, Mr. Clarke
A character appearing in definitions.
An Officer Sent into a Foreign Country
minor
Also known as an officer sent into a foreign country, himself
A character in a definition.
Infralapsarians
minor
Also known as their
A theological group referenced in definitions.
Col. Bryan
minor
A military figure referenced in definitions.
Nero
minor
Also known as Rome, Nero Rome, your
The Roman emperor, referenced in definitions.
Dr. Meir Witchell
minor
Also known as Your
A doctor character appearing in definitions.
Baal
minor
Ancient deity, referenced in definitions.
Silly Old Quilly Old Monarch of Thought
minor
Also known as Thought
A character in a definition.
Twaddle
minor
Also known as himself
A character appearing in definitions.
Dr. Snedeker
minor
Also known as the erudite Dr. Snedeker, himself
An erudite doctor character in definitions.
Mr. Joy
minor
Also known as Joy
A character appearing in definitions.
Old Nick
minor
Also known as Nick, Your
A name for the Devil, appearing in definitions.
Rochebriant
minor
Also known as your
A character referenced in definitions.
Kosciusko
minor
Polish general, referenced in definitions.
Professor Howison
minor
Also known as Howison
A professor character in definitions.
Poor Isabella
minor
Also known as Bel
A character in definitions.
Zeno
minor
Greek philosopher, referenced in definitions.
Caesar
minor
Also known as Julius Caesar, himself
Roman dictator, referenced in definitions.
Lecturer One
minor
A lecturer character in definitions.
Mr. J. J. Owen
minor
Also known as Owen
A character in definitions.
Morryster
minor
A character in definitions.
Zeal
minor
Personification of zeal in definitions.
Jim
minor
Also known as Sad Jamie
A character in definitions.
Clio
minor
Muse of history, referenced in definitions.
The Devil
minor
Satan, appearing in definitions.
Great Niebuhr
minor
Historian, referenced in definitions.
Slander
minor
Personification of slander in definitions.
Dumble
minor
A character in definitions.
The Greeks
minor
Also known as their
Ancient Greek people, referenced in definitions.
Leo
minor
Also known as Leonard Wood, Leonard
A character in definitions.
Leibnitz
minor
Philosopher, referenced in definitions.
Altgeld
minor
Politician, referenced in definitions.
Denis Kearney
minor
Labor leader, referenced in definitions.
Jijiji Ri
minor
A character in definitions.
General Miles
minor
Also known as himself
Military figure in definitions.
General H. H. Wotherspoon
minor
Also known as General Wotherspoon
Military figure in definitions.
The Shah
minor
Persian ruler, referenced in definitions.
Berenice
minor
A character in definitions.
Cabagius
minor
A character in definitions.
Dragoon
minor
A soldier character in definitions.
Dr. Franklin
minor
Benjamin Franklin, referenced in definitions.
