# The National Being — Character guide

> Key figures in The National Being by George William Russell.

- [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_national_being_se/characters/unknown_narrator.md): This narrator speaks as a public thinker rather than a private self, moving through Irish political life to diagnose why leaders were trusted and discussion ceased. His central tension is between two loves of country: th
- [Patrick Maloney](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_national_being_se/characters/patrick_maloney.md): Patrick begins as a legend-bound figure, thinking of Ireland as a little dark Rose and a mystic maiden rather than a multitudinous being. As he meets the cooperative movement, his politics take on gravity and his individ
- [Sir Horace Plunkett](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_national_being_se/characters/sir_horace_plunkett.md): A historical figure referenced as a proponent of Irish agricultural cooperation.
- [Whitman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_national_being_se/characters/whitman.md): The poet Walt Whitman, invoked as a symbol of democratic and national spirit.
- [Kathleen ni Houlihan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_national_being_se/characters/kathleen_ni_houlihan.md): A personification of Ireland, used as a poetic and national symbol in the text.
- [Christ](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_national_being_se/characters/christ.md): Referenced as a religious figure, possibly in a metaphorical or national context.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_national_being_se/characters