# James Sheridan — The Turmoil character guide > James Sheridan in The Turmoil by Booth Tarkington. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Jim, Sheridan, Mr. Sheridan, Mr. James Sheridan, Mr. Jim, Jim Sheridan, Ole man Sheridan **First appearance:** 0001-the-turmoil ## Snapshot The booming, self-made patriarch of the Sheridan fortune, who built an industrial empire by main force and expects his sons to keep doubling it. ## Who they are Sheridan dominates every table he sits at: thirty teeth, none bought, a voice that carries over the orchestra, and a boyish vanity in his own achievement. He is genuinely happy in his power, yet his grief for his dead son Jim is measured almost entirely in lost business—Jim was the one who would have kept the property growing. That hunger for succession, and his bafflement at the son who won't share it, is the engine of the family's trouble. ## Relationships ### [Mary Vertrees](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/mary_vertrees) _social_ James Sheridan disapproves of Mary Vertrees due to her past and her influence on his son Bibbs. ### [Roscoe Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/roscoe_sheridan) _family_ James and his son Roscoe share a pragmatic, business-oriented relationship, with James favoring Roscoe's ambition. ### [Sibyl Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/sibyl_sheridan) _family_ James Sheridan has a formal, somewhat cold relationship with his daughter-in-law Sibyl, viewing her as a social asset. ### [Mary Vertrees](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/mary_vertrees) _social_ James Sheridan disapproves of Mary Vertrees due to her past and her influence on his son Bibbs. ### [Sibyl Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/sibyl_sheridan) _family_ James Sheridan has a formal, somewhat cold relationship with his daughter-in-law Sibyl, viewing her as a social asset. ### [Roscoe Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/roscoe_sheridan) _family_ James and his son Roscoe share a pragmatic, business-oriented relationship, with James favoring Roscoe's ambition. ### [Roscoe Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/roscoe_sheridan) _family_ James and his son Roscoe share a pragmatic, business-oriented relationship, with James favoring Roscoe's ambition. ### [Sibyl Sheridan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/sibyl_sheridan) _family_ James Sheridan has a formal, somewhat cold relationship with his daughter-in-law Sibyl, viewing her as a social asset. ### [Mary Vertrees](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/mary_vertrees) _social_ James Sheridan disapproves of Mary Vertrees due to her past and her influence on his son Bibbs. ## In the story ### [The Turmoil](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/the-turmoil) Dominant father figure, obsessed with industrial growth and pushing Bibbs into business. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/ii) The powerful, self-made patriarch who dismisses Bibbs's illness as laziness and imagination. He is fiercely proud of his other children and the city, which he sees as a reflection of his own success. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/v) Mentioned as the eldest son whom the Sheridans are eager to marry off; Mary jokes about him as a potential suitor. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/vi) The host, radiant and boisterous, dominates the banquet with loud talk and jokes, showing off his power and health. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/vi) Sits on Mary's left, is eager to talk with her, and is the target of his father's joke about proposing. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/vii) Described by Mary as a forceful, uncomprehending man who proudly displays his wealth and threatens to send Bibbs to the machine shop. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/viii) Jim drives Mary Vertrees and discusses Bibbs's character, expressing a dismissive view of Bibbs as lazy and unlikely to succeed, contrasting with his own drive for growth. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/ix) Sheridan angrily confronts Bibbs about his future, praising the virtues of business and progress while dismissing poetry as 'women's work.' ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/x) Mentioned as a potential authority figure who would oppose Lamhorn if he knew the truth. ### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xi) Proudly shows Herr Favre the city and its industries, then learns of Jim's death in the barbershop. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xii) Sheridan is devastated by Jim's death, unable to cope. He is determined to 'make a man' of Bibbs, despite the potential harm. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xiii) Lies face-down on his bed in grief, listening to Uncle Gideon's quotations from Bildad the Shuhite. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xiv) Grieves silently after Jim's death; rearranges the Realty Company staff. Speaks metaphorically about life being like a sandpile. Goes to bed early. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xv) Mentioned indirectly through Bibbs's recollection of his father's comment about Mary's laugh. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xvii) Mentioned as having returned to work after Jim's funeral, and as having bragged about his family and the city's greatness. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xviii) Finds Bibbs's manuscript, reads it, dismisses it as foolish, then discovers Roscoe drunk and helps him home. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xix) Threatens Bibbs with the machine shop; taunts him at dinner about a lost item. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xx) Confronts Bibbs about returning to work, worries about Roscoe's drinking, and expresses deep anxiety about the future of his business. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxi) Angry and frustrated with Bibbs's advice; injures his hand in the machine shop and is treated by Dr. Gurney; appears at dinner with his hand in a sling. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxii) Mentioned as not yet downstairs when Bibbs leaves for work; his love of smoke is contrasted with his likely disinterest in art. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxiii) Rages at Roscoe's decision, thumps his desk in a directors' meeting, and ultimately dismisses his son. ### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxiv) Frustrated by Bibbs's refusal, threatens to force him into business, and laments the loss of his other sons. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxv) In a violent fury after learning of Edith's elopement, destroys a Moorish statue and is restrained by Dr. Gurney. ### [XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxvi) Furious over Edith's elopement and Bibbs's defiance, he rants about legacy and the Tracy bank, injuring his hand. ### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxvii) Dismisses his wife's hopes about Bibbs marrying Mary, grumpily agrees to be polite to Sibyl. ### [Chapter XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxviii) Astounded and incredulous when Bibbs accepts the job; maintains a solemn, Sabbatical demeanor with his hand in a sling. ### [Chapter XXX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxx) Reveals Mary's letter rejecting Jim, then is impressed by Bibbs's business tactics. ### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxxi) Sheridan questions Bibbs about the stock purchase, then reveals his amputated fingers to his wife, causing her to faint. ### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxxii) Visits Mary Vertrees to advocate for Bibbs, revealing his own injury from trying to teach Bibbs a machine and his growing respect for Bibbs's commitment to the business. ### [Chapter XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/chapters/xxxiii) Brags about the city to a visitor; heroically saves Bibbs from a trolley car. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters/james_sheridan - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_turmoil_se/characters