# The Citizen — Ulysses character guide

> The Citizen in Ulysses by James Joyce.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the Erin, Erin, The Citizen Erin

**First appearance:** 0012-xi

## Snapshot

A hulking, one-eyed Irish nationalist in Barney Kiernan's pub whose snarling patriotism turns Bloom into the target of the day's ugliest scene.

## Who they are

The Citizen embodies a fierce, exclusionary nationalism, holding court in the pub with his dog Garryowen and a circle of nodding drinkers. His grievance is real, but his rage curdles into antisemitic venom when Bloom refuses to match his fervor. Their confrontation is the novel's sharpest portrait of how belonging is policed, and it forces Bloom's difference into the open.

## Relationships

### [Joe Hynes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ulysses_se/characters/joe_hynes)

_friendship_

Joe Hynes is a drinking companion of the Citizen, sharing his nationalist fervor and engaging in heated pub debates.

### [Joe Hynes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ulysses_se/characters/joe_hynes)

_friendship_

Joe Hynes is a drinking companion of the Citizen, sharing his nationalist fervor and engaging in heated pub debates.

### [Joe Hynes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ulysses_se/characters/joe_hynes)

_friendship_

Joe Hynes is a drinking companion of the Citizen, sharing his nationalist fervor and engaging in heated pub debates.

## In the story

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ulysses_se/chapters/xii)

Aggressively nationalist, hostile toward Bloom, and engages in anti-Semitic rhetoric.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ulysses_se/characters/the_citizen
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ulysses_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/ulysses_se/characters