# Mr. James Mitchell — While the Billy Boils character guide > Mr. James Mitchell in While the Billy Boils by Henry Lawson. **Role:** minor **Also known as:** Mitchell **First appearance:** 0024-mitchell-doesn-t-believe-in-the-sack ## Who they are A station owner or boss. ## Relationships ### [The Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/the_narrator) _friendship_ Mitchell is a seasoned swagman and storyteller who serves as a mentor and companion to the narrator, sharing yarns and bush wisdom. ### [Tom Hopkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/tom_hopkins) _friendship_ Mitchell and Tom Hopkins are fellow swagmen and mates, sharing yarns and the camaraderie of the road. ### [The Old Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/the_old_man) _social_ Mitchell and the Old Man are acquaintances from the bush, sharing stories of the old days and hard times. ### [The Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/the_narrator) _friendship_ Mitchell is a seasoned swagman and storyteller who serves as a mentor and companion to the narrator, sharing yarns and bush wisdom. ### [The Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/the_narrator) _friendship_ Mitchell is a seasoned swagman and storyteller who serves as a mentor and companion to the narrator, sharing yarns and bush wisdom. ### [Tom Hopkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/tom_hopkins) _friendship_ Mitchell and Tom Hopkins are fellow swagmen and mates, sharing yarns and the camaraderie of the road. ### [The Old Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/the_old_man) _social_ Mitchell and the Old Man are acquaintances from the bush, sharing stories of the old days and hard times. ### [The Old Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/the_old_man) _social_ Mitchell and the Old Man are acquaintances from the bush, sharing stories of the old days and hard times. ### [Tom Hopkins](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/tom_hopkins) _friendship_ Mitchell and Tom Hopkins are fellow swagmen and mates, sharing yarns and the camaraderie of the road. ## In the story ### [While the Billy Boils](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/while-the-billy-boils) Appears in multiple stories as a swagman and storyteller, embodying the bush worker's wit and resilience. ### [Enter Mitchell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/enter-mitchell) Introduced as a short, stout, bowlegged swagman with red hair and a comedian's expression, arriving at Redfern station with his dog and swag. ### [The Man Who Forgot](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/the-man-who-forgot) The goat of the shed, skeptical and sarcastic, who suggests the man might be a lord or a thief. ### [Hungerford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/hungerford) The narrator's mate, who sits with him on their swags to discuss matters. ### [A Camp-Fire Yarn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/a-camp-fire-yarn) Tells the yarn about his proposals to two ugly girls, reflecting on his own appearance and the consequences of his jokes. ### [Going Blind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/going-blind) Jack Gunther asks the narrator if he knows a drover named Joe Scott, who is his half-brother; this connects to Mitchell's alias Jack Drew. ### [On the Edge of a Plain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/on-the-edge-of-a-plain) Mitchell recounts his return home after being thought dead, and his subsequent departure. ### [Another of Mitchell’s Plans for the Future](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/another-of-mitchell-s-plans-for-the-future) Narrates his elaborate plan to settle down with a cocky's daughter, shear sheep, and secure a farm through marriage. ### [Remailed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/remailed) Referred to as 'Jack' who asks for the paper after Bill. ### [Remailed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/remailed) The recipient of Bill's newspaper, addressed formally as 'Mr. James Mitchell'. ### [Mitchell Doesn’t Believe in the Sack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/mitchell-doesn-t-believe-in-the-sack) Mitchell explains his resolve to never accept the sack again and describes his strategy to outlast any employer who tries to dismiss him. ### [Shooting the Moon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/shooting-the-moon) The narrator of the yarn, who planned to 'shoot the moon' from a pub and was caught by the landlord. ### [“Dossing Out” and “Camping”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/dossing-out-and-camping) Implied as the old mate who collected the food parcels left by the man-whose-name-doesn't-matter. ### [Some Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/some-day) Reveals a deeply personal memory of a lost love, Edie Brown, and expresses regret and bitterness over his wasted years and inability to return home. ### [Mitchell: A Character Sketch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/mitchell-a-character-sketch) The protagonist who uses wit and diplomacy to secure rations for himself and his mates. ### [Our Pipes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/our-pipes) Tells the story of his first smoking experiences and his mother's opposition, later bonding with his father over the habit. ### [Coming Across—A Study in the Steerage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/coming-across-a-study-in-the-steerage) Likely one of the shearers or bushmen involved in the drunken arguments and storytelling in the cabin. ### [Two Dogs and a Fence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/two-dogs-and-a-fence) Mitchell narrates the extended analogy about dogs and fences, drawing parallels to human nature and conflict. ### [For Auld Lang Syne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/for-auld-lang-syne) Jack, the narrator's 'especial chum,' is among the push; he pauses during 'Auld Lang Syne' to note the police sergeant joining in, and later is the last mate to leave, described as 'perhaps the most irreclaimable of us all.' ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/mr_james_mitchell - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters