# The Narrator — While the Billy Boils character guide

> The Narrator in While the Billy Boils by Henry Lawson.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Unknown, me, I, myself

**First appearance:** 0001-while-the-billy-boils

## Snapshot

An unnamed first-person observer who tramps, yarns, and smokes his way through the bush, collecting the tall tales and hard truths of everyone he meets.

## Who they are

Whether he is a swagman sharing a campfire or a journalist taking notes, the narrator is the collection's steady eye and ear, drawing out stories from bullock-drivers, shearers, and shanty-keepers. He listens with wry patience as Billy Nowlett explains how a man can be mistaken for dead, and he passes along the ghost stories and mistaken identities of the back country without judgement. His presence gives the scattered sketches their coherence and their quiet, observing humanity.

## Relationships

### [Mr. James Mitchell](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/mr_james_mitchell)

_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_

Tom Hopkins is a fellow bush worker and mate of the narrator, often sharing hardships and camaraderie in the outback.

### [Steelman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/steelman)

_psychological_

Steelman is a cunning conman and manipulator who frequently uses the narrator as a dupe or accomplice in his schemes.

### [Mother Brock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/mother_brock)

_social_

Mother Brock is a tough, hard-drinking bush publican who interacts with the narrator as a customer and local character.

### [The Old Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/the_old_man)

_family_

The Old Man is the narrator's father, a stoic and often weary figure from the narrator's rural childhood.

### [Tom Brook](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/tom_brook)

_friendship_

Tom Brook is a fellow bushman and mate of the narrator, sharing work and wanderings in the Australian outback.

### [Father](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/father)

_family_

The father is a stern, hardworking parent whose relationship with the narrator is marked by duty and occasional conflict.

### [Brummy Usen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/brummy_usen)

_friendship_

Brummy Usen is a laconic, eccentric bush character and a mate of the narrator, known for his dry humor.

### [Dave](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/dave)

_friendship_

Dave is a fellow swagman and companion of the narrator, sharing the road and campfire stories.

### [Jim Brown](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/jim_brown)

_friendship_

Jim Brown is a simple, good-natured bushman and a friend of the narrator, often involved in humorous misadventures.

### [Mrs. Aspinall](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/mrs_aspinall)

_social_

Mrs. Aspinall is a boarding-house keeper who interacts with the narrator as a lodger and local figure.

### [Baldy Thompson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/baldy_thompson)

_friendship_

Baldy Thompson is a fellow bush worker and mate of the narrator, known for his tall tales and rough humor.

## In the story

### [While the Billy Boils](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/while-the-billy-boils)

Often the unnamed observer or participant in the tales, providing a firsthand perspective on bush life.

### [An Old Mate of Your Father's](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/an-old-mate-of-your-father-s)

The narrator recalls childhood memories of his father's old mates visiting the family home.

### [Stiffner and Jim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/stiffner-and-jim)

The narrator (Jim) is a swagman traveling with Bill, who devises the plan to trick Stiffner and escape without paying.

### [When the Sun Went Down](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/when-the-sun-went-down)

The narrator describes the events of the quarrel, the mine collapse, and Tom's fatal heart attack.

### [Hungerford](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/hungerford)

The narrator recounts his journey to Hungerford and his observations of the town and its inhabitants.

### [A Camp-Fire Yarn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/a-camp-fire-yarn)

Mitchell's mate, who listens to the yarn and then tells a similar story about a young carpenter.

### [His Country-After All](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/his-country-after-all)

The bagman or commercial traveler who engages the stranger in debate about patriotism and Australia.

### [A Day on a Selection](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/a-day-on-a-selection)

Provides the observational, ironic, and detached perspective on the selector's daily life.

### [Going Blind](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/going-blind)

The narrator resides at the Full-and-Plenty Dining Rooms, befriends Jack Gunther, and helps him with letters and descriptions of photos.

### [Arvie Aspinall's Alarm Clock](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/arvie-aspinall-s-alarm-clock)

The unnamed narrator who recounts the tragic story of Arvie Aspinall and his alarm clock.

### [Stragglers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/stragglers)

The observing narrator who describes the hut, the men, and the harsh conditions in vivid detail, including the interactions and routines of the stragglers.

### [The Union Buries Its Dead](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/the-union-buries-its-dead)

The narrator participates in the funeral procession and reflects on the events, noting the irony and absurdity of the burial.

### [On the Edge of a Plain](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/on-the-edge-of-a-plain)

Mitchell's mate, who listens and comments on the story.

### [In a Dry Season](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/in-a-dry-season)

The narrator travels by train through the drought-stricken bush, observing and commenting on the landscape, towns, and people.

### [He’d Come Back](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/he-d-come-back)

The city bushman who tells the story of deserting his wife and returning.

### [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)

The narrator is Mitchell's mate who questions him about getting the sack.

### [Shooting the Moon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/shooting-the-moon)

The listener in the camp, who interjects with comments during Mitchell's story.

### [His Father's Mate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/his-father-s-mate)

The third-person narrator who describes the fossicker's visions of the past and the events on the goldfields.

### [“Dossing Out” and “Camping”](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/dossing-out-and-camping)

Describes personal experience of having 'the key of the street' for a night and feeling like a felon under police suspicion.

### [Across the Straits](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/across-the-straits)

The narrator loses a half-sovereign, endures a rough voyage, and wires for money upon arrival in Picton.

### [The Drover’s Wife](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/the-drover-s-wife)

The unnamed narrator describes the scene and the bushwoman's thoughts and actions.

### [An Unfinished Love Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/an-unfinished-love-story)

Brook, the city man returning to his old selection, reflects on the past and engages in a brief romance with Lizzie.

### [Board and Residence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/board-and-residence)

The unemployed boarder, referred to as Mr. Careless, who endures the squalid conditions and the landlady's monologues.

### [His Colonial Oath](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/his-colonial-oath)

The narrator meets an old schoolmate and reflects on the disconnect between city and bush life.

### [Some Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/some-day)

Mitchell's mate and listener, who prompts Mitchell to admit he kissed the girl and later asks about marriage, serving as a foil to Mitchell's despair.

### [In a Wet Season](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/in-a-wet-season)

The narrator recounts his own miserable train journey through the rain, his struggles to obtain a cattle train pass, and his observations of the bleak landscape and fellow travelers.

### [Mitchell: A Character Sketch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/mitchell-a-character-sketch)

Observes and recounts Mitchell's clever negotiation and the cook's bewilderment.

### [Our Pipes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/our-pipes)

Camped with Mitchell, listens to his story, and asks about his father.

### [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)

The narrator observes and recounts the steerage passengers' experiences, including their emotions, conversations, and social dynamics.

### [Brummy Usen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/brummy-usen)

The narrator and a companion meet the old swagman and hear his stories.

### [She Wouldn’t Speak](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/she-wouldn-t-speak)

The narrator is one of the two shearers who enters the pub and observes the servant girl's refusal to speak. He participates in Dave's challenge to make her talk, drinking excessive tea until he can drink no more.

### [The Geological Spieler](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/the-geological-spieler)

Describes the scene and the interactions between Steelman, Smith, and the railway workers.

### [Baldy Thompson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/baldy-thompson)

Recounts a personal encounter with Baldy, where he and a mate used Baldy's own ideas to secure rations and a sovereign.

### [For Auld Lang Syne](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/chapters/for-auld-lang-syne)

The narrator is a member of the 'mountain push' and reflects on the departures of his mates, feeling the end of old times and considering his own emigration.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters/the_narrator
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/while_the_billy_boils_se/characters