An in-progress entry in the Episode 5 · Lotus Eaters thread on Swerve of Shore, by Brandon Nicklaus.
Tom Kernan: This character first appeared in Dubliners in “Grace”. He has a mustache in which he could twirl the ends. He is a drunk that fell down some stairs and was unconscious in a bar. Hit bit part of his tongue off. He is described as a “commercial traveller” (Salesman). He was never seen in the city without a silk hat and a pair of gaiters. He worked a London, E.C. on Crowe Street. He comes off as a man who has a negative attitude towards many things in life. Talks down about people. He lives on Glasnevin Road. He has a wife and three children. (2 girls and 1 boy). His friends convince him to convert and go to a Catholic retreat. He was originally Protestant but converted to Catholic at the time of his marriage. But hasn’t been in a church for 25 years. In Grace, he kept getting referenced as an “invalid”. (Grace, Dubliners) In Lotus Eaters, Bloom thinks of getting some tea from Tom Kernan, a tea merchant.
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