Relay Column: Finnegans Rubber (Yuta Imazeki)

The clothing worn by characters in a novel provides various insights into the historical context of the setting. This holds true for reading "Finnegans Wake" (1939) by James Joyce, often considered the world's most difficult novel. The protagonist, Humphrey Chimpden Earwicker (HCE), takes on various forms, including that of a pub owner and a giant lying in Dublin. In a particular passage from Volume I, Chapter 2, he appears as the Governor of Ireland in the early 20th century, becoming embroiled in various incidents on this island, which was effectively colonized and annexed by the British Empire.

At one point, dressed in "インドゴム製仏軍帽、 大ベルト、 獣火袋、 青狐光のビロード、 鉄騎隊の長靴、 ヒンズー仕立ての太ゲートル、 ゴム引きインヴァネス" (in his caoutchouc kepi and great belt and hideinsacks and his blaufunx fustian and ironsides jackboots and Bhagafat gaiters and his rubberised inverness) (FW 035.08–10; Naoki Yanase translation, "Finnegans Wake" Volume I, Kawade Shobo, 2004, p. 76), he strolls through Phoenix Park on the outskirts of Dublin, only to encounter a "cad" with a pipe. This man greets HCE in what seems to be Irish and asks him for the current time. Suddenly, HCE feels a sense of danger to his life, realizing "基本的自由原理に基づいて、 黙殺甲斐にしろ夜女害にしろ、 肉体生命の志高の重要性を悟り" (realising on fundamental liberal principles the supreme importance, nexally and noxally, of physical life) (FW 035.21–23; Naoki Yanase translation, p. 77). As he nervously retrieves his watch from his pocket, the church bells chime at noon. After exchanging small talk, they shake hands and part amicably. But why did HCE feel threatened simply by being asked the time? Moreover, why does the author describe his clothing with such particularity?

Literature researcher David Trotter doesn't directly address these questions but suggests that the cad harbored a negative impression of HCE during this scene. His reasoning is based on HCE's "ゴム引きインヴァネス" (rubberised inverness), a rubber-coated Inverness coat. According to Trotter, rubberized cotton products manufactured in Britain from the 19th to early 20th century often had a strong odor, particularly when wet. Thus, the cad, enjoying the scent of his pipe, might have been put off by the odor of HCE's coat (David Trotter, "Literature in the First Media Age", Harvard University Press, 2013, pp. 111–115). However, just encountering the foul smell typical in urban areas of the time should not have prompted the cad to harbor murderous intent (as HCE perceived).

To clarify the reason for this, Trotter inadvertently hints at two important clues. The first is that a famous assassination took place in Phoenix Park, the setting of this scene (Trotter 2013, p. 115). On May 6, 1882, Frederick Cavendish and Thomas Henry Burke, recently appointed to high positions in the Irish government's office, were assassinated by members of the Irish National Invincibles, a radical organization advocating for independence from Britain. Given that Joyce frequently references this event across multiple works, it is not unreasonable to see shadows of the two officials who fell victim to assassination in HCE's imposing figure as he strolls through Phoenix Park as the Governor of Ireland.