How would you describe the character George in Three Men in a Boat?

George works in a bank – although his friend J., the narrator, claims that “George goes to sleep at a bank from ten to four each day, except Saturdays, when they wake him up and put him outside at two” (Chapter II). In spite of his supposed tendency to take naps at a moment’s notice, he seems to be the most organized of the traveling friends. He can take charge of situations whenever the others remain indecisive. This skill is seen in Chapters II through IV, when the three are deciding where to go on vacation and what to pack for the trip. He can sometimes get confused, as evidenced when his watch once stopped, and when he and Harris had to put up the canvas tarp. But these instances are rare. George has aspirations of playing the banjo, but his practicing is not going well. He can step up and cook Irish stew for the group, however. (See Chapter XIV.) In this effort he’s a bit more talented than his colleagues. He has a good sense of humor and a lively sense of curiosity. He would generally be a good crew member for a boat trip.

Can you provide a character sketch of George from "Three Men in a Boat"?

None of the protagonists in this lighthearted comic novel is well-developed as a character, but we can pick out certain traits that distinguish George. George is a banker who insists he needs a holiday, though J. maintains—and the story shows—that George doesn't work all that hard. George is, however, a friendly, affable man who suggests the trip down the river and has many more ideas, most of which don't pan out very well. For instance, he buys and tries to teach himself to play the banjo but plays so badly he ends up getting arrested for disturbing the peace. He also offers to make Irish stew out of leftovers, not a bad idea, but one which leads to comic moments: he gives up on peeling the potatoes, starts throwing everything he can find into the pot indiscriminately, and may (or may not) have added the dead water rat helpfully supplied by Montmorency, the fox terrier.

While George is better on coming up with ideas than executing them, he also can offer some good practical advice. He says before they set out, while the others are making long lists of what they need to take, that they should not do that, noting:

“You know we are on a wrong track altogether. We must not think of the things we could do with, but only of the things that we can’t do without.”

Overall, George adds to the comedy of the adventure by being the classic idea guy who gets into trouble when he tries to actually implement what he suggests.

Here’s a start. George may be the only one of the three friends who holds a “real” job. He works at a bank six days a week. (Narrator J. pokes fun and claims that all George does there is sleep.) He seems to be an organized person, even though he can sometimes be clumsy or get confused. For the boat trip, he brings along a banjo and instruction book. He is obviously up for learning something new, and he thinks he’ll have enough spare time to devote to this new endeavor. This turns out not to be the case. But he’s probably the best cook on the boat. He knows what his skills are. And he’s a good and devoted friend to J. and Harris.

For more details to include in your sketch, see George’s stopped watch story in Chapter XI; his Irish stew and banjo stories in Chapter XIV; the fishy story in Chapter XVII; and the tale of George and J. once getting caught in a lock on the river in Chapter XVIII.