Ms. McNulty Character Analysis in Old God’s Time

Ms. McNulty is Tom’s neighbor, a young woman with a son named Jesse. Tom meets her after he sees a boy, whom he believes to be Jesse, pushed into the sea by a little girl and runs to her flat to alert her; however, Ms. McNulty informs him that Jesse is fine and her daughter is dead. Ms. McNulty tearfully confides in Tom that she is hiding out from her husband, who raped her daughter to death and threatened to hurt her and Jesse next. Tom vows to protect her and Jesse, and he fulfills this promise at the end of the novel, when he kills Ms. McNulty’s husband when he attempts to abduct Jesse.

Ms. McNulty Character Timeline in Old God’s Time

The timeline below shows where the character Ms. McNulty appears in Old God’s Time. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...him that the girl is dead. She then invites him inside and introduces herself as Ms. McNulty ; she doesn’t know if she’s a “Miss” or “Mrs.” anymore. When Tom asks about... (full context)

Tom asks Ms. McNulty about being an actress, and she kindly corrects him that she’s an actor. Tom is... (full context)

Ms. McNulty sits down to tell her story to Tom, but she immediately begins to cry. Tom... (full context)

Ms. McNulty then tells Tom what happened to her daughter. One day, she noticed the girl was... (full context)

Ms. McNulty goes on to explain that she’s been irrevocably traumatized by the ordeal, but she refuses... (full context)

Tom returns from Ms. McNulty ’s apartment and lies down. He feels as though a reckoning is coming for him.... (full context)

Tom falls asleep without realizing it and wakes up around midnight. He thinks of Ms. McNulty ’s daughter and all the other dead children, which makes his heart hurt so much... (full context)

...point he’s almost able to pretend that the disruption caused by the cold case and Ms. McNulty never happened. He enjoys getting meats from Mr. Prendergast’s market, although they also remind him... (full context)

Ms. McNulty comes to Tom’s door, trembling in fear. She hands him a letter from her husband,... (full context)

...feels little relief over his likely exoneration and is more concerned with the wellbeing of Ms. McNulty . As Wilson and O’Casey leave, the latter man hugs Tom in a way that... (full context)

...Tom goes out to run after him. The car gets caught up in traffic, and Ms. McNulty , on her way home from work, catches up to it. Her husband strikes Ms.... (full context)

Tom checks on Ms. McNulty , but he can’t ascertain her condition. He asks some bystanders to call for help... (full context)