Russell Harry (Rusty)

Rusty is the narrator and protagonist of The Bartender’s Tale. As the young, impressionable son of the titular bartender, Rusty is “eyewitness – or earwitness” to all that goes on in his father’s domain (45). An innocent and inquisitive child, Rusty is a foil to the more taciturn Tom, and the contrast between them is often a source of humor. Thus, Rusty juxtaposes the image of himself as an excited six-year-old, who could “barely see over the dashboard,” with that of Tom, “who just fit under the car roof” (4). Later, a photograph of father and son “shows one of us big-eyed as a puppy for whatever the day would bring, and the other looking like he was about to have his teeth pulled; you can guess which was which” (215). While generally cheerful, Rusty is plagued by doubts and fears regarding the security of his life with...