The story of Norwegian Captain (comic story often told by Joyce's father, John Joyce, who heard it from Joyce's godfather, Philip McCann) concerns hunchbacked sea captain who attempts to order a suit from a Dublin tailor. After repeated efforts to modify the suit to captain's physique, an argument erupts. The story culuminates with the irrate captain accusing the tailor of being unable to sew and exasperated tailor accusing the captain of being impossible to fit.
    The tale begins when Norwegian Captain asks the ship's husband (the bussiness agent of the ship's owner) where he might go to buy a suit of clothes. The ship's husband recomends a tailor, and the Captain is measured. When the Captain gets up to leave, the ship's husband calls out ''stop thief'' but the Captain ignores him and sails away for seven years (directly evoking the image of the Flying Dutchman, an eternal wanderer who may come ashore only once every seven years).
    A young man named Kersse is sent after him, but the Norwegian Captain is not afraid of him or for that matter of any of the others who are plotting to do him harm.
    The Norwegian Captain returns to port for a second time, and again he encounters the ship's husband. The Norwegian Captain asks the ship's husband for a drink and a meal. The Captain orders that the food and drink be put on his bill, curses the tailor, and then leaves, once again much to the anger of the ship's husband.
    In the third stage of the story, Kersse returns. Although he tries to give an account of where he has been, much of his story is drowned out by the drunken hubbub of the bar. The drunkards call out muddled curses, and suddenly the radio announces that the Captain has been captured, baptized and married to the ship's husband's daughter.
    The story ends with a description of their wedding celebration.

James Joyce A to Z  By A. Nicholas Fargnoli, Michael Patrick Gillespie