Butt and Taff

• Butt: Archibald Butt, President Taft's aide-de-camp, who was drowned on the Titanic in 1912

• Taff: William Howard Taft, 27th President of the USA

Commentary

Butt and Taff seem to be another incarnation of Mutt and Jute, whom we met in Chapter 1 (FW 016-018). Butt is often identified with Shaun and Taff with Shem, though this is not at all certain.

But are alluded to on the opening page of Finnegans Wake (FW 003.09-11):

nor avoice from afire bellowsed mishe mishe to tauftauf thuartpeatrick: not yet, though venissoon after, had a kidscad buttended a bland old isaac:

tauftauf contains an allusion to Taff, while buttended alludes to Butt.

• • Third Census of Finnegans Wake