The Confidence-Man Characters

In the Details…We can't be sure, but Frank might be the devil. Yeah. It's not good. But the thing is, among this dizzy array of characters, Frank's the only one that's actually worth talking to....

Folks, "snake-oil salesmen" isn't a term of endearment. Snake-oil may not be an herb, but that's pretty much what this dude is selling. Oh, you're not buying? Well, allow him to convince you that y...

Talk about an opportunist. Mr. Thurman—whose name we're not given until he's actually exited the book—is less than lovingly dubbed Tassel, since he wears one on his cap. Why is that tassel so w...

Mr. Roberts, the country merchant, first makes a splash by being the first guy to display belief in—and not just compassion for—Guinea. It's kind of a big deal:"Yes, my poor fellow I have confi...

Another character who's 0 for 2 when it comes to doling out the green, the miser is the one who gets his greatest desire—money—and his physical pain preyed upon. When Tassel (a.k.a. John Thurma...

John Ringman—if that's even his real name—has a past. And that past is odd. Basically, this dude's wife was horrible in rather vague and enigmatic ways—or so he says. The two of them had a da...

Aw, Pitch—he's the tough guy with a heart of gold. You can tell this dude's been emotionally burned, and if you give him a minute, he'll tell all about the betrayal he's experienced at the hands...

This shifty dude isn't around for long, but he does make an impression. Boy, we never thought we'd be so irritated by someone who claims to believe that all peeps are redeemable through education....

We thought the miser was sad and vulnerable until we met this guy. We can even tell you the exact moment he won our hearts:"'[D]ear me, it must be very late. I must to bed, to bed! Let me see,' ris...

Guinea tugs at our heartstrings when the crowd around him makes the uber-ick decision to try to groupthink through the question of whether or not the guy is faking his injury. Um, hello?Basically,...

If horror movies have taught us anything, it's that children who sneak up on you silently are bad news.Okay, so the extent of this kid's negative influence might be just that he seriously stresses...

Somber as a crypt, this guy's collecting money for widows and orphans. He's best known for being an Eeyore, starting awkward convos with lines like, "'Madam, pardon my freedom, but there is somethi...

The first individuated character we meet on this crowded ship, the mute stands out in the bustle through his silent communication. His presence garners our sympathies and implicitly pits the reader...

The barber is our no-nonsense character brought up just for a sec at the start of the text as a foil to the mute, then gets more airtime when shaving Frank. He's easily the most reasonable characte...

Okay, no character escapes this story without some harsh critique of their attitudes and behavior, but Melville really lays it on when it comes to the scholar. Don't believe us? We'll prove it:[…...

Charlie plays well with others—until they ask him for money. Then he likes to say things like this: "'[G]o to the devil, sir! Beggar, impostor!—never so deceived in a man in my life'" (31, 5)....

Egbert is a no-nonsense businessman, and he would sooner let you die in the streets than loan you a buck. Can't allow money to meddle with the dignity of an honest friendship, right? Right?Besides,...

Mark Winsome is mostly important in that he introduces us to Egbert. He has sort of an oddball conversation with Frank in which he just repeats that Charlie is bad news but won't really say why. It...

We're just gonna say it: this "sour-faced person" (3, 19) is kind of a crumb cake. He's bitter about his own life and the circumstances that caused him the loss of his leg, so he takes his gripes o...