Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Jolly

We've got a guy who calls our protagonist all sorts of bad, racist names and who does what he can to keep Manjiro from feeling comfortable or welcome on the John Howland. Oh—and he steals Manjiro's souvenirs. Sounds pretty low to us. Just like a classic antagonist.

Tom

Tom's the school bully, and although he doesn't make Manjiro totally miserable (Manjiro's more confident than that), he does make Manjiro's day-to-day life more difficult than it needs to be by throwing all sorts of racist comments and slurs at Manjiro. It's hard to fit in when you have a guy constantly reminding everyone you're different, so it's a good thing Manjiro's class is a lot more supportive of him than we might expect.

Captain Davis

Captain Davis is the surprise villain in the novel because he was once a shipmate and friend of Manjiro's. Sometimes the worst gifts come in the best wrapping paper, though, and Davis winds up physically threatening Manjiro and preventing him from taking a boat to go back to Japan (as he promised he'd allow). He also makes motions to throw Manjiro overboard at one point. In Davis's defense, it seems like he loses his mind—but still, he's not exactly a good guy in Manjiro's experience.