Foil

Character Role Analysis

The Chief Mate

It sometimes seems like the chief mate's only role in this story is to second-guess the captain in every decision he makes. At the beginning of the story, this second-guessing makes the captain incredibly insecure and self-conscious. But by the end of it all, the captain has learned to trust his own judgment and to slap down any doubts about his orders, especially when they come from that ultimate naysayer, the chief mate.