Character Analysis
If the chief mate's job is to be surprised all the time, the second mate's job is to be young, lazy, and disrespectful. He doesn't seem to like his job as a sailor at all:
My second mate was a round-cheeked, silent young man, grave beyond his years . (1.7)
And it isn't long before this young guy starts to get on the narrator's nerves:
That intolerable cub shuffled about so sleepily and lolled against the rails in such a slack, improper fashion that I came down on him sharply. (2.115)
Basically, the second mate is the last guy in the world you want working for you. He questions orders and walks around with a constant sneer that makes you wish he wasn't around. What a Grinch.