# Short Fiction — Character guide

> Key figures in Short Fiction by Herman Melville.

- [Captain Amasa Delano](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/captain_amasa_delano.md): American sea captain who boards a mysterious Spanish ship and uncovers a slave revolt.
- [Benito Cereno](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/benito_cereno.md): Spanish captain of the San Dominick, traumatized by a slave revolt aboard his ship.
- [Bartleby](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/bartleby.md): A strange, passive scrivener who repeatedly says 'I would prefer not to.'
- [Billy Budd](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/billy_budd.md): A handsome, innocent young sailor impressed into the Royal Navy who kills Claggart.
- [Captain the Honourable Edward Fairfax Vere](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/captain_vere.md): Stoic captain of the HMS Indomitable who must judge Billy Budd after Claggart's death.
- [John Claggart](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/john_claggart.md): The master-at-arms on the Indomitable who falsely accuses Billy Budd of mutiny.
- [Hunilla](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/hunilla.md): A Chola widow stranded on Norfolk Isle, enduring great loss and solitude.
- [Oberlus](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/oberlus.md): A misanthropic hermit and tyrant who lives alone on Hood's Isle.
- [Jimmy Rose](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/jimmy_rose.md): A once-wealthy man who falls into poverty but remains cheerful and beloved.
- [Turkey](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/turkey.md): An older scrivener in Bartleby's office, energetic in the morning but erratic after noon.
- [Nippers](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/nipppers.md): A young, ambitious scrivener who suffers from indigestion and irritability.
- [Ginger Nut](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/ginger_nut.md): The office boy who runs errands and fetches ginger nuts for the scriveners.
- [Bannadonna](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/bannadonna.md): A brilliant but secretive architect who builds a bell tower with a deadly automaton.
- [Hautboy](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/hautboy.md): A cheerful, contented fiddler who lives a simple life despite his talent.
- [Babo](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/babo.md): The cunning leader of the slave revolt on the San Dominick, posing as a loyal servant.
- [Atufal](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/atufal.md): A powerful African chained on the San Dominick, secretly part of the slave revolt.
- [Alexandro Aranda](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/alexandro_aranda.md): A Spanish slave owner whose skeleton is displayed as a figurehead after the revolt.
- [The Dansker](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_dansker.md): An old, wise sailor on the Indomitable who warns Billy about Claggart.
- [Merrymusk](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/merrymusk.md): A poor but joyful farmer whose family finds solace in a crowing rooster.
- [Blandmour](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/blandmour.md): A poet who romanticizes poverty and the simple life in his conversations.
- [The Stranger](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_stranger.md): A mysterious visitor who engages the narrator in philosophical discussions.
- [The Lightning-Rod Man](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_lightning_rod_man.md): A peddler who tries to sell lightning rods by instilling fear of storms.
- [The Narrator (Bartleby)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_bartleby.md): A Wall Street lawyer who hires Bartleby and tries to understand his passive resistance.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas.md): A sailor who describes the desolate Galapagos islands and their inhabitants.
- [The Narrator (I and My Chimney)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_i_and_my_chimney.md): An old man who stubbornly defends his massive chimney against his family's demands.
- [The Narrator (The Piazza)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_piazza.md): A man who builds a piazza and becomes fascinated by a distant mountain cottage.
- [The Narrator (The Apple-Tree Table)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_apple_tree.md): A man who discovers a mysterious insect emerging from an old apple-wood table.
- [The Narrator (The Happy Failure)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_happy_failure.md): A young man who accompanies his uncle on a failed invention experiment.
- [The Narrator (The Two Temples)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_two_temples.md): A traveler who contrasts his experiences in a London church and a New York theater.
- [The Narrator (Paradise of Bachelors)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_paradise.md): A visitor to a lavish bachelor's club in London who later sees a paper mill.
- [The Narrator (Poor Man's Pudding)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_poor_man.md): A visitor who observes the harsh poverty of a rural family during a rainstorm.
- [The Narrator (Rich Man's Crumbs)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_rich_man.md): A man who attends a lavish feast in London and later sees the poor scavenging scraps.
- [The Narrator (The Gees)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_gees.md): A visitor to a remote island who observes the peculiar customs of the Gee people.
- [The Narrator (Daniel Orme)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_daniel_orme.md): A sailor who recounts the story of the mysterious and solitary Daniel Orme.
- [The Narrator (The Bell-Tower)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_bell_tower.md): A historian who recounts the rise and fall of the architect Bannadonna.
- [The Narrator (Jimmy Rose)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_jimmy_rose.md): A friend who remembers the decline of the once-prosperous Jimmy Rose.
- [The Narrator (Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_cock_a_doodle.md): A depressed man who finds joy in the crowing of a magnificent rooster.
- [The Narrator (The Fiddler)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_fiddler.md): A struggling poet who meets a contented fiddler named Hautboy.
- [The Narrator (The Lightning-Rod Man)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_lightning_rod.md): A homeowner who argues with a lightning-rod salesman during a storm.
- [The Narrator's Uncle (The Happy Failure)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_happy_failure_uncle.md): An inventor who becomes obsessed with a draining machine that ultimately fails.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Ten)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_ten.md): A sailor who reflects on the runaways, castaways, and graves of the islands.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Five)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_five.md): A sailor who describes the frigate and ship Flyaway near the Encantadas.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Six)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_six.md): A sailor who recounts the history of buccaneers on Barrington Isle.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Seven)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_seven.md): A sailor who tells the story of the Dog-King on Charles's Isle.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Four)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_four.md): A sailor who describes a Pisgah view from Rock Rodondo.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Three)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_three.md): A sailor who describes the towering Rock Rodondo and its bird life.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Two)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_two.md): A sailor who describes the two sides of a tortoise on the Encantadas.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch One)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_one.md): A sailor who introduces the desolate Galapagos islands at large.
- [The Narrator (Paradise of Bachelors)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_paradise_bachelors.md): A guest at a lavish bachelor's dinner in the Temple, London.
- [The Narrator (Tartarus of Maids)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_tartarus_maids.md): A visitor to a grim paper mill where pale women work in harsh conditions.
- [The Narrator (Two Temples: First)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_two_temples_first.md): A man who is turned away from a wealthy church and finds solace in a theater.
- [The Narrator (Two Temples: Second)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_two_temples_second.md): A man who attends a grand opera performance in a New York theater.
- [The Narrator (Benito Cereno)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_benito_cereno.md): The third-person narrator who recounts the events on the San Dominick.
- [The Narrator (Billy Budd)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_billy_budd.md): The third-person narrator who tells the story of Billy Budd and Captain Vere.
- [The Narrator (The Bell-Tower)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_bell_tower_third.md): A historian who narrates the story of Bannadonna's bell tower.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Eight)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_eight.md): A sailor who tells the story of the Chola widow Hunilla on Norfolk Isle.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Nine)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_nine.md): A sailor who recounts the story of the hermit Oberlus on Hood's Isle.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Ten)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_ten_graves.md): A sailor who reflects on the graves and solitaries of the Encantadas.
- [The Narrator (Poor Man's Pudding)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_poor_man_pudding.md): A visitor who observes the poverty of a farmer named Coulter and his family.
- [The Narrator (Rich Man's Crumbs)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_rich_man_crumbs.md): A man who attends a Guildhall feast and later sees the poor scavenging.
- [The Narrator (The Happy Failure)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_happy_failure_nephew.md): A young man who helps his uncle with a failed invention.
- [The Narrator (The Lightning-Rod Man)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_lightning_rod_man.md): A homeowner who confronts a lightning-rod salesman during a thunderstorm.
- [The Narrator (The Fiddler)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_fiddler_poet.md): A struggling poet who meets a cheerful fiddler named Hautboy.
- [The Narrator (Paradise of Bachelors)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_paradise_bachelors_guest.md): A guest at a lavish bachelor's dinner in the Temple, London.
- [The Narrator (Tartarus of Maids)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_tartarus_maids_visitor.md): A visitor to a grim paper mill where pale women work in harsh conditions.
- [The Narrator (I and My Chimney)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_i_and_my_chimney_owner.md): An old man who stubbornly defends his massive chimney against his family.
- [The Narrator (The Apple-Tree Table)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_apple_tree_table_owner.md): A man who discovers a mysterious insect emerging from an old apple-wood table.
- [The Narrator (The Piazza)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_piazza_builder.md): A man who builds a piazza and becomes fascinated by a distant mountain cottage.
- [The Narrator (Billy Budd)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_billy_budd_third.md): The third-person narrator who tells the story of Billy Budd and Captain Vere.
- [The Narrator (Daniel Orme)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_daniel_orme_storyteller.md): A sailor who recounts the story of the mysterious and solitary Daniel Orme.
- [The Narrator (Two Temples: First)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_two_temples_first_visitor.md): A man who is turned away from a wealthy church and finds solace in a theater.
- [The Narrator (Two Temples: Second)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_two_temples_second_visitor.md): A man who attends a grand opera performance in a New York theater.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Five)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_five_sailor.md): A sailor who describes the frigate and ship Flyaway near the Encantadas.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Six)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_six_sailor.md): A sailor who recounts the history of buccaneers on Barrington Isle.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Seven)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_seven_sailor.md): A sailor who tells the story of the Dog-King on Charles's Isle.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Eight)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_eight_sailor.md): A sailor who tells the story of the Chola widow Hunilla on Norfolk Isle.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Nine)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_nine_sailor.md): A sailor who recounts the story of the hermit Oberlus on Hood's Isle.
- [The Narrator (Encantadas Sketch Ten)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_encantadas_sketch_ten_sailor.md): A sailor who reflects on the runaways, castaways, and graves of the islands.
- [The Narrator (Poor Man's Pudding)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_poor_man_pudding_visitor.md): A visitor who observes the poverty of a farmer named Coulter and his family.
- [The Narrator (Rich Man's Crumbs)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_rich_man_crumbs_visitor.md): A man who attends a Guildhall feast and later sees the poor scavenging.
- [The Narrator (The Happy Failure)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_happy_failure_nephew_young.md): A young man who helps his uncle with a failed invention.
- [The Narrator (The Lightning-Rod Man)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_lightning_rod_man_homeowner.md): A homeowner who confronts a lightning-rod salesman during a thunderstorm.
- [The Narrator (The Fiddler)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_fiddler_poet_struggling.md): A struggling poet who meets a cheerful fiddler named Hautboy.
- [The Narrator (Paradise of Bachelors)](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters/the_narrator_paradise_bachelors_guest_dinner.md): A guest at a lavish bachelor's dinner in the Temple, London.

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_28_se/characters