Characters Discussed
Douglas Roberts
Douglas Roberts, first lieutenant of the U.S.S. Reluctant. A born leader, he is sensitive, perceptive, and idealistic. Desiring battle action, he has nevertheless heroically adjusted himself to the dull routine of a supply ship. He is worshiped by the crew, almost worshiped by his fellow officers, and hated by the captain, who fears him and yet refuses to transfer him to another ship. He finally gets his transfer but is ironically killed while drinking coffee in a wardroom when a kamikaze plane hits his destroyer.
Captain Morton
Captain Morton, skipper of the Reluctant. He is officious, childish, and unreasonable, and he is thoroughly disliked or hated by his entire crew. His hatred of Mr. Roberts is closely related to his recognition and envy of Roberts’ superior intelligence and ability.
Ensign Keith
Ensign Keith, a former college boy and recently commissioned Bostonian who learns quickly the comparative unimportance of Navy rules and regulations aboard the Reluctant.
David Bookser
David Bookser, a seaman, the spiritual type who manages to get himself a beautiful woman while on shore leave, to the amazement and admiration of his shipmates.
Ensign Pulver
Ensign Pulver, a healthy young officer who not only hates Captain Morton but delights in plotting against him. After getting news of Mr. Roberts’ death, Pulver tosses all of Captain Morton’s beloved palm trees over the ship’s side.
Doc
Doc, the ship’s doctor, a plump, balding, contradictory, unpredictable little man, sometimes highly regarded and sometimes despised by his patients.
Frank Thompson
Frank Thompson, a radio man whose baby dies and who vainly seeks permission to fly to the United States for the funeral.
Chief Dowdy
Chief Dowdy, a close friend of Mr. Roberts.
Red Stevens
Red Stevens, a recently married seaman who nearly kills another seaman for cruelly ribbing him about his wife’s hypothetical infidelities during his absence.
Miss Williamson
Miss Williamson and
Miss Girard
Miss Girard, two Navy nurses.
Characters
The Captain
The captain is a small-minded tyrant who earns the dislike of every crew member. He is an absurd and comical character. He imposes strict rules, such as forbidding the men from taking off their shirts despite the sweltering heat. He cancels the nightly movie for even minor rule violations. The captain is envious of those with more education, particularly disliking Roberts for his college degree. His pettiness is evident in how he treasures the award given to the ship for its efficiency in delivering supplies—a potted palm tree, which he waters diligently and displays proudly. The captain dreams of becoming a commander and wants Roberts to remain on board because of Roberts's competence, which the captain lacks.
Doc
Doc is the ship's doctor, aged between thirty-five and forty, with a dry sense of humor. Roberts often confides in him, and they occasionally argue. Doc challenges Roberts's concept of heroism, suggesting that physical heroism is just an instinctive reaction in danger. He tries to convince Roberts that his contributions on the AK-601 are as valuable as they would be in a combat zone. Doc participates in and judges the captain's name-signing contest. He also takes it upon himself to inform Roberts about the contest after it occurs.
Dolan
Dolan is a young, talkative, and bold yeoman who enjoys being responsible for typing Roberts's transfer requests. He is also knowledgeable about Navy regulations. During shore leave on Elysium, he gets drunk and brings back a goat as a mascot, which turns out to belong to an admiral.
Dowdy
Dowdy is a tough man in his mid-thirties to forties. He holds some authority over the crew and...
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assigns their duties. It is Dowdy's idea to present Roberts with the brass palm tree.
Gerhard
Gerhard is one of the quieter crew members. He is part of a group that approaches Doc and Pulver to convince Roberts to remove Dolan from report. He explains how the crew has turned against Roberts.
Lieutenant Ann Girard
Lieutenant Ann Girard is an attractive, blonde nurse invited aboard by Pulver, who hopes to woo her. Upon discovering that the men have been spying on the nurses in the shower, she promptly leaves the ship.
Insigna
Insigna is a crew member known more for his actions than his intellect. He is the one who discovers that the nurses can be observed with binoculars. Insigna does not get along with Mannion, leading to a fight after a dispute over spying on the women. However, by the time they return from Elysium Island, where they participated in a brawl at the Army dance, they have become close friends.
Chief Johnson
Chief Johnson serves as the ship's chief petty officer. He is a physically imposing man, around forty years old.
Lindstrom
Lindstrom, another crew member, attempts to break up the fight between Mannion and Insigna. He also provides the ribbon for the award the crew presents to Roberts.
Mannion
Mannion is a crew member who secretly watches the women in the shower while pretending to his peers that the showers are empty. Initially at odds with Insigna, they eventually become good friends. Mannion is chosen to present the award to Roberts and personally crafts the medal in the machine shop.
Ensign Frank Pulver
Ensign Frank Pulver is an immature officer who spends much of his time sleeping. Although timid, he boasts about his romantic exploits, which Doc and Roberts doubt. Afraid of the captain, he never executes any of the pranks he plans, like placing marbles in the captain's overhead to disturb his sleep or setting a firecracker under the captain's bunk. Roberts often teases him for never completing anything he starts. After Roberts departs from the ship, Pulver is promoted to the position of cargo officer. Upon learning of Roberts's death, Pulver gains the courage to confront the captain on behalf of the crew.
Lieutenant Doug Roberts
Lieutenant Doug Roberts is the cargo officer, a role he has held for nearly two and a half years. With a college education, he left medical school to join the Navy. Frustrated by his assignment to a cargo ship instead of a combat role, Roberts feels compelled to prove himself in battle. He repeatedly writes to the authorities requesting a transfer, but the captain denies each request. Although the captain dislikes Roberts, he cannot afford to lose him due to Roberts's exceptional competence as an officer.
Roberts is held in high regard by the crew. They appreciate how he shields them from the captain's trivial demands and uses his authority judiciously. He never resorts to bullying and empathizes with their feelings of boredom and frustration. At one point, the crew mistakenly believes that Roberts is being tough on them to earn a promotion, but this confusion is resolved when Roberts throws the captain's palm tree overboard. In a gesture of loyalty and respect, the men forge the captain's signature on a transfer letter to help Roberts secure the move he desires. Before Roberts departs, they express their admiration by awarding him the "Order of the Palm."
Roberts is tragically killed during a Japanese kamikaze raid, but not before he pens a heartfelt letter expressing his deep affection for the crew of the AK-601.
Stefanowski
Stefanowski is one of the crew members who spies on the nurses while they shower. He participates in the initial fight, siding with Insigna, and later brawls with Wiley. Like the rest of the crew, he is bored aboard the ship and wonders if self-harm, like cutting off a finger, could get him sent back to the States. Stefanowski is the one who comes up with the wording for the award they present to Roberts.
Wiley
Wiley is another crew member. He initially fights on Mannion's side and then squares off against Stefanowski. During shore leave, he enjoys a wild time on Elysium.