Far Tortuga: Analysis of Major Characters
"Far Tortuga: Analysis of Major Characters" explores the complex dynamics among the crew of the Lillias Eden, a turtle fishing vessel. At the helm is Raib Avers, an aging captain who embodies a bygone era and struggles with modernization, ultimately facing dire consequences for his stubbornness. His crew, a mix of personalities, includes Junior (Speedy) Bodden, an eager and hardworking young man who aspires to return to his family farm and ultimately survives the shipwreck. The experienced yet contentious Byrum Powery Watler and the cynical, alcohol-fueled Vemon Dilbert Evers reflect the tensions between tradition and contemporary attitudes aboard the ship.
William Parchment, the reliable first mate, stands as a stabilizing force, while the superstitious Wodie Greaves, wanted for murder, brings an air of mysticism and foreboding. Miguel Moreno Smith, the engineer, showcases a volatile temperament, revealing the darker undercurrents among the crew, especially when faced with threats. The relationships among these characters highlight themes of survival, familial ties, and the harsh realities of life at sea, creating a rich tapestry that reflects both personal struggles and broader societal changes.
Far Tortuga: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Peter Matthiessen
First published: 1975
Genre: Novel
Locale: Various locations in the Caribbean Sea
Plot: Impressionistic realism
Time: April and May, 1965
Raib Avers, the captain of the Lillias Eden, a turtle fisherman and sailor. He is a resident of Grand Cayman in the Caribbean, as are most of the rest of the crew. Unforgiving and coarse, the fifty-four-year-old Raib is more comfortable with sails than with his new diesel engines, more attuned to an older, simpler time and bitter in the face of the modern world. As the story begins, he is sailing out late to an exhausted turtling ground in a half-renovated ship with a ragged crew, a bad radio, no life preservers, and no cook. He taunts and bullies the crew until they begin to assert themselves. He makes a desperate attempt to sail out of a dangerous reef and is fatally wounded in the ensuing crash. The ship sinks.
Junior (Speedy) Bodden, an inexperienced crewman determined to learn from his first voyage. A black Honduran, he is a hardworking example to the crew and has the captain's hard-earned respect. He dreams of returning to his piece of farmland on Grand Cayman. Acknowledging changing ways, he is determined to survive and, indeed, is the lone survivor of the shipwreck.
Byrum Powery Watler, an experienced crewman, though a listless and lazy sower of discord. He is a modern sailor who wants everything on the ship to be up to date, who shows no respect toward the captain, and who tells stories about the backgrounds of the captain and others.
Vemon Dilbert Evers, a crewman most noted for his drinking, though he is an experienced turtler. He is bitter and comes to his work slowly in the beginning, but he develops as a tutor for Speedy, who needs teaching and learns quickly.
William Parchment, the first mate of the Lillias Eden,anexperienced sailor and turtler. Even the captain claims that Will is the best turtler aboard. He is the most reliable and knowledgeable among the crew, and he supports and defends the captain. One of a handful of survivors of a shipwreck, he knows the power of the sea.
Wodie Greaves, a crewman who is wanted for murder. A superstitious and yet joyful and natural man, he regales the crew with examples of his sense of the supernatural. He angers the captain when he tells the crew that he feels they are bound for their deaths.
Miguel Moreno Smith, the ship's engineer. Sulky and explosive, he imagines himself a fine singer of love songs, but he rarely completes one without cursing. An opportunist, he turns against the crew when the ship is boarded by thieves.
Athens Ebanks, a crewman, Byrum's sometime partner. He and Byrum provide much of the rumor about Captain Raib and Desmond Eden.
Desmond Eden, the captain of the Davy Jones and Raib Avers' degenerate half brother. He has their father, Andrew Avers, aboard his ship until the ships meet; then Raib Avers takes him aboard.
Jim (Buddy) Eden Avers, a crewman and Raib Avers' seventeen-year-old son, though Raib barely acknowledges his presence. He admires his father but is not a sailor; with his books and seasickness, he is more a scholar. He takes responsibility for Andrew Avers, his unacknowledged grandfather.
Andrew Avers, Desmond Eden and Raib Avers' father, the former captain of a turtling vessel. He is taken aboard the Lillias Eden after having a stroke as a crewman aboard Desmond Eden's ship. Once aboard the Lillias Eden, he refuses to eat or speak. He is lashed to the mast, with a conch shell in his hands, until he dies.