From the Earth to the Moon · Character

J. T. Maston

The Gun Club's excitable secretary, who offers to be shot in Barbicane's place and would not trade his seat at the launch banquet for an empire.

supporting

Also known as the famous J. T. Maston, the Honourable J. T. Maston, Maston, the enterprising J. T. Maston, impetuous J. T. Maston, the inevitable J. T. Maston, the impetuous J. T. Maston, Friend Maston, Mr. Maston

First appearance: The Gun Club

As a supporting figure in From the Earth to the Moon, J. T. Maston is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Perpetual secretary and inventor of a formidable mortar that killed 337 persons (by bursting); threatens to resign if no real battlefield test is offered.

In the storyThe Gun ClubOpen this moment free

Maston is the president's self-declared alter ego, a crippled, gesticulating enthusiast whose loyalty runs ahead of his judgment — he volunteers to die for Barbicane and later begs to join the voyage, only to be told he is too 'incomplete' to present himself on the Moon. He is the club's emotional barometer, shouting, eating, and toasting while the acoustic tube thunders overhead. His function is to make the enterprise feel like a cause rather than a contract, and his exclusion from the projectile leaves a devoted witness behind on Earth.

See J. T. Maston in The Gun Club Book page

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Character Web

13 connections

A slice of how J. T. Maston sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Friendship
Rivalry
Professional

Character groups

Projectile passengers and supporters
Protagonist
Gun Club members and cannon

+8 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because Michel Ardan’s confident, visionary rhetoric is suddenly challe…

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Relationships

Impey Barbicane
friendship · positive
Barbicane and Maston are close colleagues and friends, with Maston serving as Barbicane's… How this plays out →
Michel Ardan
friendship · positive
Captain Nicholl
rivalry · ambivalent
Major Elphinstone
professional · positive
General Morgan
professional · positive
Bilsby
friendship · positive
Tom Hunter
friendship · positive
Impey Barbicane
friendship · positive
Barbicane and Maston are close colleagues and friends, with Maston serving as Barbicane's… How this plays out →
Impey Barbicane
friendship · positive
Barbicane and Maston are close colleagues and friends, with Maston serving as Barbicane's… How this plays out →
Michel Ardan
friendship · positive
Michel Ardan
friendship · positive
Major Elphinstone
professional · positive

Impey Barbicane
Barbicane and Maston are close colleagues and friends, with Maston serving as Barbicane's devoted secretary and supporter.
Michel Ardan
Maston and Ardan share a warm, humorous friendship, with Maston admiring Ardan's adventurous spirit.
Captain Nicholl
Nicholl and Maston initially clash due to Nicholl's skepticism and Maston's fervent support of Barbicane's plan.
Major Elphinstone
Maston and Major Elphinstone are colleagues in the Gun Club, collaborating on the moon project logistics.
General Morgan
General Morgan and Maston interact as fellow Gun Club members, with Morgan respecting Maston's enthusiasm.
Bilsby
Bilsby and Maston are friends and fellow Gun Club members, sharing excitement for the moon project.
Tom Hunter
Maston and Tom Hunter are friends and fellow Gun Club enthusiasts, sharing a passion for artillery.
Impey Barbicane
Barbicane and Maston are close colleagues and friends, with Maston serving as Barbicane's devoted secretary and supporter.
Impey Barbicane
Barbicane and Maston are close colleagues and friends, with Maston serving as Barbicane's devoted secretary and supporter.
Michel Ardan
Maston and Ardan share a warm, humorous friendship, with Maston admiring Ardan's adventurous spirit.
Michel Ardan
Maston and Ardan share a warm, humorous friendship, with Maston admiring Ardan's adventurous spirit.
Major Elphinstone
Maston and Major Elphinstone are colleagues in the Gun Club, collaborating on the moon project logistics.

Relationship notes

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See J. T. Maston in The Gun Club

In the story

J. T. Maston appears across 25 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

The Gun Club
Perpetual secretary and inventor of a formidable mortar that killed 337 persons (by bursting); threatens to resign if no real battlefield test is offered.
President Barbicane's Communication
Impetuous member who interrupts with cries for war and later reacts passionately to French mockery.
Effect of President Barbicane's Communication
Faithful comrade of Barbicane; participates in the triumphant procession.
Answer from the Cambridge Observatory
Member of the Gun Club present at the boardroom meeting to debate the astronomical consultation.
The Romance of the Moon
Mentioned as a member of the Gun Club, whose undertaking to perfect knowledge of the moon is described.
The Hymn of the Cannonball
Serves as secretary of the committee, delivers a lyrical speech on the moral significance of the cannonball, and enthusiastically supports the aluminum projectile.
History of the Cannon
Eagerly advocates for an extremely long cannon, calculates the weight and cost of the proposed design, and displays impetuous enthusiasm.
The Question of Powders
Secretary of the Gun Club; proposes 800,000 lbs. of powder, later enthusiastically supports Barbicane's pyroxyle plan and embraces him.
Florida and Texas
Vehemently argues for declaring war on Mexico to secure territory, but is convinced by Barbicane's map showing suitable U.S. land.
Urbi et Orbi
As a member of the Gun Club, he is implicitly involved in the subscription efforts.
Stony Hill
Accompanies Barbicane, expresses enthusiasm for the project, and threatens alligators with his hook.
Pickaxe and Trowel
Follows Barbicane everywhere, described as his 'bluebottle fly,' assisting and observing the work.
The Ceremony of the Casting
Acts as a guide for the Gun Club delegation, enthusiastically showing them every detail of the furnaces and works.
The Columbiad
Secretary of the Gun Club, nearly falls into the Columbiad, and is intensely impatient during the cooling period.
The Passenger of the Atlanta
Among the crowd on the Atlanta; enthusiastically calls Ardan a hero and refuses to leave the deck.
A Meeting
Nearly falls from the platform in excitement and later proposes rectifying the Earth's axis.
Thrust and Parry
Present as a colleague of Barbicane, observing the confrontation.
How a Frenchman Settles an Affair
Informs Ardan of the duel and accompanies him to the wood, offering himself as a substitute target.
The New Citizen of the United States
Proposes to join the moon voyage but is refused; his squirrel is eaten by the cat in the experiment.
The Projectile Compartment
Volunteers to test the air renewal system by living in the projectile for a week; emerges triumphant and fatter.
The Telescope of the Rocky Mountains
Maston is implied as a key member of the Gun Club involved in the telescope's construction and observation plans.
Final Details
Assists Barbicane in keeping sightseers away from the guncotton and enthusiastically supports Ardan's resupply idea.
Fire!
Sheds a tear on Barbicane's forehead and asks to join the travelers.
Cloudy Weather
In despair over the cloudy weather, Maston sets out for Long's Peak to observe the projectile himself, nearly going mad from the delay.
A New Star
Observes the projectile from Long's Peak and remains confident in his friends' ability to overcome their predicament.

Chapter companion notes

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See J. T. Maston in The Gun Club