# Charles Gould — Nostromo character guide > Charles Gould in Nostromo by Joseph Conrad. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Don Carlos Gould, Mr. Gould, Charley, Carlos Gould **First appearance:** 0003-nostromo ## Snapshot The English owner of the San Tomé silver mine, who inherits his father's ruinous concession and turns it into an obsession he calls duty. ## Who they are Gould is the foreign proprietor on whom Sulaco's material hopes rest, a man of rigid principle who believes the mine can redeem the country by giving it something solid to build on. His marriage to Emilia is affectionate but increasingly shadowed by the mine, which he serves with a devotion that looks less like business than like fate. As the revolution closes in, his determination to save the silver at any cost becomes the engine of the novel's central crisis. ## Relationships ### [Emilia Gould](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/characters/emilia_gould) _family_ Charles and Emilia Gould are a married couple, but their relationship is strained by Charles's obsessive devotion to the silver mine. ### [Dr. Monygham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/characters/dr_monygham) _professional_ Charles Gould employs Dr. Monygham as a trusted but damaged ally in his mining and political operations. ### [Emilia Gould](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/characters/emilia_gould) _family_ Charles and Emilia Gould are a married couple, but their relationship is strained by Charles's obsessive devotion to the silver mine. ### [Dr. Monygham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/characters/dr_monygham) _professional_ Charles Gould employs Dr. Monygham as a trusted but damaged ally in his mining and political operations. ### [Emilia Gould](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/characters/emilia_gould) _family_ Charles and Emilia Gould are a married couple, but their relationship is strained by Charles's obsessive devotion to the silver mine. ### [Dr. Monygham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/characters/dr_monygham) _professional_ Charles Gould employs Dr. Monygham as a trusted but damaged ally in his mining and political operations. ## In the story ### [Author's Note](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/author-s-note) The idealist-creator of material interests, left to his mine from which there is no escape. ### [Nostromo](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/nostromo) Mentioned in connection with the San Tome silver mine, a central figure in the region's economic and political life. ### [Part I: The Silver of the Mine](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/part-i-the-silver-of-the-mine) Owner of the San Tomé silver mine, central to the chapter's focus on the mine's significance. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/v) Administrator of the San Tome silver mine, present at the ceremony. ### [The Gould Concession](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/vi) Charles Gould is introduced as a young man who becomes obsessed with the San Tome mine after his father's death. He studies mining in Europe and marries Emilia, sharing his vision for the mine with her. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/vii) Leads the expedition to secure labor and support for the San Tome mine; negotiates with local authorities, including the Sulaco political chief. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/viii) Referred to as the 'King of Sulaco,' his San Tome mine exerts a subtle influence over the province; he mediates local difficulties for Sir John's railway and comments on the land now belonging to the Railway Company. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/i) The administrator of the San Tome mine, who uses its silver to support the Ribierist cause, acting with cold, fearless scorn against corruption. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/ii) Absent from the send-off, he is focused entirely on the Gould Concession and the silver mine, bearing the weight of the 'imperium in imperio'. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/v) Present in the room, imperturbable amid discussions; referred to as 'Rey de Sulaco' and a practical demonstration of success. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/vi) Mentioned as dwelling alone within a wall of silver, and as a 'sentimentalist' who attaches idealistic meaning to concrete facts. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/vii) Mentioned as being consumed by his passion for the mine, which his wife fears more than infidelity. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/viii) Decoud remembers his impenetrable attitude during their last conversation. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/i) Appears briefly, calm and resolute, focused on his own 'crop of trouble' and the safety of the silver. He inquires about his wife and the girls. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/ii) Mentioned as the owner of the San Tome mine; Mitchell feels he has rendered him an enormous service. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/iii) Pledges support to Hernandez's emissary, feeling like a man on a precipitous path with no room to turn; is called 'the King of Sulaco, the master of the mine'. ### [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/iv) Refuses to join the Assembly's deputation to Montero, advocates for political restraint, and contemplates writing to Holroyd about a new state. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/v) Mentioned as the owner of the San Tome mine; the acute agent of the mine failed to understand Pedrito. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/vi) Mentioned as being alive and unmolested in Sulaco; his safety is a concern. ### [Chapter VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/vii) Confronts Pedrito Montero, refuses to surrender the mine, and later discusses strategy with Dr. Monygham. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/chapters/ix) Referenced as the owner of the San Tomé mine; the doctor claims to speak in his name, though Nostromo is skeptical. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/characters/charles_gould - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/nostromo_se/characters