Swallows and Amazons · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome.
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Titty Walker
major
Also known as Titty, Able-seaman Titty, Miss Titty
Titty is the youngest Walker aboard Swallow, but her imagination makes her the crew's best scout and its most daring hand. She proves it by single-handedly capturing the Amazon in the dark, earning Captain Nancy's stunned admiration. Her willingness to see the lake as a world of pirates and prizes keeps the game alive for everyone around her.
John Walker
major
Also known as Captain John, John, John of the Swallow
John commands Swallow with a seriousness that shapes every plan the Swallows make, from blockading the Amazons to delivering messages by rowboat. He feels the weight of being watched, especially by the Amazons, and rows alone to the houseboat rather than risk looking like an attacker. His careful sense of fair play and strategy drives the island campaign through its early and middle turns.
Susan Walker
major
Also known as Mate Susan, Miss Susan
Susan balances John's tactics with the unglamorous work of supplies, cooking, and keeping four children alive on an island. She is the one who questions how a plan will actually work, and she carries the message to the charcoal-burners when promises must be kept. Without her steady competence, the Swallows' grand adventure would collapse into cold suppers and wet bedding.
Roger Walker
major
Also known as The Boy Roger, Master Roger
Roger is the ship's boy whose first instinct in any crisis is attack, whether suggesting they sink the houseboat or grabbing a parrot-fletched arrow from the fire. He is pulled along by the older children but never doubts the reality of the game. His uncomplicated enthusiasm gives the crew its comic energy and reminds readers what the adventure looks like from its smallest participant.
Nancy Blackett
major
Also known as Nancy, Captain Nancy, Blackett
Nancy leads the Amazons with swagger and total commitment, renaming herself for the role and treating the Swallows as worthy rivals. She is generous in defeat, shaking Titty's hand and wishing her in her own crew, yet relentless in pursuing the game. Her energy and refusal to be ordinary make her the spark that turns a quiet lake into a theatre of war.
Peggy Blackett
supporting
Also known as Peggy, Peggy Blackett
Peggy crews the Amazon alongside her formidable sister, sharing the raids and the hurried dashes home before breakfast. She is the calmer Blackett, the one who notes that there is hardly time for tea while Nancy spins plans. Her presence gives the Amazons a second pair of hands and a gentler counterweight to Nancy's whirlwind.
Captain Flint
supporting
Also known as Uncle Jim, Jim, James Turner, Mr. Turner
He is the Amazons' uncle, living aboard a houseboat on the lake while chasing a treasure he refuses to explain. His suspicion of the Swallows—whom he wrongly accuses of meddling—collides with their code of honor, and his gruff temper makes him the adventure's most unpredictable adult. His note and his temper set the children scrambling to clear their names, turning a neighbor into an adversary worth winning over.
Mother Walker
supporting
Also known as Mother
She gathers news of the children's doings through Mrs. Blackett and Mrs. Dixon, quietly amused by pirates and parrots alike. Her willingness to let John, Susan, Titty, and Roger camp alone is the permission slip the whole summer depends on, yet she watches the weather and the neighbors with a sailor's caution. When she rows out after the storm with cocoa, she proves the adventure has a safe harbor behind it.
Mr. Dixon
supporting
Also known as Dixon, Mrs. Dixon
He and Mrs. Dixon are the practical natives of the lake—the ones who carry messages, spot smoke, and know whose box was stolen. Mrs. Dixon's porridge, hauled across rough water after the gale, shows the quiet kindness that keeps the young explorers fed and forgiven. Their gossip also spreads word of Captain Flint's loss, tightening the knot between the children and the suspicious man on the houseboat.
Mr. Jackson
minor
Also known as Jackson, Even Mr. Jackson
Local boatman who rents the Swallow to the children.
Young Billy
minor
Also known as Billy, Young Billy
Local boy who helps with boats and errands.
Old Billy
minor
Also known as Old Billy, That old Billy
Elderly local man, possibly a fisherman or boatman.
Vicky
minor
Also known as Victoria, little Vicky, fat Vicky
A young girl, possibly a friend or relative of the children.
Mrs. Blackett
minor
Also known as Mrs. Blackett
Mother of Nancy and Peggy, lives at Beckfoot.
Sammy
minor
Also known as Old Sammy
Local character, possibly a worker or sailor.
Nurse
minor
Also known as Nurse
Nanny or caregiver for the Walker children.
Daddy Walker
minor
Also known as Daddy, Dad
Father of the Swallows, away at sea but mentioned.
Ruth
minor
Also known as Miss Ruth
A young woman, possibly a friend or relative.
Mrs. Jackson
minor
Also known as Mrs. Jackson
Wife of Mr. Jackson, helps with the boathouse.
Black Jack
minor
Also known as Johnny
Local character, possibly a sailor or worker.
Drool
minor
Also known as Drool
A dog belonging to the charcoal burners.
