# Captain Blunt — The Arrow of Gold character guide > Captain Blunt in The Arrow of Gold by Joseph Conrad. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Blunt, This Blunt, the polite Captain, this Captain Blunt, Don Juan Blunt **First appearance:** 0003-the-arrow-of-gold ## Snapshot A polished, sardonic captain with a mother who collects impressions and a talent for saying cruel things in the most elegant way possible. ## Who they are Blunt moves through Rita's circle with the ease of a man who has always belonged there, flashing his teeth at Mills, dissecting Rita's conduct, and hinting at knowledge he never quite produces. His rivalry with George is quiet and corrosive, conducted through manners rather than blows, and shadowed by his mother's strange fixation on Rita. He matters because he shows how the intrigue's social surface conceals appetites as raw as any smuggler's. ## Relationships ### [Mills](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/mills) _rivalry_ Captain Blunt and Mills are antagonistic competitors, clashing over political and personal loyalties. ### [George](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/george) _rivalry_ Captain Blunt and George are bitter rivals, both vying for Doña Rita's affection and political influence. ### [Therese](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/therese) _psychological_ Captain Blunt and Therese are uneasy allies, each manipulating the other to gain control over Doña Rita. ### [Mr. Blunt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/mr_blunt) _family_ Captain Blunt and Mr. Blunt are father and son, with a strained relationship marked by disappointment and duty. ### [José Ortega](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/jose_ortega) _rivalry_ Captain Blunt and José Ortega are mutual enemies, each seeking to outmaneuver the other for power and influence. ### [George](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/george) _rivalry_ Captain Blunt and George are bitter rivals, both vying for Doña Rita's affection and political influence. ### [Mr. Blunt](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/mr_blunt) _family_ Captain Blunt and Mr. Blunt are father and son, with a strained relationship marked by disappointment and duty. ### [Therese](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/therese) _psychological_ Captain Blunt and Therese are uneasy allies, each manipulating the other to gain control over Doña Rita. ### [José Ortega](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/jose_ortega) _rivalry_ Captain Blunt and José Ortega are mutual enemies, each seeking to outmaneuver the other for power and influence. ### [George](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/george) _rivalry_ Captain Blunt and George are bitter rivals, both vying for Doña Rita's affection and political influence. ### [Mills](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/mills) _rivalry_ Captain Blunt and Mills are antagonistic competitors, clashing over political and personal loyalties. ### [Mills](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/mills) _rivalry_ Captain Blunt and Mills are antagonistic competitors, clashing over political and personal loyalties. ## In the story ### [First Note](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/chapters/first-note) Despatched from Headquarters to confer with Doña Rita about organizing the supply; he was looking for the narrator and was keen to assess him. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/chapters/part-i-i) An eminently elegant man with a clear-cut, thin, suntanned face and mobile black eyes. He is a sufferer of insomnia and is not perfectly French, with a personality that is not sufficiently professional for an officer. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/chapters/part-i-ii) Narrates the story of Rita and Allègre, revealing his own acrimony and fascination. ### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/chapters/part-i-iii) Reveals his mission and his mother's involvement with Doña Rita, showing his nervousness and cynicism. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/chapters/part-ii-i) Present at the villa, dressed in riding attire; mentions Rita's riding habit and the journalist's arrival. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/chapters/part-iii-ii) Mentioned as the one who told Rita's story, with a strange and weird appearance, and a polite but incisive voice. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/chapters/part-iii-iv) Maintains a detached, ironic demeanor, engaging in subtle verbal sparring with Rita. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/chapters/part-iv-ii) Introduced as a polished, aristocratic figure; suffers from sleeplessness and lives by his sword. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/chapters/part-v-i) Mentioned in the narrator's thoughts regarding his contempt for the dummy, which was made for Rita's robes. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/chapters/part-v-viii) Though not present in the scene, his actions and the aftermath of his suicide attempt loom over the chapter, driving Rita's distress and the narrator's protective response. ### [Second Note](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/chapters/part-v-second-note) Mentioned as the one who shot George in the duel, and whose bullet is compared to the arrow's mark. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters/captain_blunt - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_arrow_of_gold_se/characters