# Mr. Massy — The End of the Tether character guide

> Mr. Massy in The End of the Tether by Joseph Conrad.

**Role:** major

**Also known as:** Massy, that Massy

**First appearance:** 0000-i

## Snapshot

The Sofala's chief engineer and part-owner, a clever, resentful man whose infatuation with a sergeant's wife and taste for drink curdle into scheming.

## Who they are

Massy owns a share of the ship but feels cheated by life, and his second's drunken midnight babble reveals both his vanity and his envy of any man who has done better. He listens, gratified, while the old soaker calls him a clever scoundrel, then thumps the bulkhead and shouts for silence. His loathing of the boilers, the coast, and his own partners makes him the story's most dangerous pressure point.

## In the story

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se/chapters/v)

The chief engineer and owner of the Sofala, who won the lottery and bought the ship, but is now unable to find a captain.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se/chapters/vi)

Appears on the bridge of the Sofala, confrontational and resentful, muttering about being treated as dirt.

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se/chapters/vii)

Broods on the bridge, resentful of his crew and his position; he mocks Whalley's caution and feels his authority is undermined.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se/chapters/viii)

Confronts Whalley about the near-grounding on the bar, accuses him of carelessness and incompetence, and pressures him to invest another couple of hundred pounds for new boilers. His tone shifts from threatening to insinuating.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se/chapters/ix)

The chief engineer and owner, who confronts Sterne on deck with contempt and mutual mistrust.

### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se/chapters/x)

Massy is mentioned as being in a state of exasperation, and Sterne considers him stupid and difficult to manage.

### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se/chapters/xi)

Massy broods over his hatred for Whalley, his lottery obsession, and his resentment of the crew. He reflects on the partnership agreement and his desire to keep Whalley on the Sofala.

### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se/chapters/xii)

Briefly appears at the gangway, anxiously waiting, and is curtly addressed by Van Wyk.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se/chapters/xiii)

Rages at Jack's drunkenness, but is unaware of Sterne's plot. His obsession with the lottery and his harsh treatment of the crew continue.

### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se/chapters/xiv)

Obsessed with the lottery, he plots to exploit Whalley's blindness and deliberately wreck the Sofala for insurance money. He sabotages the compass by placing his coat near it, leading to the shipwreck.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se/characters/massy
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_end_of_the_tether_se/characters