The Hashish Eater · Characters
Character guide
Key figures in The Hashish Eater by Fitz Hugh Ludlow.
Skim names here — open a free preview to see character cards and Character Web beside the page as you read.
The Narrator
major
Also known as Unknown, Bob, B., Mendelssohn, Dr. H., Sir Walter, Dr. O'Shaughnessy, Dr. ⸻, Fred W⸺, Fred, Will, the Fern, Fern, Camillus, Monsieur Thibadeau, Eblis, Claude Lorraine, Ed, Edward, Edward Bransfield
A self-experimenting Pythagorean who treats Anderson's apothecary back room as a laboratory, swallowing every strange drug within reach in the name of research rather than indulgence.
Coleridge
supporting
The opium-haunted poet whose 'Kubla Khan' verse opens the book like an incantation, framing the hashish-eater as one who has fed on honey-dew and drunk the milk of Paradise.
The Doctor
supporting
Also known as the Doctor
The apothecary friend whose curtained sanctum of gallipots, tweezers, and materia medica becomes the narrator's trusted laboratory for testing every exhilarant the shelves can yield.
Pythagoras
supporting
The ancient philosopher of transmigration and number whose doctrines haunt the narrator's visions, lending the hashish experiments their subtitle and their claim to spiritual seriousness.
Sam
supporting
A recurring companion in the narrator's dreamscapes, drifting through the hashish visions as a familiar presence whose identity blurs between friend, self, and hallucination.
De Quincey
minor
The opium-eater author, referenced as a precursor to the hashish experience.
John Locke
minor
Also known as Locke
Philosopher whose ideas on perception and identity are debated in the visions.
The Servant
minor
Also known as The servant
A domestic figure who appears in the narrator's household scenes.
Clapperton
minor
An explorer figure encountered in the narrator's exotic dream travels.
Mr. Jonah
minor
Also known as Jonah
A biblical figure reimagined as a character in the narrator's hallucinations.
Southey
minor
Poet laureate and friend of Coleridge, appearing in literary discussions.
David Hume
minor
Also known as Hume, Mr. Hume
Scottish philosopher whose skepticism is challenged in the dream logic.
Sidney
minor
Also known as Sid
A friend or acquaintance appearing in the narrator's waking interludes.
Hashish
minor
Also known as hashish
The personified drug substance that catalyzes the visionary experiences.
Deity
minor
A divine presence invoked during moments of cosmic revelation.
Dan Chaucer
minor
Also known as Dan, genial Chaucer
The poet Chaucer, appearing as a genial guide in dream visions.
Dr. Braid
minor
Also known as Dr. James Braid
A real physician and hypnotism pioneer referenced in the narrative.
The Christ
minor
Also known as Christ the Merciful, Christ
A figure of mercy appearing in the narrator's theological visions.
Leviathan
minor
A monstrous sea creature from biblical lore, personified in dreams.
Baldwin
minor
A historical or literary figure appearing briefly in the visions.
Buddha
minor
The enlightened one, appearing as a symbol in Eastern dreamscapes.
Niagara
minor
The personified waterfall, a sublime natural force in the visions.
Kant
minor
German philosopher whose categorical imperative is referenced in moral visions.
Mr. Fitz-Gerald
minor
A minor acquaintance mentioned in the narrator's social circle.
Heinsius
minor
A scholar or editor referenced in the narrator's intellectual musings.
