# Dirk Peters — The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket character guide > Dirk Peters in The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Peters **First appearance:** 0004-iii ## Snapshot A half-breed sailor of ferocious strength and stranger mercy, whose loyalty to Pym is forged in the worst hours at sea. ## Who they are Peters enters the narrative as something closer to a beast than a man—savage in appearance, feared by the crew, capable of appalling violence. What unsettles and compels is the tenderness that surfaces alongside it: he attaches himself to Pym with a devotion that seems to cost him nothing and everything. In the middle arc, as the Grampus becomes a floating graveyard, Peters is the force that keeps Pym alive and the presence that makes survival feel morally contaminated. ## Relationships ### [Augustus Barnard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/characters/augustus_barnard) _friendship_ Augustus and Dirk are close companions aboard the Grampus, sharing survival and mutiny experiences. ### [Richard Parker](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/characters/richard_parker) _rivalry_ Dirk Peters and Richard Parker are antagonistic crew members, with Parker ultimately becoming a victim of cannibalism. ### [Captain Cook](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/characters/captain_cook) _professional_ Captain Cook commands the ship where Dirk Peters serves as a crew member, with a formal captain-crew dynamic. ### [Jones](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/characters/jones) _professional_ Dirk Peters and Jones are fellow crew members on the ship, interacting in a work-related context. ### [Wilson Allen](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/characters/wilson_allen) _professional_ Dirk Peters and Wilson Allen serve together as sailors, with a collegial but not deeply personal bond. ### [Captain Guy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/characters/captain_guy) _professional_ Captain Guy and Dirk Peters have a captain-crew relationship on the Jane Guy expedition. ### [Hartman Rogers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/characters/hartman_rogers) _professional_ Dirk Peters and Hartman Rogers are fellow sailors, with Rogers being a mutineer whom Peters eventually kills. ## In the story ### [The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/the-narrative-of-arthur-gordon-pym-of-nantucket) A key companion during the mutiny and survival ordeal; assists Pym in escaping the hold. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/iv) Peters, a half-Indian line-manager, opposes the cook's bloodlust and saves Augustus from being killed, showing some kindness. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/v) Visits the forecastle, brings Tiger to Augustus, and provides food and water. ### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/vi) Shows kindness to Augustus, converses about Pacific exploration, and feigns drunkenness; Pym and Augustus consider recruiting him. ### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/vii) Hybrid mutineer; kills Allen and leads the plan to retake the brig. ### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/viii) Leads the conversation to superstitions, signals Pym, and kills several mutineers with his strength. ### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/ix) Badly cut by lashings; makes multiple dives into the flooded cabin but cannot open the steward's room door. ### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/x) Dances about the deck madly when the brig is first sighted. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xi) Emaciated and mentally impaired; repeatedly asks about Nantucket and attempts to chew leather for sustenance. ### [Chapter XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xii) Draws first and is free; stabs Parker in the back; helps cut through the deck. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xiii) Pym's companion; helps Pym back onto the hull, strikes a shark with an axe, and shows moments of stoicism and despair. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xiv) Accompanies Pym in the mate's boat during the seal hunt around Kerguelen's Land. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xvii) Accompanies Pym in the boat and kills the giant polar bear with a knife to the spine. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xviii) Peters is part of the armed party that goes ashore to explore the island. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xx) Accompanies Pym into the fissure and follows his order to retreat. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xxi) Buried up to his middle in earth; Pym helps free him; proposes exploring for escape and later suggests firing pistols for rescue. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xxii) Companion to Pym; helps secure food and conceal their hiding place. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xxiii) Accompanies Pym; suggests the indentations might be alphabetical characters. ### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xxiv) Ingeniously engineers the descent by cutting holes and driving pegs; saves Pym from falling; later clubbed by savages in an ambush. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/chapters/xxv) Companion; speaks little, shows apathy and an unfathomable expression as they approach the cataract. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/characters/dirk_peters - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_narrative_of_arthur_gordon_pym_of_nantucket_se/characters