Through the Brazilian Wilderness · Character

Theodore Roosevelt

A former president who would rather cross a continent than tour one, he organizes the expedition as a museum collecting trip and turns it into a plunge into unmapped country.

major

Also known as Colonel Roosevelt, the colonel

First appearance: The Start

As a major figure in Through the Brazilian Wilderness, Theodore Roosevelt is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Pictured with Colonel Rondon at Navaïté on the River of Doubt.

In the storyFrontispiece 1Open this moment free

Roosevelt opens the book not with a summons to adventure but with a lunch at the American Museum of Natural History, where Father Zahm turns up unannounced and the Paraguay scheme revives. He frames the journey as science — naturalists, specimens, a collecting trip for the museum — but his real appetite is for the interior, the unmapped river, the test. As narrator and leader he is both host and protagonist, and his voice sets the book's double register: genial, curious, and unflinching about hardship.

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Character Web

8 connections

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Other

Character groups

Supporting Cast and Hosts
Protagonist
Core Expedition Team

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

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In the story

Theodore Roosevelt appears across 14 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Frontispiece 1
Pictured with Colonel Rondon at Navaïté on the River of Doubt.
Frontispiece 2
Colonel Roosevelt's journey is depicted on the map.
Through the Brazilian Wilderness
Leader of the expedition, documenting the journey and wildlife.
The Start
The author and leader of the expedition, who eagerly accepts the challenge to explore the River of Doubt.
II: Up the Paraguay
Narrator and leader of the expedition, observing the river journey and local conditions.
III: A Jaguar Hunt on the Taquary
Narrates the chapter, shoots the first jaguar, and describes the hunt.
Up the River of Tapirs
Narrates the chapter, participates in the tapir hunt, and reflects on the evolutionary history of the tapir.
VI: Through the Highland Wilderness of Western Brazil
Narrates the chapter; walked with his rifle, observed an armadillo, and spent time by the waterfall; shared a tent with Fiala and Kermit.
VIII: The River of Doubt
Narrates the journey, describes the portage and rapids, and reflects on the uncertainty of the river's course.
Down an Unknown River Into the Equatorial Forest
Walks downriver to survey rapids, helps with canoe building, and describes the challenges and observations of the journey.
X: To the Amazon and Home; Zoological and Geographical Results of the Expedition
Roosevelt was still sick during the descent, traveling under a shelter rigged in the canoe; he prepared the sketch map of the new river.
Appendix B: The Outfit for Travelling in the South American Wilderness
Author of the appendix, shares personal experience and preferences for equipment.
Appendix C: My Letter of May 1 to General Lauro Müller
Author of the letter and leader of the expedition, reporting on the journey's results.
List of Illustrations
Appears in multiple illustrations, including portraits with Colonel Rondon, hunting scenes, and during the descent of the River of Doubt.

Chapter companion notes

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See Theodore Roosevelt in The Start

See Theodore Roosevelt in Frontispiece 1