# George Ballmer — Two Years Before the Mast character guide

> George Ballmer in Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana Jr..

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** George

**First appearance:** 0004-ii

## Snapshot

A young sailor whose fists earn him respect aboard the Pilgrim, proving that even the lowest hand can fight his way into notice.

## Who they are

George Ballmer is a boy before the mast, one of the youngest and least regarded members of the Pilgrim's crew, until a brutal fight with a fellow sailor named Nat transforms his standing. Cowed at first by the ship's hierarchy, he discovers that courage under blows can buy a kind of freedom the captain's authority cannot take away. His scrap becomes a small legend forward, and the lesson it teaches — that pluck matters more than rank — quietly shapes how the crew sees itself.

## In the story

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

A young English sailor who falls overboard and drowns; his death deeply affects the crew.

### [Chapter XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/chapters/xxv)

George Ballmer is not mentioned in this chapter.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/characters/george_ballmer
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/characters