# Mr. S⸺ — Two Years Before the Mast character guide

> Mr. S⸺ in Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana Jr..

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** S⸺

**First appearance:** 0003-i

## Snapshot

The Pilgrim's third mate, a young officer caught between the captain's fury and the crew's resentment as the ship beats homeward.

## Who they are

Mr. S⸺ serves as third mate aboard the Pilgrim, one of the officers who must enforce discipline on a crew worn down by months of hide-curing and hard weather. He is disliked by the men, yet he is also young, learning his trade, and answerable to a captain whose rages spare no one — a position that leaves him exposed from both directions. In the brutal, sail-carrying run home, with scurvy spreading and the captain pressing for speed, the third mate's precarious standing dramatizes how the ship's hierarchy grinds down officers and seamen alike.

## In the story

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/chapters/ii)

Young man on his first voyage, in the same watch as the narrator; they share common Boston connections.

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

Shares the narrator's eagerness to go ashore; both are laughed at by the crew.

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

The narrator's messmate who also moves from the steerage to the forecastle and shares in the tarring work.

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

Seen at the other royal masthead working to furl the sail during the squall.

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

The narrator's friend S⸺ helps him take down the royal yards during a sudden storm, showing their shared duty aloft.

### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/chapters/xvi)

Accompanies the narrator on liberty, sharing in the day's adventures and the mutual understanding to stay with the crew.

### [XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/chapters/xx)

Receives letters from home and shares news with the crew.

### [XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/chapters/xxix)

Mr. S⸺ is the narrator's friend who comes aboard after exchanging places with Harris, and the two congratulate each other on their shared journey home.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/characters/mr_s
- 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