# Tom Harris — Two Years Before the Mast character guide

> Tom Harris in Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana Jr..

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Tom, Harris

**First appearance:** 0004-ii

## Snapshot

An English sailor a few years older than Dana, quick with salt slang and man-of-war stories, the forecastle companion who makes the hard watch bearable.

## Who they are

Harris is the sailor next to Dana in age, experience, and standing in the watch, a natural raconteur whose tall tales keep the crew awake and laughing. He embodies the forecastle's rough camaraderie — the humor and shared misery that bind men who have no other comfort. Through him Dana learns that seamanship is passed down by voice as much as by rope.

## In the story

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/chapters/ix)

Tom responds to Bill Brown's remark, saying 'you haven't seen the worst of it yet.'

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

The narrator's watchmate for nine months; a remarkable man with perfect memory, rapid calculation, and deep knowledge of seamanship and sailors' lives.

### [XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/chapters/xxiv)

Mentioned in comparison to Marsh; Harris is portrayed as self-made, having developed his mind and character despite obstacles.

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

Harris is the narrator's old watchmate who leaves the ship via a prior exchange, and the narrator expresses sorrow at parting with him.

### [Homeward Bound: Preparations and Anticipation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/chapters/xxx)

Tom is mentioned in the crew's daily discussions about latitude and progress.

### [XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/two_years_before_the_mast_se/chapters/xxxvi)

Jokes about going ashore and quitting the sea.

## Links

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