# Dan Cullen — When God Laughs character guide

> Dan Cullen in When God Laughs by Jack London.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** big Dan Cullen, Captain Dan Cullen, Captain Cullen

**First appearance:** 0006-make-westing

## Snapshot

A tough Pacific captain whose command of his ship and crew is tested by the sea's indifference and his own stubborn will.

## Who they are

Big Dan Cullen commands a vessel in the Pacific, a man whose authority rests on physical presence and the habits of a life spent at sea. He is the kind of captain who believes the ocean can be mastered by nerve and seamanship, even as the story's storms suggest otherwise. He matters because his struggle against wind and water dramatizes the collection's recurring theme: that nature, like the gods, answers no man's prayers.

## Relationships

### [George Dorety](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/characters/george_dorety)

_friendship_

Dan Cullen and George Dorety are close companions, possibly colleagues or drinking buddies.

### [John Gorman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/characters/john_gorman)

_friendship_

Dan Cullen and John Gorman are friends or drinking companions.

### [John Gorman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/characters/john_gorman)

_friendship_

Dan Cullen and John Gorman are friends or drinking companions.

### [George Dorety](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/characters/george_dorety)

_friendship_

Dan Cullen and George Dorety are close companions, possibly colleagues or drinking buddies.

### [George Dorety](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/characters/george_dorety)

_friendship_

Dan Cullen and George Dorety are close companions, possibly colleagues or drinking buddies.

### [John Gorman](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/characters/john_gorman)

_friendship_

Dan Cullen and John Gorman are friends or drinking companions.

## In the story

### [Make Westing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/chapters/make-westing)

Captain of the Mary Rogers; prioritizes making westing over saving a crewman, then murders George Dorety to avoid prosecution.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/characters/dan_cullen
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/when_god_laughs_se/characters