The Young Man and the Sea

Samuel “Skiff” Beaman, Sr. is Skiff’s father. Once a skilled harpoon fisher of “swamper” lineage, Skiff Sr. stopped working after the death of his wife Mary Rose. He exhibits symptoms of depression, drinking heavily, watching TV, and rarely talking to his son. He is normally brave, but has since become disillusioned with life. At the beginning of the novel, Skiff is disappointed by his father’s behavior. However, they love each other, their relationship demonstrating The Centrality of Family. Skiff Sr. also demonstrates The Necessity of Resilience. He initially struggles to work, or pay attention to Skiff. However, when Skiff goes missing, he acts: Inspired by his son’s own resilience, Skiff Sr. leaves the house to rescue him, rekindles his friendship with former employer and friend Jack Croft, and works toward sobriety.

Mary Rose Spinney Beaman was Skiff’s mother and Skiff Sr.’s wife, a woman of prestigious lineage. Mary Rose is deceased at the beginning of the novel, and her family is still grieving her. She influences Skiff’s decisions and Skiff Sr.’s depression; her death leaves her husband inconsolable, which inhibits his ability to work or care for his son. This influence and Mary Rose’s pride in both of her families—the Spinneys and Beamans—illustrates The Centrality of Family. Even without her physical presence, Skiff recalls a mental image of her in moments of doubt and loneliness. He confides in her and imagines what she would say. Two of Mary Rose’s three rules develop two of the novel’s themes: “[D]on’t give up” emphasizes The Necessity of Resilience, and “think smart” emphasizes The Importance of Thinking Smart (121). Overall, Skiff takes comfort in his mother’s memory and the family boat named after her, which both transcend death.

Mr. Amos Woodwell is the Beamans’ elderly neighbor. Although he’s mostly retired, he was once a prolific boat builder, and still fixes boats and equipment in his shed. He teaches Skiff how to raise the sunken Mary Rose, and was a friend to a young Skiff Sr., even allowing him to live with him when he was having family trouble. To make up for Skiff’s theft of a harpoon—a handmade gift symbolic of Skiff Sr. and Mr. Woodwell’s friendship—Skiff Sr. orders his son to help the older man in his boat shed. Mr. Woodwell embodies The Centrality of Family, as he is chosen family, someone who treats the Beamans as sons. He offers knowledge, and Skiff helps him with physical tasks.

Tyler Croft is a local boy around Skiff’s age, who presumably attends school with him. He’s the son of Jack, a fisherman for whom Skiff Sr. used to work. The Crofts are wealthier than the Beamans, so they have expensive boats and bicycles. Tyler is classist, taunting Skiff over his swamper lineage. Skiff doesn’t know why Tyler targets him, but doesn’t internalize his classism. Rather than feel shame at being a “swamper,” he celebrates their knowledge. This refusal to be bullied into silence or submission illustrates The Necessity of Resilience, and results in Tyler’s punishment by his father for cutting Skiff’s lobster traps.