The narrator
John Winterstraw, Gent., named on the title page though never in the body of his own account; his resourcefulness helps establish communication with the hulk.
The bo'sun
The expedition's practical leader, an immense and capable sailor who organizes defenses, repairs, and the rescue.
Josh
The senior apprentice who commands the second boat after the wreck; his group is separated during the storm.
George
The youngest apprentice, whose discoveries aboard the abandoned brig add to the early mystery.
Job
An ordinary seaman struck down during the island landing, carried off while still unconscious, and found dead in the valley, drained of blood.
Mistress Mary Madison
A young woman who has grown up aboard the trapped hulk and becomes the narrator's beloved and eventual wife.
The second mate of the hulk
The senior surviving officer who works with the bo'sun to free and rerig the vessel.
The captain's wife
Widowed aboard the hulk and long since gone mad; authority there rests with the second mate.
The buxom woman
A survivor who has formed a family with the carpenter during the hulk's seven-year imprisonment.
Tompkins
A sailor taken during the weed-men's attack on the island.