A Grave

A Grave Character List

The Man

The man blocks the speaker's view of the sea; according to the speaker, he is trying to stand "in the middle of it," whether that's the sea or the "scene" itself. He seems blithely ignorant of those around him; this is a human failing, but it is also, perhaps, an indictment of men, in particular, who are content in undisputed social power.

The Sea

The sea is depicted as a violent, "rapacious" collector of the dead. It may be unfathomably lovely and pulse with life, but it is tempestuous, and a threat to the naive men who fish its depths and stand on its shores.

The speaker

Moore is the speaker, first annoyed at the imposing presence of the man and then contemplative regarding her own, and more broadly the human, relationship with the sea.