Charlie Allnut
Charlie is a gruff, rough-and-ready boat captain with an uninvited capacity for enjoying his drink. He has a tendency to enjoy it a little too much and his panicked reaction on discovering that Rose has emptied his alcohol over the side of the boat suggests he is an alcoholic. Charlie seems to like life on board a boat because it means he does not have to deal with people much and it affords him peace and quiet. Rose adds anything but peace and quiet to his existence and he gives in to her nagging not because he is easily swayed or because he is a pushover but because he is really too lazy to argue and basically wants an easy life. Because of his gruff exterior it is easy to think of Charlie as unemotional or unromantic but the speed with which he falls deeply in love with Rose and is willing to sacrifice his life for hers shows that he is a man capable of great love, a man of honor who has depth and loyalty. He puts Rose first.
Rose Sayer
Rose is the sister of a Missionary and also a spinster which tells us that not only has she likely never been passionately in love before, but also that she has probably no concept of what mad passionate love actually feels like. She has a tendency to equate everything with hearing her beloved brother sermonize and thus draws a parallel between how she feels when she hears him and how she feels about Charlie. Her life experience to this point has not taught her the difference. Rose is a nice woman but she is a nag and she is clearly used to getting her own way by breaking down the defenses and the resolve of the other person involved by the sheer force of her nagging - she simply does not change the subject until her nagging achieves a capitulation. Rose is a feisty but on the face of it unrealistic Englishwoman who sees Germans and feels it her duty as an English person to attack and defeat them. Eccentric? Undoubtably, but also endearingly honorable and patriotic. Rose disapproves of drinking and so rips out Charlie's alcohol when he is asleep because as a missionary she feels it her job and her place to convert him from bad behavior to good behavior. She is surprised to fall in love but does so wholeheartedly and would prefer to be killed by the Germans than to live without him. As much as she changes Charlie, he also changes her and she is truly devoted to him.
Reverend Samuel Sayer
Reverend Sayer is Rose's brother and protector. He is a missionary and has a dedication to his purpose which has rubbed off on his sister. He is a great influence on her but his death also influences her as she is shocked and only in this state would she go with Charlie Allnut. Samuel is a dedicated man whose goal was always to improve the lot of the villagers and to lead them to God.
German Captain
The captain of the German ship is a typically unsympathetic character who does not seem to understand the human emotions shown by Charlie and Rose. He marries them because he can't see what difference it makes and because he feels they are entitled to a last wish although he doesn't actually offer this himself. He does not understand their love - indeed, seems baffled by it - and is actually contravening general accepted rules of combat by killing his prisoners of war.
