Edmund Talbot, the narrator and protagonist, is a snobbish young Englishman reporting for duty in the colonies. He directs his account of the voyage to his wealthy and noble patron, and by his narrative reveals much about his naivete, his sense of superiority, his mistakes in judgment.

Captain Anderson, who hates clergymen, and Reverend James Colley, an overly earnest and thereby ridiculous parson, are obviously at odds from the beginning. Billy Rogers, a pretty and calculating sailor, is the final source of shame for Colley.

To round out this social microcosm, Golding includes Zenobia Brocklebank, a "lady" past her prime; Mr. Prettiman, the rationalist on board; Mr. Summers, low-born but a true gentleman in his moral strength; and assorted tars and emigrants.

In Close Quarters, characters from Rites of Passage continue the story— Captain Anderson, Lieutenant Summers, Lieutenant Deverel, Mr. Prettiman, Miss Granham, the Brocklebanks, and Pike...