Characters: the others

Now I`d like to speak about OLD BILL (as he is addressed in the story) or BILL FOSTER. He is an old sailorman and the very person who falls out of the foretop after cook`s dream. The writer reveals Bill Foster by means of character`s actions keeping from the open judgement.

We come to think of Bill as a hot-tempered man just in the first conversation when the cook told about the dream. The idea is implied with the help of periphrasis in the following passage: 

Bill Foster said he'd make 'im laugh the other side of his face if he wasn't careful, 

which was the threat of beating.

Bill`s self-mastery, strong character and ability to keep his word is shown after the falling from the foretop:

He was in agony, of course, but he kept 'is presence of mind, and as they passed the cook he gave 'im such a clip on the side of the 'ead as nearly broke it.

Bill`s characteristic is also implied by the other personages` words. For example, Joseph Meek tells the cook: 

"Bill's always been a superstitious man, and since you dreamt about his leg he'd believe anything". 

The idea is further proved with the help of epithet and simile when the cook speaks in his dreams in Bill`s presence: 

Pore Bill... lay there (on his bunk) as pale as death, listening. 

To show Bill`s faith in cook`s dreams the narrator again uses the dramatic irony: 

Bill pointed out to 'im wot a useful man he would be if he could dream and warn people in time.

The same dramatic irony shows that Bill loves his niece greatly and does his best to protect her. He makes his mind to tell Emily about cook`s dream to prevent her death: 

"Stuff and nonsense," ses Bill. "I'm going to tell Emily. It's my dooty. Wot's the good o' being married if you're going to be killed?",

where the effect is emphasized by the rhetorical question.

The next character to take into consideration is JOSEPH MEEK, who is revealed by means of physical appearance with the help of epithet: 

...a steady young chap wot was goin' to be married to old Bill Foster's niece as soon as we got 'ome. 

We are to judge this character according to his actions, as no other explicit characteristic is given. By all means we may say him to be unresponsible and cunning kind of person taking into account his idea of putting off the wedding. The author implies the situational irony: when Bill is confident in preventing the wedding and they go ashore again, Joseph sees foolishness of his deed, which we may see in the following passage: 

Emily found it more comfortable to sit on Joseph's knee; and by the time they got to the 'ouse he began to see wot a silly mistake he was making.

As for EMILY, her beautiful appearence is shown with the help of epithet: 

She really was an uncommon nice-looking gal, and more than the cook was struck with her.

The fact is that during their voyage she found a new boy-friend, Bert Simmons, but couldn`t confess to it. The narrator creates the humorous effect: 

Bert Simmons sat on one side of Emily and Joseph the other, and the cook couldn't 'elp feeling sorry for 'er, seeing as he did that sometimes she was 'aving both hands squeezed at once under the table and could 'ardly get a bite in edgeways. 

Her unwillingness to give out this secret is highlighted by the aposiopesis: 

"I lost that the other evening when I was out with--with--for a walk". 

Her character is also shown through the metaphor in her uncle`s words: 

"Why, you're made o' money, Emily," he ses.

So, as we see the author skillfully presents the characters by different means of direct and indirect judgement, their appearance, actions and so on.