Cloud Atlas

by

David Mitchell

Adam Ewing

Adam Ewing is the protagonist of “The Pacific Journal of Adam Ewing,” a book that Robert Frobisher later finds. Adam’s journal makes up the first and last chapters of Cloud Atlas. He is a… read analysis of Adam Ewing

Robert Frobisher

Robert Frobisher is the protagonist of “Letters from Zedelghem,” which contains his letters from Belgium to his companion Rufus Sixsmith in England. Robert’s letters later end up in the possession of Luisa Rey. Robert… read analysis of Robert Frobisher

Luisa Rey

Luisa Ray is the protagonist of “Half-Lives,” a detective novel manuscript that Timothy Cavendish receives. She is a 26-year-old journalist who writes a gossip column but who dreams of writing more serious stories like her… read analysis of Luisa Rey

Timothy Cavendish

Timothy Cavendish is the protagonist of “The Ghastly Ordeal of Timothy Cavendish,” a film that Sonmi~451 watches. He is in his 60s and runs a vanity publishing company that experiences a freak success after one… read analysis of Timothy Cavendish

Sonmi~451

Sonmi~451 is the protagonist of “An Orison of Sonmi~451,” which survives as a recording on an egg-shaped device called an orison that Meronym carries with her. She answers the questions of the Archivist, who… read analysis of Sonmi~451
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Zachry Bailey

Zachry Bailey is the protagonist of the post-apocalyptic “Sloosha’s Crossin’ an’ Ev’rythin’ After,” the only story in the book that doesn’t take place inside another story. As a boy, he witnesses a violent tribe called… read analysis of Zachry Bailey

The Archivist

The Archivist spends most of “An Orison of Sonmi~451” interviewing the protagonist, Sonmi~451. Although the Archivist is a major character, he reveals almost nothing about his own identity, preferring to focus the conversation on… read analysis of The Archivist

Meronym

Meronym is a Prescient, meaning she comes from a small group of people with advanced technology who manage to survive a nuclear holocaust known as the Fall. She is the only character with a cometread analysis of Meronym

Rufus Sixsmith

Rufus Sixsmith is a supporting character in two stories, keeping up correspondence with Robert Frobisher in “The Zedelghem Letters,” then, many years later, acting as a source for the journalist Luisa Rey in “Half-Lives.” None… read analysis of Rufus Sixsmith

Dermot Hoggins

Dermot Hoggins is a memoirist with a criminal history. He publishes his book, Knuckle Sandwich, through Timothy Cavendish’s vanity press. The book remains obscure until Dermot gets so angry with the literary critic… read analysis of Dermot Hoggins

Dr. Henry Goose

Dr. Henry Goose is a strange Englishman who meets up with Adam Ewing while they’re both on the Chatham Isles. Henry initially tells Adam that he’s in the area to collect teeth, all as part… read analysis of Dr. Henry Goose

Vyvyan Ayrs

Vyvyan Ayrs is a famous British composer who has moved to Belgium and hasn’t written any new music in a long time. Robert Frobisher seeks out Ayrs, hoping that by becoming Ayrs’s protégé, he can… read analysis of Vyvyan Ayrs

Eva

Eva is the daughter of Vyvyan Ayrs and Jocasta van Outryve de Crommelynck. Initially, her father’s new assistant, Robert Frobisher, annoys her, but she warms up to him over time. Robert, however, mistakes… read analysis of Eva

Alberto Grimaldi

Alberto Grimaldi is the ruthless CEO of Seaboard Power, which plans to build a nuclear plant on Swannekke Island, despite a report from Rufus Sixsmith that the plan poses the risk of a nuclear disaster… read analysis of Alberto Grimaldi

Lester Rey

Lester Rey is the father of Luisa Rey. He was a police officer who tried to follow the rules but who, during one fateful investigation, ended up getting hit by a grenade and losing… read analysis of Lester Rey

Joe Napier

Joe Napier is a security consultant for Grimaldi, but although Napier seems at first to be a villain, he has been battling with his conscience ever since he watched Bill Smoke brutally assault Margoread analysis of Joe Napier

Bill Smoke

Bill Smoke is an assassin who kills on behalf of Seaboard Power. He starts off working with Grimaldi and Napier but is ultimately a free agent who ends up working for Wiley and Hooksread analysis of Bill Smoke

Yoona~939

Yoona~939 is a fabricant who works with Sonmi~451 at the restaurant Papa Song’s. While at the restaurant, Yoona “ascends” and realizes that she’s living like a slave. She passes on her knowledge to Sonmi… read analysis of Yoona~939

Hae-Joo Im

Hae-Joo Im seems to be a typical postgrad at a university called Taemosan. He’s friends with fellow postgrad Boom-Sook Kim. In fact, however, he collaborates with Boardman Mephi as a member of the Union… read analysis of Hae-Joo Im

Old Georgie

Old Georgie is an evil spirit who represents the opposite of the benevolent goddess Sonmi in the religion of Zachry and the Valleysmen people. In Zachry’s narration, Old Georgie seems like a real person who… read analysis of Old Georgie

Captain Molyneux

Captain Molyneux captains the Prophetess, the ship that Adam Ewing sails on. Molyneux isn’t as cruel as his first mate, Mr. Boerhaave, and he allows the Moriori stowaway Autua to stay on his… read analysis of Captain Molyneux

Isaac Sachs

Isaac Sachs is a flirtatious, heavy-drinking scientist who used to work with Rufus Sixsmith. After Rufus’s death, Luisa Rey tells Isaac she thinks someone murdered Rufus, and ultimately Isaac agrees to betray his bosses… read analysis of Isaac Sachs

Fay Li

Fay Li is a woman who works in PR at Seaboard Power. Although she seems to be working for Grimaldi and Napier, in fact, her loyalties are more complicated, and she’s willing to sell… read analysis of Fay Li

Denholme Cavendish

Denholme is the brother of Timothy Cavendish. The brothers have a strained relationship, with Timothy often trying to take out loans from his brother to pay off his many debts. When Timothy needs money… read analysis of Denholme Cavendish

Mrs. Noakes

Mrs. Noakes is a nurse at Aurora House, the nursing home where Timothy Cavendish gets trapped while trying to escape Dermot Hoggins’s brothers. She is cruel and uses her minor position of authority to… read analysis of Mrs. Noakes

Boardman Mephi

Boardman Mephi is an influential figure at a university called Taemosan. But despite his important position, he is secretly a member of the Union, which opposes the ruling corpocratic government. He keeps a close watch… read analysis of Boardman Mephi

Javier Gomez

Javier is a 10-year-old boy who often stops by Luisa Rey’s apartment to get away from his own family. Javier is an innocent character in a story full of schemers, and his presence raises… read analysis of Javier Gomez

Papa Song

Papa Song is the mascot for a futuristic McDonald’s-like restaurant franchise. Although he sounds like a person when Sonmi first describes him, after she “ascends” and becomes more intelligent, Sonmi realizes that Papa Song is… read analysis of Papa Song

Seer Ree

Seer Ree is a “pureblood” human who manages the fabricants at a location of the restaurant Papa Song’s, where Sonmi~451 and Yoona~393 live. He doesn’t seem to enjoy his life—his wife openly cheats on… read analysis of Seer Ree

The Abbess of the Valleysmen

The Abbess is the leader of The Valleysmen people, including Zachry and his family. Her name comes from a ruined abbey nearby that survives from before a nuclear holocaust called the Fall. The Abbess preaches… read analysis of The Abbess of the Valleysmen

Boom-Sook Kim

Boom-Sook Kim is a postgrad student at Taemosan who enjoys drinking, gambling, and crossbow hunting. He ostensibly uses Sonmi~451 as a research subject, but because he skates by on nepotism and his rich father, Boom-Sook… read analysis of Boom-Sook Kim

Pa Bailey

One of the formative events in Zachry’s life is watching as warriors from the rival Kona tribe kill his Pa. Zachry’s failure to do anything during his father’s murder leads Zachry to think of… read analysis of Pa Bailey

Adam Bailey

Adam Bailey is Zachry’s brother who gets kidnapped by members of the rival Kona tribe and forced into slavery. He is a different character from Adam Ewing, although their similar names seem to… read analysis of Adam Bailey

Wing~027

Wing~027 is an ascended “disasterman” fabricant. He seems to be as intelligent as a human and is able to survive in extreme conditions. Although Wing and Sonmi~451 only meet twice, he gives her some important… read analysis of Wing~027

The Abbess of the Mountain Colonists

The Abbess is a woman in her 60s who leads an anarchist colony that lives in the mountains, away from the corpocracy that rules the nearby urban centers. Her colony sits next to a giant… read analysis of The Abbess of the Mountain Colonists

Ernie Blacksmith

Ernie Blacksmith is a resident at Aurora House who befriends Timothy Cavendish and schemes with him (and Veronica Costello) to escape. Ernie has a temper and fights with Timothy but ultimately remains loyal. Ernie’s… read analysis of Ernie Blacksmith

Duophysite

Duophysite is a Prescient who lives in Hawaii and communicates from a distance with his fellow Prescient Meronym using an egglike device called an orison. Duophysite motivates Meronym and Zachry’s final journey by informing… read analysis of Duophysite

Megan

Megan is the niece of Rufus Sixsmith who is a scientist like him. She lives in Hawaii. Luisa Rey sometimes gets mistaken for Megan. Although Megan is absent for most of the story, she… read analysis of Megan

Dom Grelsch

Dom Grelsch is Luisa Rey’s boss at the magazine Spyglass. Although he seems at first like a washed-up editor who cares more about selling copies than printing the truth, he takes a big… read analysis of Dom Grelsch

Autua

Autua is a Moriori man whom Adam Ewing discovers stowed away in Adam's cabin on the Prophetess. Autua begs Adam to help him, explaining to Adam that he fled his home to escape a… read analysis of Autua
Minor Characters
Jocasta van Outryve de Crommelynck
Jocasta is the wife of Vyvyan Ayrs and the eventual secret lover of Robert Frobisher. Robert seems to have sex with Jocasta as a way to be more like his musical hero, Ayrs, but as he grows more disillusioned with Ayrs, he begins to resent Jocasta as well.
Veronica Costello
Veronica Costello plots with Ernie Blacksmith and Timothy Cavendish to escape Aurora House. She acts as a mediator, helping Ernie and Timothy put aside their egos to cooperate.
Lloyd Hooks
Lloyd Hooks is a former political appointee who wants to get involved with Seaboard Power. Grimaldi fiercely opposes giving Lloyd a seat on the board, so Lloyd has Grimaldi killed in a way that looks like an accident.
Ma Bailey
Ma is the mother of Zachry who helps hold the family together after the death of Pa and the kidnapping of Adam Bailey. She welcomes the outsider Prescient Meronym into her home.
Adrian Frobisher
Adrian Frobisher, the brother of Robert Frobisher, died in World War I. He represents an impossible ideal that Robert will never live up to, which contributes to the discord between Robert and his father.
Mr. Chang
Mr. Chang is a chauffeur for Boardman Mephi. He is always kind to Sonmi~451, making him one of the first characters to treat Sonmi like a normal human.
Mr. D’Arnoq
Mr. D’Arnoq is a white man on the Chatham Islands who, after speaking with Adam Ewing, makes Adam an unwilling participant in a scheme to get the Moriori islander Autua to freedom in Hawaii.
Mrs. Judd
Mrs. Judd is the woman who works at reception at Aurora House. Like Mrs. Noakes, she uses the small amount of authority she has to oppress the residents of the nursing home.
Hendrick
Hendrick is a servant of Vyvyan Ayrs. Robert Frobisher imagines Hendrick is having sex with Ayrs’s wife, Jocasta, but this may just be a reflection of Robert’s own guilty conscience (since Robert himself is having sex with Jocasta).
Monsieur van de Velde
Monsieur van de Velde is a friend of Vyvyan Ayrs’s family who lets Eva live with his family when she’s at school. Robert Frobisher and Eva bond over how boring the van de Velde family is.
Mr. Hotchkiss
Mr. Hotchkiss is the son of a woman who lives in Aurora House. He always leaves his key in the engine, which becomes a key part of Timothy Cavendish’s escape plan.
Catkin Bailey
Catkin is Zachry’s sister. When she gets poisoned by a scorpionfish, it motivates Meronym to break her promise not to intervene with the Valleysmen lifestyle.
Mr. Evans
Mr. Evans is an old white man on the Chatham Islands who first introduces Adam Ewing to the story of the Moriori, a tribe indigenous to the islands.
Mr. Boerhaave
Mr. Boerhaave is the first mate on the Prophetess, the ship where Adam Ewing is a passenger. Boerhaave is sadistic and treats crew members cruelly, driving the young Rafael to suicide by repeatedly raping him.
Margo Roker
Margot Roker is a woman who opposed Seaboard Power. As a result, Bill Smoke assaulted her, and she fell into a coma. Watching Bill Smoke attack Margo was a turning point for Napier, who began to regret his choices.
Rafael
Rafael is a young Australian crew member on the Prophetess who befriends Adam Ewing. Rafael dies by suicide, seemingly to escape the sexual abuse of the first mate, Mr. Boerhaave, and others; Rafael’s death haunts Adam in his nightmares long after.
Preacher Horrox
Preacher Horrox is a British missionary on a Pacific Island who shows the hypocrisy of many missionaries; though he claims to improve the lives of locals, he actually profits off slave labor.
William Wiley
William Wiley is the vice-CEO of Seaboard Power who schemes with Lloyd Hooks to have Grimaldi killed.
Hester Van Zandt
Hester Van Zandt is the leader of the anti-nuclear protesters on Swannekke Island.
Ursula
Ursula is a woman that Timothy Cavendish loved a long time ago. When he sees her again, she’s a grandmother with her own life, and for him, she represents a different life that he might have had.
Jackson Ewing
Jackson Ewing is the son of Adam Ewing who publishes his father’s journal (which Robert Frobisher later finds and reads).
Morty Dhondt
Morty Dhondt is a friend of Robert Frobisher’s who takes him on a drive to try to find the grave of his brother, Adrian Frobisher.
An-Kor Apis
An-Kor Apis is an important member of the Union who communicates with Hae-Joo and Sonmi remotely, giving them orders about where to go.
Ma Arak Na
Ma Arak Na is a member of the Union who helps hide Hae-Joo and Sonmi from the corpocracy.
Hal Brodie
Hal Brodie is Luisa Rey’s ex-boyfriend. Ever since they broke up, Judith Rey has been trying to set Luisa up with new men.
Mr. Wagstaff
Mr. Wagstaff is a racist white man who shows Adam Ewing around a British colony on a Pacific island that the Prophetess stops at on the way to Hawaii.
Verplancke
Verplancke is a man who visits Robert Frobisher shortly before Robert’s suicide and sees a preview of his most famous composition, the Cloud Atlas Sextet.