Captain Molyneux Character Analysis in Cloud Atlas

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 ship after seeing Autua’s prowess as a seaman. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, Molyneux mostly cares about money, as demonstrated by his willingness to ferry goods made with slave labor.

Captain Molyneux Character Timeline in Cloud Atlas

The timeline below shows where the character Captain Molyneux appears in Cloud Atlas. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Tuesday, 12th November— Captain Molyneux , the captain of Adam Ewing’s ship, comes to look at the progress of the... (full context)

Friday, 15th November—Many sailors are superstitious and don’t like working on Fridays, but Captain Molyneux puts them to work. Adam Ewing and Henry stay out of the way. Afternoon—A Swedish... (full context)

...he has just appeared and that he hasn’t spoken to Adam before. Adam goes to Captain Molyneux and says he just found a stowaway who claims to be an able seaman. Mr.... (full context)

...land for the first time in many weeks, arriving at a Polynesian island called Raiatea. Captain Molyneux invites Henry Goose and Adam to come ashore to a settlement called Nazareth, in Bethlehem... (full context)

...island because a smallpox plague caused the local Polynesian people to look for spiritual comfort. Captain Molyneux asks how the preacher manages to fund his mission. Preacher Horrox replies that enslaved Black... (full context)

...old widow at Preacher Horrox’s house. Horrox has agreed to a new business venture with Captain Molyneux . At dinner, Horrox gives a speech about “Civilization’s Ladder,” which suggests that there is... (full context)

...heard that Boerhaave raped Rafael, not just on Christmas but frequently. Friday, 27th December—Adam confronts Captain Molyneux , suggesting that Boerhaave and others sexually abused Rafael and he took his own life... (full context)

...New Year’s, Adam Ewing’s condition becomes so severe that he can’t hide his condition from Captain Molyneux anymore. Henry tells the captain and Boerhaave that Adam’s parasite is contagious, so they’ll stay... (full context)

...saved his life, making the two men equal. Later, Adam receives some of his things— Captain Molyneux sent them. Henry apparently escaped and fled somewhere in Honolulu. It’s Adam’s 34th birthday. (full context)