The Beach Character Analysis

Richard

Richard is the narrator and protagonist of the novel, and English man in his 20s who is traveling around Asia. Richard is obsessed with trying to find the most authentic places to travel to, and… read analysis of Richard

The Scottish Man/Daffy Duck

Daffy Duck is the code name for one of the founders of a secret beach community on an isolated island in Thailand, along with Bugs and Sal. He encounters Richard at a guest house… read analysis of The Scottish Man/Daffy Duck

Sal

Sal, a nickname for “Sylvester” is the de facto leader of the beach camp. She is in a relationship with Bugs, and she takes a liking to Richard shortly after he arrives at the… read analysis of Sal

Françoise

Françoise is a young French woman in a relationship with Étienne, who meets Richard in Bangkok and joins him in finding the beach. Richard loves Françoise and thinks that she kissed him while he… read analysis of Françoise

Étienne

Étienne is a young French man in a relationship with Françoise. The couple meets Richard in Bangkok and joins him in finding the beach. Initially, Étienne is one of Richard’s closest friends, but after… read analysis of Étienne

Keaty

Keaty is a friend of Richard’s at the beach who owns a Game Boy and who works on the gardening duty. His transfer from gardening to fishing upsets the fragile balance of life on… read analysis of Keaty

Bugs

Bugs is a member of the beach camp who is influential because he’s in a relationship with the de facto camp leader, Sal. Richard finds Bugs annoying and arrogant, and he finds other camp… read analysis of Bugs

Zeph

Zeph and his friend Sammy are American traveler Richard meets up with while searching for the beach. Though Zeph and Sammy pretend to be clueless surfers, they are in fact Harvard graduates. Richard gives them… read analysis of Zeph

Sammy

Sammy and his friend Zeph are two Americans Richard meets up with while searching for the beach. They pretend to be clueless surfers but are in fact Harvard graduates. Richard gives them a copy of… read analysis of Sammy

Jed

Jed is an English resident of the beach whom Richard is skeptical of at first but who ultimately becomes one of Richard’s closest friends. He and Jed go on “missions” together, including spying on the… read analysis of Jed

Karl

Carl is one of the three Swedish men at the beach camp. After the three Swedish men are attacked by a shark, Karl is the only one to survive—but the experience drives him mad, and… read analysis of Karl

Minor Characters

Christo

Christo is one of the three Swedish men at the beach camp. He is mortally wounded in a shark attack, but it is ultimately Richard who kills him by suffocation, so that Jed will be able to escape the camp, instead of watching over Christo.

Cassie

Cassie is an English beach resident in a relationship with Jesse. Like Richard, she dislikes Bugs.

Jesse

Jesse is a beach resident from New Zealand who is in a relationship with Cassie.

The Yugoslavian Girls

The Yugoslavian girls are two young women who work with Moshe on the fishing detail. Richard never learns their names.

Moshe

Moshe is an Israeli camp member who works with the Yugoslavian girls on the fishing detail.

Sten

Sten is one of the three Swedish men at the beach camp. He dies in a shark attack, and his funeral temporarily unites the camp’s different factions.

Unhygienix

Unhygienix is an Italian beach member who oversees cooking and who sometimes plays Game Boy with Richard and Keaty.

Gregorio

Gregorio is a Spanish camp member who works with Richard on the fishing detail.

Heroin Hippie

The “heroin hippie” is a man who speaks rarely and who initially points Richard to the guest house in Bangkok where he stays.

Jean

Jean is a French camp member and a member of the gardening detail.

Ella

Ella is a camp member who works on the kitchen detail with Unhygienix.

The Beach Characters