Jenny Brown
A young American woman traveling in the company of her fiancée David, Jenny is a character that yearns for freedom. On the ship she comes to the realization that David has a suffocating influence on her, making her life and her art devoid of color. The rest of the traveler, specifically those of German descent, look upon her with contempt as a promiscuous and mindless American girl.
David Scott
David is a young American painter who finds himself traveling in the company of his fiancée Jenny. David is a gloomy character trapped in his idea of himself and contempt for everyone who dare to express themselves freely. He is the opposite of Jenny, and their life on the ship is filled with arguments and reconciliations, their relationship filled with love and hate.
Mary Treadwell
Mary is a forty-six-year-old American woman who recently divorced and is frightened with the idea of age, she finds herself too old to live freely and too young to die. She sticks to herself, unaffected by the events on the ship, neutral in her political and moral opinions. Her depression reaches its climax at the end, when she violently beats up Denny, finally letting her frustration out.
Frau Professor Hutten
Frau Professor Hutten sees herself as the ideal German wife. She does everything to keep up her husband's good appearances, never contradict him, never speak unless it's to agree with him. She also does all the work for her husband professionally, while he enjoys the respected reputation. Her character culminates when she finally expresses her opinion which isn't in correlation with her husband's, which leaves her frightened and makes her decide to not do anything else, but be an extension of him.
Herr Willibald Graf
A dying old religious man, Herr Graf believes to possess the power of healing, given to him in his illness. He refuses to give any money to his nephew Johann, wanting to protect him from the vices of the world. Johann, in turn, grows more furious at him by the day which culminates in him attempting to kill his uncle for money.
Herr Wilhelm Freytag
Herr Wilhelm Freytag is a handsome German man who fell desperately in love with a noble Jewish girl and decided to Mary her. He spends his entire journey sulking about their fate, questioning his decision to marry her and suffer from the contempt of the other German passengers.
Elsa Lutz
Elsa is a young Swiss girl who is stuck between wanting to be loved and find love, and her mother who smothers her with guilt and wanting to decide everything for her. One of the most tragic characters, Elsa is unable to break free from her mother's clutches and dance with the boy she loves, out of fear and guilt embedded into her mind.
