MBTI Type: ISTP

Charlie took the job sailing up the river because it allowed him to live a life free of conventions and of “people telling me what to do.” He is far more realistic and pragmatic about their chances of survival, much less success, than Rosie – but still competently handles whatever the river throws at them, from swarms of mosquitoes to twisting, turning swamps. He is quick to leap into action, and competent in sailing the white water portions of the river. Whatever needs doing, he will do it. At first, his inferior Ni balks at the ridiculousness of Rosie’s notions, but the further along the adventure they are, the more he becomes convinced they might be able to accomplish it. Rosie automatically turns to him to “invent things.” Charlie innovates keeping the old boiler running. He figures out how to fix the broken steering section, create a way in the wilderness to weld on a new rudder, and invent torpedoes with the strange assortment of “cargo” he has stored on board. He genuinely cares what Rosie is thinking and feeling, and tries to make amends whenever they get into an argument. He abides by social conventions such as calling her “miss” and giving her space and privacy. He can also be a little manipulative, in his attempts to convince her not to sail upriver.

Enneagram: 9w1 sp/so

Charlie is unfailingly polite and even-tempered. He becomes so discomforted at Rosie’s prolonged silence and apparent disapproval for his drunkenness that he chides her for being “un-Christian” and mean to him, then forlornly goes to sit alone at the far end of the boat. Even though he thinks her scheme is absurd, he capitulates out of a desire to avoid her being upset with him. Then, the further they go, the more he starts merging with her opinions. He is idealistic and optimistic, somewhat irrationally at times convinced that they can make it out of this alive. On board the enemy ship, when challenged to defend himself, he routinely replies “Who cares?” to all assertions that he will hang unless he is honest with the tribunal. His 1 wing tries to be appropriate and amenable to her needs, feels uncomfortable with her anger and distressed if he thinks he has done something wrong.