Daphne, who initially goes by her given name, Ermintrude, is the deuteragonist of the novel. A dynamic and round character, she is an important foil and partner to Mau. When she’s first introduced, she is a product of the rigid, class-conscious British Empire, raised by her grandmother to be a “proper lady” who “should never lift anything heavier than a parasol” (62). However, beneath this polished surface lies a sharp, inquisitive mind nurtured by her father and her clandestine visits to the Royal Society. Her journey involves shedding the restrictive, impractical identity of Ermintrude and embracing her resourceful, intelligent, and compassionate true self as Daphne. Her scientific worldview provides a critical counterpoint to Mau’s spiritual crisis, and their collaboration demonstrates how different forms of knowledge can combine to create something new and resilient.

Daphne’s core characteristic is her scientific intellect, which proves far more valuable than the social graces prioritized by her grandmother. Her most significant discovery is the truth behind the beer-making ritual. The revelation that the passage of time, not the sacred song, neutralizes the poison is a turning point that validates the scientific method. She applies this rational approach to everything, from using a medical manual to perform surgery to hypothesizing that the god cave’s myths are distorted records of advanced astronomical knowledge. She becomes a catalyst for the new Nation’s intellectual awakening by providing the tools and vocabulary for the islanders to re-examine their own history through a scientific lens.

While intelligent, Daphne is also compassionate and proves to be highly adaptable. Initially terrified of Mau, whom she sees as a “savage,” her empathy allows her to look past her cultural prejudices. She witnesses his gentle care for the dead and recognizes his humanity. Her pragmatism is a key element in The Subversion of Imperialism, as she inverts the trope of the helpless European lady and becomes an active, essential member of the Indigenous community. Though she brings tools and knowledge from her world, she also learns from the islanders, embracing their customs and contributing to the new society as an equal. Her transformation is complete when she rejects the chance to simply be “rescued” and instead negotiates a future for the Nation as a sovereign scientific entity, ensuring that it won’t be absorbed as just another colony.

Cox is the novel’s primary antagonist and is a static and flat character who is a personification of nihilistic evil. Unlike antagonists driven by motives like greed or power, Cox is motivated by a pure and malicious desire to cause suffering and chaos. He finds joy in destruction, whether it’s shooting a butterfly, tormenting Captain Roberts by mocking his faith, or murdering for sport. He is a corrupting force and a “contagious” evil that turns others, like Foxlip and Polegrave, into versions of himself. He represents the absolute antithesis of community by aiming to shatter the beliefs, hopes, and lives of others.

Cox’s villainy is amplified by his intelligence and his complete lack of empathy. He’s adept at psychological torment, skillfully identifying Captain Roberts’s deep religious faith as a vulnerability and systematically attacking it. He embodies the most destructive aspects of colonial arrogance, viewing the islanders and even his own crewmates as objects for his amusement. This dehumanizing worldview is ultimately his undoing. His racist underestimation of the Nation’s people leads him to dismiss their capabilities, and his ultimate death at Mau’s hands shows the futility of his malevolent philosophy.

Ataba is an elderly priest who serves as a foil to Mau. He represents the old world of faith and tradition that was washed away by the tsunami. As a survivor, he clings desperately to his belief in the gods and their rituals, seeing them as the only source of order in a chaotic world. His central conflict is with Mau, whose rational questioning he perceives as dangerous blasphemy. Pratchett portrays Ataba as a tragic, sympathetic figure whose faith is rooted in a genuine need for meaning and a desire to provide comfort to the other survivors. He believes that people need the “shell of comfortable lies” to protect them from the darkness of a meaningless existence (290). The revelations in the god cave terrify him because they threaten the very foundation of his identity and authority. His tragic death as he’s shot while defending his beliefs against the mutineers represents the violent end of the Nation’s old, unquestioning faith.

The brothers Pilu and Milo are key supporting characters who represent the heart and strength of the rebuilding community. Pilu is the storyteller, a cheerful and talkative young man whose greatest skill is his ability to shape narrative. He facilitates communication between Mau and Daphne, and his retelling of Mau’s fight with the shark transforms a moment of terror into a founding legend for the new Nation. He’s the voice of the community, articulating its fears, hopes, and decisions. Milo, his older brother, is his opposite, a man of few words but immense physical strength and loyalty. He is a protector and a builder, the first to physically defend Mau and the one who does much of the heavy labor. Together, they represent the essential components of a society, the storyteller who creates the culture and the quiet worker who builds its foundations.

The Grandfathers are the disembodied voices of the Nation’s most revered male ancestors. This collective entity functions as an antagonistic force, representing the oppressive and unthinking weight of tradition. Residing as echoes in Mau’s mind, they demand adherence to ancient rituals without providing reasons, and they constantly berate him for his failure to perform rites that have become impossible or meaningless. They are “echoes in a cave” (213), repeating the beliefs of their youth without awareness of the changed world. Their physical manifestation as a cave filled with thousands of crumbling skeletons is literally swept away into dust, marking the necessary destruction of old, rigid dogma to make way for new thought.

In direct contrast to the Grandfathers, the Grandmothers are a collective mentor figure, representing a hidden and pragmatic female wisdom. They are the voices of the women who gave birth to the Grandfathers, who taught them and nurtured them. Unlike the male ancestors, who are preoccupied with glory and war, the Grandmothers’ wisdom is rooted in life, community, and empathy. They communicate with Daphne and encourage her to help Mau “roll away the stone” and break free from the past (207). They represent a more holistic, life-affirming worldview that counters the destructive, patriarchal traditions of the Grandfathers.

Daphne’s grandmother, referred to as “Her Ladyship,” is a minor antagonist who embodies the peak of British imperial and class-based arrogance. She is a caricature of the “civilized” world’s ignorance and is fixated on “Maintaining Standards,” social hierarchy, and outward appearances. Her worldview is so rigid that she’s utterly impractical and unable to adapt. She is horrified by Daphne “Going Native” and sees the islanders as “unclean savages.” She’s a foil to Daphne, representing the stifling, bigoted cultural conditioning that Daphne must overcome to find her true purpose and strength.

Foxlip and Polegrave are minor antagonists and cronies of First Mate Cox. They’re brutish, greedy, and unintelligent, representing the violent and exploitative foot soldiers of imperialism. Daphne likens their obedience to the malevolent Cox to “remora fish” that “swim with the sharks” because “they like to think they are sharks” (274). Their cruelty is casual, and they’re motivated by a simple desire for plunder and self-preservation. Polegrave is cowardly and superstitious, while Foxlip is a swaggering bully. Both are easily manipulated by Daphne because, like Cox, their colonialist mindset makes them underestimate her and the islanders, leading directly to their unceremonious and well-deserved fates.