Island of the Blue Dolphins

by

Scott O’Dell

Captain Orlov Character Analysis

Captain Orlov is the Russian captain of the Aleut ship. He’s blond and tall with a beard, and Karana observes that, from the moment he arrives, he acts as though he owns the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Chief Chowig suspects right away that Captain Orlov isn’t going to play fair—he’s only barely willing to agree to pay the tribe for the otter pelts he’s going to collect. Ultimately, Chief Chowig turns out to be correct in this assessment. Captain Orlov leaves the island after leading the Aleut hunters in slaughtering most of the men from the tribe, and he leaves only a single chest of beads and jewelry, rather than the three chests of beads and weapons he promised.

Captain Orlov Quotes in Island of the Blue Dolphins

The Island of the Blue Dolphins quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Orlov or refer to Captain Orlov. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Natural World Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Behind in the boat stood a tall man with a yellow beard. I had never seen a Russian before, but my father had told me about them, and I wondered, seeing the way he stood with his feet set apart and his fists on his hips and looked at the little harbor as though it already belonged to him, if he were one of those men from the north whom our people feared. I was certain of it when the boat slid into the shore and he jumped out, shouting as he did so.

Related Characters: Karana (speaker), Karana’s Father/Chief Chowig, Captain Orlov
Page Number: 4
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

“The Aleuts come from a country far to the north,” he said. “Their ways are not ours nor is their language. They have come to take otter and to give us our share in many goods which they have and which we can use. In this way we shall profit. But we shall not profit if we try to befriend them. They are people who do not understand friendship.”

Related Characters: Karana’s Father/Chief Chowig (speaker), Karana, Captain Orlov
Page Number: 9-10
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

Many of our tribe went to the cliff each night to count the number killed during the day. They counted the dead otter and thought of the beads and other things that each pelt meant. But I never went to the cove and whenever I saw the hunters with their long spears skimming over the water, I was angry, for these animals were my friends. It was fun to see them playing or sunning themselves among the kelp. It was more fun than the thought of beads to wear around my neck.

Related Characters: Karana (speaker), Captain Orlov
Page Number: 15
Explanation and Analysis:
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Captain Orlov Quotes in Island of the Blue Dolphins

The Island of the Blue Dolphins quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Orlov or refer to Captain Orlov. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The Natural World Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

Behind in the boat stood a tall man with a yellow beard. I had never seen a Russian before, but my father had told me about them, and I wondered, seeing the way he stood with his feet set apart and his fists on his hips and looked at the little harbor as though it already belonged to him, if he were one of those men from the north whom our people feared. I was certain of it when the boat slid into the shore and he jumped out, shouting as he did so.

Related Characters: Karana (speaker), Karana’s Father/Chief Chowig, Captain Orlov
Page Number: 4
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

“The Aleuts come from a country far to the north,” he said. “Their ways are not ours nor is their language. They have come to take otter and to give us our share in many goods which they have and which we can use. In this way we shall profit. But we shall not profit if we try to befriend them. They are people who do not understand friendship.”

Related Characters: Karana’s Father/Chief Chowig (speaker), Karana, Captain Orlov
Page Number: 9-10
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

Many of our tribe went to the cliff each night to count the number killed during the day. They counted the dead otter and thought of the beads and other things that each pelt meant. But I never went to the cove and whenever I saw the hunters with their long spears skimming over the water, I was angry, for these animals were my friends. It was fun to see them playing or sunning themselves among the kelp. It was more fun than the thought of beads to wear around my neck.

Related Characters: Karana (speaker), Captain Orlov
Page Number: 15
Explanation and Analysis: