# Shearwater — Antic Hay character guide

> Shearwater in Antic Hay by Aldous Huxley.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Shearwater, Physiological Shearwater

**First appearance:** 0003-ii

## Snapshot

A physiologist who has arranged his life into tidy compartments of work and sex, until Mrs. Viveash laughs and the whole arrangement begins to leak.

## Who they are

Shearwater believes passion is nonsense that half an hour of willpower can shut out, and he has ordered his marriage and his research accordingly. But a violent bubbling from below has shattered his calm, and he finds himself sighing like a whale in the night over a woman who only thanked him for the compliment. His struggle to render unto Caesar, to God, to sex, and to work makes him the novel's most sympathetic case of a system failing.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/i)

Mentioned in Gumbril's daydream as a friend to whom he gives half a million for research.

### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/iv)

Present at the table, mostly silent and confused by the conversation, asking for clarification on the word 'beaver.'

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/v)

Admits he is not interested in people, focuses on kidneys and mathematical formulas, and finds his own lack of interest amusing.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/viii)

Referenced as one of the herds to which Gumbril belongs by honorary membership.

### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/xi)

Visits Gumbril unexpectedly, looking gloomy and confused. He speaks abstractly about life and people, then reveals his fascination with Mrs. Viveash, seeking Gumbril's insight into her character.

### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/xviii)

Shearwater tries to confess his affair to Rosie and propose a fresh start, but is rebuffed by her indifference, leaving him feeling helpless and tormented by memories of Mrs. Viveash.

### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/xxi)

Mentioned as the destination for the final ride—to his laboratory.

### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/chapters/xxii)

Pedals obsessively on a stationary bicycle in a physiological experiment, sweating profusely while trying to escape thoughts of Mrs. Viveash.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/characters/shearwater
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/antic_hay_se/characters