# Launcelot Wake — Mr. Standfast character guide

> Launcelot Wake in Mr. Standfast by John Buchan.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Wake, Poor Launcelot

**First appearance:** 0004-part-i-ii-the-village-named-morality

## Snapshot

A principled conscientious objector and mountaineer whose pacifism is tested when he stumbles onto real treason and must decide what his convictions are worth.

## Who they are

Wake arrives in the story as a type Hannay distrusts: a clever, argumentative objector to the war, more at home on a rock face than in a mess. When he and Hannay find themselves hunting the same enemy in the Scottish hills, his politics do not soften, but his honesty and physical courage earn him a place in the confederacy. His refusal to abandon his beliefs while still doing the dangerous work makes him one of the book's most interesting moral cases.

## Relationships

### [Mary Lamington](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/characters/mary_lamington)

_romantic_

Launcelot is deeply in love with Mary, but his feelings are largely unrequited.

### [Abel Gresson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/characters/abel_gresson)

_rivalry_

Gresson and Wake are antagonists, with Wake suspicious of Gresson's true loyalties.

### [Moxon Ivery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/characters/moxon_ivery)

_rivalry_

Wake is deeply suspicious of Ivery and actively works to expose his treachery.

### [Mary Lamington](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/characters/mary_lamington)

_romantic_

Launcelot is deeply in love with Mary, but his feelings are largely unrequited.

### [Mary Lamington](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/characters/mary_lamington)

_romantic_

Launcelot is deeply in love with Mary, but his feelings are largely unrequited.

### [Abel Gresson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/characters/abel_gresson)

_rivalry_

Gresson and Wake are antagonists, with Wake suspicious of Gresson's true loyalties.

### [Moxon Ivery](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/characters/moxon_ivery)

_rivalry_

Wake is deeply suspicious of Ivery and actively works to expose his treachery.

### [Abel Gresson](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/characters/abel_gresson)

_rivalry_

Gresson and Wake are antagonists, with Wake suspicious of Gresson's true loyalties.

## In the story

### [The Wicket-Gate](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/chapters/part-i-i-the-wicket-gate)

Cousin of the Wymondhams, a sallow, restless young man with hot eyes, met at dinner.

### [The Village Named Morality](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/chapters/part-i-ii-the-village-named-morality)

Speaks at the Moot Hall debate on the Sukhomlinov trial; praises Hannay's speech and introduces him to Ivery.

### [The Reflections of a Cured Dyspeptic](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/chapters/part-i-iii-the-reflections-of-a-cured-dyspeptic)

Hannay mentions Wake as a fanatic who spoke at Biggleswick, potentially dangerous due to his uneasy conscience.

### [I Hear of the Wild Birds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/chapters/part-i-vii-i-hear-of-the-wild-birds)

Initially suspected of treason, Wake is revealed to be working against German agents. He climbs the tower to keep watch and assists Hannay.

### [XII: I Become a Combatant Once More](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/chapters/part-i-xii-i-become-a-combatant-once-more)

Encountered by Hannay as a noncombatant working in the Salient; he is a principled pacifist but shows courage.

### [St. Anton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/chapters/part-ii-xv-st-anton)

Hannay meets Wake in Dijon, where they reconcile and Wake reveals his inner turmoil and self-analysis.

### [XVII: The Col of the Swallows](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/chapters/part-ii-xvii-the-col-of-the-swallows)

Exhausted but resolute, Wake guides Hannay over the Col of the Swallows, revealing his mountaineering skill and deep concern for Mary's fate.

### [The Underground Railway](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/chapters/part-ii-xviii-the-underground-railway)

Summoned from Vicenza to assist; he pursues Mary after she leaves without him.

### [The Storm Breaks in the West](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/chapters/part-ii-xx-the-storm-breaks-in-the-west)

Accompanies Hannay to Amiens, wearing a private's uniform, ready to fight.

### [How an Exile Returned to His Own People](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/chapters/part-ii-xxi-how-an-exile-returned-to-his-own-people)

Joins Hannay's staff as an order carrier, agreeing not to fight but to help stem the German advance.

### [The Summons Comes for Mr. Standfast](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/chapters/part-ii-xxii-the-summons-comes-for-mr-standfast)

Wake is dead, killed in the previous day's fighting. Hannay reflects on his courage and transformation, calling him 'the Faithful among us pilgrims'.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/characters/launcelot_wake
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/mr_standfast_se/characters