# Guest — News from Nowhere character guide > Guest in News from Nowhere by William Morris. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Unknown, I, mine, myself **First appearance:** 0000-i-discussion-and-bed ## Snapshot A displaced time-traveler wandering utopian London, he trades sharp questions with a society that has forgotten its own past. ## Who they are He arrives in a transformed London where no one quite knows what to make of him, and his foreignness becomes the engine of the book's inquiry. Ellen draws him out, sensing he can explain what her neighbors cannot, and he feels the sting of being useful only as a relic. His growing attachment to Ellen and his unease about where it leads give the middle chapters their quiet emotional pull. ## In the story ### [Discussion and Bed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/i-discussion-and-bed) The protagonist who attends the League discussion, travels home by underground railway, and experiences a restless night before awakening to adventures. ### [II: A Morning Bath](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/ii-a-morning-bath) The narrator awakens disoriented, goes for a swim, and is bewildered by the transformed landscape. ### [The Guest House and the Breakfast Therein](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/iii-the-guest-house-and-the-breakfast-therein) The narrator, who calls himself Guest, is amazed by the architecture and the people, and shares memories of Epping Forest. ### [IV: A Market by the Way](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/iv-a-market-by-the-way) The narrator observes the transformed Hammersmith market, marvels at the architecture and the joyful people, and expresses confusion about the lack of poor people. ### [Children on the Road](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/v-children-on-the-road) The Guest is perplexed by the lack of formal education and tries to explain 'school' and 'education' to Dick, revealing his old-world assumptions. ### [VI: A Little Shopping](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/vi-a-little-shopping) Feels self-conscious about his rough blue clothes and attempts to buy new ones, but is gently dissuaded by Dick. He acquires tobacco and an ornate pipe from a young shopkeeper. ### [VII: Trafalgar Square](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/vii-trafalgar-square) The narrator observes the road-mending gang and reflects on past violence in Trafalgar Square. ### [An Old Friend](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/viii-an-old-friend) The narrator observes the changes in London and feels out of place in his old clothes. ### [IX: Concerning Love](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/ix-concerning-love) The narrator accompanies Dick to visit Old Hammond and listens to his discourse on love. ### [X: Question and Answers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/x-question-and-answers) The Guest asks probing questions about the fate of manufacturing districts, towns, villages, and London, and reflects on the contrast between past and present. ### [XI: Concerning Government](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xi-concerning-government) The narrator asks probing questions about the nature of government in the old society and how the new society manages without one. ### [XII: Concerning the Arrangement of Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xii-concerning-the-arrangement-of-life) The Guest questions Old Hammond about the absence of law and the handling of crime in the new society. ### [XIII: Concerning Politics](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xiii-concerning-politics) The Guest asks about politics in the new society. ### [XIV: How Matters Are Managed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xiv-how-matters-are-managed) The Guest questions Hammond about how society manages collective decisions and political differences, expressing concerns about majority tyranny and the loss of national variety. ### [XV: On the Lack of Incentive to Labour in a Communist Society](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xv-on-the-lack-of-incentive-to-labour-in-a-communist-society) The narrator asks probing questions about the incentive to work in a communist society, showing his curiosity and gradual understanding of the new order. ### [XVI: Dinner in the Hall of the Bloomsbury Market](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xvi-dinner-in-the-hall-of-the-bloomsbury-market) The narrator observes the beauty of the hall and the art, participates in the dinner, and reflects on the differences between his past world and the present. ### [How the Change Came](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xvii-how-the-change-came) Listens and asks clarifying questions about the historical process described by Old Hammond. ### [XVIII: The Beginning of the New Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xviii-the-beginning-of-the-new-life) The Guest listens to Old Hammond's account of the post-revolutionary period and asks questions about the transition to the new society. ### [XIX: The Drive Back to Hammersmith](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xix-the-drive-back-to-hammersmith) Feeling like a being from another planet, troubled by visions of his past life and anxious about returning. ### [The Hammersmith Guesthouse Again](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xx-the-hammersmith-guesthouse-again) Returns to Hammersmith, enjoys the evening, and reflects on his experience. ### [XXI: Going Up the River](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xxi-going-up-the-river) Wakes early, dresses in handsome blue clothes, enjoys breakfast with Annie, and embarks on the river journey with Dick and Clara. ### [XXII: Hampton Court and a Praiser of Past Times](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xxii-hampton-court-and-a-praiser-of-past-times) The narrator enjoys the river journey and the beauty of Hampton Court, and is deeply impressed by Ellen's passionate defense of the present age. ### [XXIII: An Early Morning by the Runnymede](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xxiii-an-early-morning-by-the-runnymede) The narrator wakes early, wanders to the riverside and hayfield, and engages in a heated debate with the old man about the past versus present, feeling both moved and uneasy. ### [XXIV: Up the Thames: The Second Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xxiv-up-the-thames-the-second-day) The narrator observes the journey and interacts with the characters, reflecting on the changes in society. ### [XXV: The Third Day on the Thames](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xxv-the-third-day-on-the-thames) Reflects on the changes in society and nature, observing the abundance of birds and the villagers' knowledge of the countryside. ### [XXVI: The Obstinate Refusers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xxvi-the-obstinate-refusers) Observes and questions the builders' refusal to join the haymaking, drawing a comparison to Dickens's time. ### [XXVII: The Upper Waters](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xxvii-the-upper-waters) The narrator reflects on the historical changes in work and society, and feels a pang of jealousy when Ellen and Dick are close. ### [XXVIII: The Little River](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xxviii-the-little-river) Feels young again and confesses his past to Ellen, revealing he is from the old world. ### [A Resting-Place on the Upper Thames](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xxix-a-resting-place-on-the-upper-thames) The narrator observes the landscape and engages in a deep conversation with Ellen about art and inequality. ### [The Journey's End](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xxx-the-journey-s-end) The narrator reflects on the river's history and his own feelings, and is welcomed by the community at journey's end. ### [XXXI: An Old House Amongst New Folk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xxxi-an-old-house-amongst-new-folk) Accompanies Ellen to the old house, falls into a reflective dream about the past, and is gently admonished by Ellen. ### [The Feast's Beginning … The End](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/chapters/xxxii-the-feast-s-beginning-the-end) The narrator reflects on the beauty of the feast and the philosophy of the new world, feeling both wonder and unease. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/characters/narrator_guest - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/news_from_nowhere_se/characters