# Miss Wilkinson — Of Human Bondage character guide

> Miss Wilkinson in Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Miss Wilkinson

**First appearance:** 0012-xiii

## Snapshot

A flirtatious governess with thinning charms and firm intentions, she introduces the adolescent Philip to desire and its disenchantments.

## Who they are

Miss Wilkinson arrives at the Blackstable vicarage as a woman of a certain age with a taste for younger men, and she sets her sights on Philip with a determination he mistakes for passion. She is neither beautiful nor kind, and Philip's affair with her teaches him that the overwhelming love he has read about can arrive as vanity, awkwardness, and regret. She is the first woman to show him what desire costs, and she lingers in his memory as a measure of how little he once understood.

## Relationships

### [Philip Carey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/characters/philip_carey)

_romantic_

An older woman who seduces the young Philip during his stay in Blackstable, marking his first sexual experience.

### [Philip Carey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/characters/philip_carey)

_romantic_

An older woman who seduces the young Philip during his stay in Blackstable, marking his first sexual experience.

### [Philip Carey](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/characters/philip_carey)

_romantic_

An older woman who seduces the young Philip during his stay in Blackstable, marking his first sexual experience.

## In the story

### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/chapters/xxxi)

Plans to visit Blackstable; Philip avoids traveling with her.

### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/chapters/xxxii)

A flirtatious governess who tells Philip about her life in Paris, including a romantic adventure and encounters with famous writers.

### [XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/chapters/xxxiii)

Flirts with Philip, teaches him singing, and eventually allows him to kiss her; she is leaving Blackstable soon.

### [XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/chapters/xxxiv)

Miss Wilkinson feigns a headache to stay home with Philip, then later resists but ultimately yields to his advances, expressing love and admiration.

### [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/chapters/xxxv)

Shows intense emotional dependence on Philip, crying at his detachment and making a scene before her departure.

### [XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/chapters/xxxvii)

Writes passionate, reproachful letters to Philip, threatening suicide and expressing her misery over his coldness.

### [XLIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/chapters/xliv)

Philip ignores her letters and decides to end their relationship, feeling guilt but moving on.

### [Chapter CX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/chapters/cx)

Mentioned as having married a widower; Philip asks about her to distract his uncle.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/characters/miss_wilkinson
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/of_human_bondage_se/characters