# Nicholas — Pastors and Masters character guide

> Nicholas in Pastors and Masters by Ivy Compton-Burnett.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Poor Nicholas

**First appearance:** 0000-i

## Snapshot

The schoolmaster who would rather be a real writer, kept aloft by his sister Emily's devotion and his own ten-minute-a-day attention to the school.

## Who they are

Nicholas Herrick founded the school but leaves its running to Mr. Merry, reserving his energies for the book he believes will prove him a writer. Emily sees through him utterly yet keeps him propped up, convinced he would crumble without her. His self-image as a kind of hero, and the question of whether the book justifies it, drives the novel's central comedy of misplaced faith.

## Relationships

### [Emily Herrick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters/emily_herrick)

_romantic_

Emily and Nicholas have a deeply intertwined relationship marked by romantic tension and emotional dependency.

### [Theresa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters/theresa)

_romantic_

Nicholas and Theresa have a romantic relationship, marked by emotional intensity and possible conflict.

### [Emily Herrick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters/emily_herrick)

_romantic_

Emily and Nicholas have a deeply intertwined relationship marked by romantic tension and emotional dependency.

### [Theresa](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters/theresa)

_romantic_

Nicholas and Theresa have a romantic relationship, marked by emotional intensity and possible conflict.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters/nicholas
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/pastors_and_masters_se/characters