# Moses Woolson — The Autobiography of an Idea character guide

> Moses Woolson in The Autobiography of an Idea by Louis H. Sullivan.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Woolson

**First appearance:** 0009-ix-boston-the-english-high-school

## Snapshot

A Boston schoolmaster whose presence and method leave a mark on the young Sullivan, even as the boy drifts through trances no teacher can interpret.

## Who they are

Woolson belongs to the world of the English High School, one of the formative figures in Louis's Boston years, when the boy is regarded as a practical little fellow who likes to work even as a 'living mystic presence' enthralls him from within. The family sits 'without the pale,' the father chasing orators, the mother spiraling toward bodiless bliss, the grandmother quietly devout. Against that backdrop Woolson represents the discipline of the classroom — an influence Louis carries with him as he begins to suspect that what perturbs him lies far deeper than thought.

## Relationships

### [Louis Henri Sullivan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_autobiography_of_an_idea_se/characters/louis_henri_sullivan)

_social_

Moses Woolson is a teacher or mentor, providing intellectual and moral guidance.

## In the story

### [IX: Boston—The English High School](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_autobiography_of_an_idea_se/chapters/ix-boston-the-english-high-school)

The master teacher whose rigorous plan and inspiring lectures on literature, nature, and culture transform Louis into a focused, independent thinker.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_autobiography_of_an_idea_se/characters/moses_woolson
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_autobiography_of_an_idea_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_autobiography_of_an_idea_se/characters