# Mother — The Phoenix and the Carpet character guide

> Mother in The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0002-i-the-egg

## Snapshot

Pretty, loving, and almost always just when she understands things, she presides over 18 Camden Terrace with Sunday fowls, angel pudding, and a resigned expression.

## Who they are

Mother keeps the household running while Father writes, and her Sunday dinners and pretty sparkly shoes mark the safe, ordinary world the children keep vanishing from. She is kind but not always clever enough to know what is best, and Anthea's guilty secret about the carpet weighs heaviest against her trust. Her cheerful, distracted authority makes the children's double life both funnier and more tender.

## Relationships

### [Anthea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/anthea)

_family_

Anthea is the responsible eldest daughter who often assists her mother with household duties and caring for the younger siblings.

### [The Lamb](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/the_lamb)

_family_

Mother is the devoted parent of the Lamb, constantly attending to his needs and keeping him safe.

### [The Phoenix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/the_phoenix)

_social_

Mother is aware of the Phoenix but interacts with it only peripherally, treating it as a strange but harmless visitor.

### [Cyril](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/cyril)

_family_

Cyril respects his mother but often tests her patience with his adventurous and mischievous nature.

### [Father](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/father)

_family_

Father and Mother are a married couple who share a loving and practical partnership, with Father often away for work.

### [Robert](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/robert)

_family_

Mother loves Robert but often has to discipline him for his impulsive and sometimes reckless actions.

### [Anthea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/anthea)

_family_

Anthea is the responsible eldest daughter who often assists her mother with household duties and caring for the younger siblings.

### [The Lamb](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/the_lamb)

_family_

Mother is the devoted parent of the Lamb, constantly attending to his needs and keeping him safe.

### [Cyril](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/cyril)

_family_

Cyril respects his mother but often tests her patience with his adventurous and mischievous nature.

### [The Phoenix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/the_phoenix)

_social_

Mother is aware of the Phoenix but interacts with it only peripherally, treating it as a strange but harmless visitor.

### [Anthea](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/anthea)

_family_

Anthea is the responsible eldest daughter who often assists her mother with household duties and caring for the younger siblings.

### [The Phoenix](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/the_phoenix)

_social_

Mother is aware of the Phoenix but interacts with it only peripherally, treating it as a strange but harmless visitor.

## In the story

### [The Egg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/chapters/i-the-egg)

Goes to the theatre with father; unaware of the magical events.

### [IV: Two Bazaars](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/chapters/iv-two-bazaars)

Busy with letters and preparing for a trip to Bournemouth. Dismisses Anthea's story as a game.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters/mother
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_phoenix_and_the_carpet_se/characters