# St. John Hirst — The Voyage Out character guide > St. John Hirst in The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Hirst, St., St. John Alaric Hirst, St. John Hirst, Poor old Hirst **First appearance:** 0001-ii ## Snapshot Hewet's caustic, Cambridge-bred friend, forever proving God does not exist and finding every anticipated pleasure a disappointment before it arrives. ## Who they are St. John Hirst argues politics with the men, needles Helen with complaints, and treats the South American expedition as a holiday that stubbornly refuses to become one. He is impatient with Hewet and Rachel's silent self-absorption, half-annoyed to find them in love, and half-envious of any feeling strong enough to occupy a person. His restless, sardonic intelligence gives the novel's social scenes their edge and quietly measures how little the cleverest talk can do against real experience. ## Relationships ### [Rachel Vinrace](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/characters/rachel_vinrace) _friendship_ They engage in intellectual debates and a somewhat prickly but formative friendship, with Hirst acting as a cynical mentor. ### [Helen Ambrose](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/characters/helen_ambrose) _friendship_ Helen and Hirst share a witty, intellectual camaraderie, often discussing Rachel and the other passengers. ### [Terence Hewet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/characters/terence_hewet) _friendship_ They are close friends and intellectual companions, often debating literature and philosophy. ### [Helen Ambrose](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/characters/helen_ambrose) _friendship_ Helen and Hirst share a witty, intellectual camaraderie, often discussing Rachel and the other passengers. ### [Rachel Vinrace](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/characters/rachel_vinrace) _friendship_ They engage in intellectual debates and a somewhat prickly but formative friendship, with Hirst acting as a cynical mentor. ### [Helen Ambrose](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/characters/helen_ambrose) _friendship_ Helen and Hirst share a witty, intellectual camaraderie, often discussing Rachel and the other passengers. ### [Terence Hewet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/characters/terence_hewet) _friendship_ They are close friends and intellectual companions, often debating literature and philosophy. ### [Rachel Vinrace](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/characters/rachel_vinrace) _friendship_ They engage in intellectual debates and a somewhat prickly but formative friendship, with Hirst acting as a cynical mentor. ### [Terence Hewet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/characters/terence_hewet) _friendship_ They are close friends and intellectual companions, often debating literature and philosophy. ## In the story ### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/x) Mentioned as Hewet's friend, he is described as ugly and limited, peeling a banana during the picnic. ### [Chapter XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xii) Questions Rachel's intellect and education, asserting male superiority; leaves abruptly after failing to connect. ### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xiii) Sends Rachel a note with the first volume of Gibbon and mentions sending Wedekind. ### [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xv) Reveals his bitterness, envy, and insecurity to Helen; discusses his future and his admiration for Bennett. ### [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xvi) Mentioned briefly by Hewet as someone who sees circles of chalk between people's feet, contrasting with Hewet's own confusion. ### [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xvii) Hirst reads Sappho's Ode to Aphrodite during the service and scribbles on an envelope. He and Rachel have become good friends, and he reads his play aloud to her. ### [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xviii) Hirst is mentioned as a rival; Hewet fears Rachel may be in love with him and recalls Hirst's taunting words. ### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xx) Sits with Helen, comments on the heat, and shows a detached, intellectual demeanor. ### [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xxi) Feels depressed and annoyed by the expedition's lack of excitement; confides in Helen about his restless night and his poem proving God's non-existence. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xxii) Mentioned as a friend; Terence admires his mind like a torpedo, but Rachel pities him as outside the warm globe of love. ### [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xxiii) Visits Helen to escape Evelyn Murgatroyd; reflects on his own unhappiness and later awkwardly expresses approval of the engagement. ### [Chapter XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xxv) St. John attempts to maintain normalcy by making conversation during meals, but the strain of the situation is evident. ### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/chapters/xxvii) Arrives after the storm, pale and unshorn, overcome by grief from the recent tragedy; finds solace in the warmth and voices of the group. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/characters/st_john_hirst - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_voyage_out_se/characters