# The Angel — The Wonderful Visit character guide > The Angel in The Wonderful Visit by H. G. Wells. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Angel, Mr. Angel, Delia, little Delia, Sandy Bright, the Strange Bird **First appearance:** 0002-i-the-night-of-the-strange-bird ## Snapshot A winged visitor from a painless Angelic Land, he falls into Siddermorton and cannot stop asking why every living thing here hurts every other. ## Who they are Stripped of halo and glory, dressed in the Vicar's cast-off coat and trousers, the Angel wanders the parish as a hunchbacked stranger whose innocence reads as lunacy to nearly everyone he meets. His music, played at Lady Hammergallow's party and overheard by a servant girl in a gable, carries a sorrow he does not yet have words for. He matters because his naive questions about pain, work, and cruelty expose the ordinary world to itself, and because his presence splits the village into those who shelter him and those who want him gone. ## Relationships ### [The Vicar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_vicar) _friendship_ The Vicar is fascinated by the Angel and tries to protect and understand him, forming a bond of wonder and mutual curiosity. ### [Mrs. Mendham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/mrs_mendham) _rivalry_ Mrs. Mendham is suspicious and hostile toward the Angel, viewing him as a disruptive and improper presence in the village. ### [Doctor Crump](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/doctor_crump) _professional_ Doctor Crump treats the Angel as a medical curiosity, applying his scientific skepticism to explain the Angel's nature. ### [Sir John Gotch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/sir_john_gotch) _rivalry_ Sir John Gotch is a practical, worldly landowner who dismisses the Angel as a nuisance and a threat to social order. ### [Lady Hammergallow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/lady_hammergallow) _rivalry_ Lady Hammergallow is a haughty aristocrat who finds the Angel vulgar and disruptive to village propriety. ### [Mr. Rathbone Slater](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/mr_rathbone_slater) _psychological_ Mr. Rathbone Slater is a cynical artist who manipulates the Angel for his own amusement and artistic inspiration. ### [The Curate from Iping Hanger](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_curate_from_iping_hanger) _social_ The Angel and the Curate have brief, awkward encounters, with the Curate unable to comprehend the Angel's otherworldliness. ### [Mother Gustick](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/mother_gustick) _social_ Mother Gustick is a poor, superstitious villager who fears the Angel as a supernatural omen. ### [Mr. Wilmerdings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/mr_wilmerdings) _social_ Mr. Wilmerdings is a curious but timid villager who observes the Angel with nervous fascination. ### [The Vicar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_vicar) _friendship_ The Vicar is fascinated by the Angel and tries to protect and understand him, forming a bond of wonder and mutual curiosity. ### [Mrs. Mendham](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/mrs_mendham) _rivalry_ Mrs. Mendham is suspicious and hostile toward the Angel, viewing him as a disruptive and improper presence in the village. ### [The Vicar](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_vicar) _friendship_ The Vicar is fascinated by the Angel and tries to protect and understand him, forming a bond of wonder and mutual curiosity. ## In the story ### [The Wonderful Visit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/the-wonderful-visit) The mysterious visitor who appears in the village, sparking curiosity and confusion. ### [II: The Coming of the Strange Bird](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/ii-the-coming-of-the-strange-bird) First appears as the 'Strange Bird' witnessed by Sandy Bright, the solicitor's clerk, and the ploughman; described with vast wings, iridescent colors, and pink legs. ### [V: The Hunting of the Strange Bird (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/v-the-hunting-of-the-strange-bird-continued) Shot by the Vicar, the Angel experiences physical pain and realizes he is in the Land of Dreams. ### [VI: The Vicar and the Angel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/vi-the-vicar-and-the-angel) Shot by the Vicar, experiences pain for the first time, and engages in a metaphysical debate about dreams and reality. ### [VII: The Vicar and the Angel (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/vii-the-vicar-and-the-angel-continued) Describes his home world to the Vicar, a land of beauty and law without pain or death. ### [VIII: The Vicar and the Angel (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/viii-the-vicar-and-the-angel-continued) Feels hunger and a vacuous sensation for the first time; learns about eating, pain, and death; walks with the Vicar to the Vicarage. ### [IX: Parenthesis on Angels](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/ix-parenthesis-on-angels) Identified as the Angel of Art, from Italian tradition, polychromatic and gay, not the domestic Teutonic angel or Hebrew spirits. ### [X: At the Vicarage](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/x-at-the-vicarage) Arrives at the vicarage with the Vicar, wearing a saffron garment that barely reaches the knees; displays innocent curiosity about a sunshade and experiences pain from a briar prick. ### [XI: At the Vicarage (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xi-at-the-vicarage-continued) Amused and puzzled by the Vicar's request to wear clothes, but agrees to try them on. ### [XII: At the Vicarage (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xii-at-the-vicarage-continued) Dressed in the Vicar's clothes, he finds earthly customs grotesque yet delightful, and is horrified by the Vicar's killing of a kingfisher. ### [XIII: The Man of Science](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xiii-the-man-of-science) Submits to Doctor Crump's examination, is amused by the Doctor's clinical attitude, and reflects that the Doctor thinks he is a man. ### [XVI: The Curate (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xvi-the-curate-continued) Pensively observes the church and tombstones; calmly insists he is an angel despite Mendham's disbelief; expresses confusion at human reactions. ### [XVII: The Curate (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xvii-the-curate-continued) The Angel grapples with the Vicar's suggestion to feign humanity and considers the possibility of becoming a man. ### [XVIII: After Dinner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xviii-after-dinner) Struggles with human customs like eating with utensils, asks about Delia and the nature of human life. ### [XVIII: After Dinner](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xviii-after-dinner) The waiting maid who serves dinner; the Angel notices her appearance and asks if she is a lady. ### [XIX: After Dinner (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xix-after-dinner-continued) Dines with the Vicar, yawns for the first time, and shows ignorance of earthly objects like beds, candles, fire, and soap. ### [XX: After Dinner (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xx-after-dinner-continued) Described as a hunchback with a bright colored face, long brown hair, and a simpering smile; the Vicar claims it is an angel. ### [XXI: After Dinner (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxi-after-dinner-continued) Dreams of his heavenly world, sleeping peacefully after being transformed into a man. ### [Morning](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxii-morning) The Angel is puzzled by the sight of a ploughman working and questions the fairness of the social system. ### [XXIII: The Violin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxiii-the-violin) Discovers the violin and plays with extraordinary skill, transporting the Vicar into a vision of beauty. ### [XXIV: The Angel Explores the Village](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxiv-the-angel-explores-the-village) Explores the village alone, experiences verbal abuse from Mrs. Gustick, and feels a new painful sensation. ### [XXV: The Angel Explores the Village (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxv-the-angel-explores-the-village-continued) Becomes self-conscious under the silent stare of the villagers, stumbles, and is mocked after passing. ### [XXVI: The Angel Explores the Village (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxvi-the-angel-explores-the-village-continued) Explores the village, encounters a drunken tinker, and is puzzled by human behavior. ### [XXVII: The Angel Explores the Village (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxvii-the-angel-explores-the-village-continued) Explores the churchyard, reads tombstones, and is confused and hurt by the schoolboys' mockery and pelting. ### [XXVIII: Lady Hammergallow's View](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxviii-lady-hammergallow-s-view) Mentioned as the subject of Lady Hammergallow's investigation; nearly run over by her carriage and described as having a pretty face. ### [XXIX: Further Adventures of the Angel in the Village](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxix-further-adventures-of-the-angel-in-the-village) Lunches with Doctor Crump, describes his fall from a symphony with Griffins and Fiery Cherubim, and laughs at human depictions of angels. ### [XXX: Further Adventures of the Angel in the Village (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxx-further-adventures-of-the-angel-in-the-village-continued) Meets the Philosophical Tramp and listens to his critique of village life and social injustice. ### [XXXI: Mrs. Jehoram's Breadth of View](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxxi-mrs-jehoram-s-breadth-of-view) Observed from a distance by the two women; now dressed respectably but looking cross and dusty. ### [XXXII: A Trivial Incident](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxxii-a-trivial-incident) Moved by Delia's beauty and warmth, he compliments her eyes, then becomes perplexed by her reaction. ### [The Warp and the Woof of Things](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxxiii-the-warp-and-the-woof-of-things) Describes his day's adventures, noting the human readiness to inflict pain and his encounters with stinging nettles, thistles, sweet briar, fire, and a hostile dog. ### [The Angel's Debut](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxxiv-the-angel-s-debut) Makes his social debut, struggles with etiquette and musical notation, and inadvertently offends Lady Hammergallow. ### [XXXV: The Angel’s Debut (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxxv-the-angel-s-debut-continued) Engages in a private, emotionally charged conversation with Mrs. Jehoram, revealing his naive trust and his attachment to Delia. ### [XXXVI: The Angel’s Debut (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxxvi-the-angel-s-debut-continued) Dances forward to take the tea-tray from the parlourmaid, misapplying the Vicar's lessons on gentlemanly conduct. ### [XXXVII: The Angel’s Debut (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxxvii-the-angel-s-debut-continued) Makes a disastrous social debut, fumbling with tea, playing poorly, and confessing love for the Vicar's housemaid. ### [XXXVIII: The Trouble of the Barbed Wire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxxviii-the-trouble-of-the-barbed-wire) Returns from the failed social appearance, confesses to cutting barbed wire in a fit of passion after seeing a child hurt, and reflects on becoming tainted by earthly wickedness. ### [XXXVIII: The Trouble of the Barbed Wire](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxxviii-the-trouble-of-the-barbed-wire) Briefly appears in the hall as the Angel cross-examines her about differences between servants and ladies. ### [XXXIX: The Trouble of the Barbed Wire (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xxxix-the-trouble-of-the-barbed-wire-continued) Feels depressed and puzzled by the world's hostility; plays a violin melody expressing human sorrow and defiance. ### [XL: Delia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xl-delia) Plays the violin, stirring Delia's emotions; she imagines his face and his solitude. ### [XL: Delia](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xl-delia) A servant girl with refined feelings; she weeps while listening to the Angel's music. ### [XLI: Doctor Crump Acts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xli-doctor-crump-acts) Confronted by Doctor Crump, the Angel expresses fear of human society and reluctance to leave Delia. ### [XLII: Sir John Gotch Acts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xlii-sir-john-gotch-acts) Referenced as the cause of the conflict; his actions (wire-cutting, socialist talk) are the subject of the confrontation. ### [XLIII: The Sea Cliff](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xliii-the-sea-cliff) Lies on the cliff, weeping over his crippled wings and longing for his home; thinks of Delia. ### [XLIV: Mrs. Hinijer Acts](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xliv-mrs-hinijer-acts) Discussed as the subject of Mrs. Hinijer's complaints; his behavior is criticized. ### [XLV: The Angel in Trouble](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xlv-the-angel-in-trouble) Sits in dejected silence, accepts the decision to leave, and expresses gratitude for the Vicar's care. ### [XLVI: The Angel in Trouble (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xlvi-the-angel-in-trouble-continued) Attempts to fly but fails, sobbing in despair; reveals his inability to use his wings to Delia. ### [The Last Day of the Visit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xlvii-the-last-day-of-the-visit) Goes out to the moor after breakfast and does not return for lunch, tea, or dinner. ### [XLVIII: The Last Day of the Visit (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xlviii-the-last-day-of-the-visit-continued) Overcome by wrath, beats Sir John Gotch unconscious, then is horrified by the violence and flees. ### [XLIX: The Last Day of the Visit (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/xlix-the-last-day-of-the-visit-continued) Mentioned as having struck Sir John Gotch with a whip and walked away. ### [L: The Last Day of the Visit (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/l-the-last-day-of-the-visit-continued) Overwhelmed by remorse and fear after striking Gotch, the Angel wanders in despair, feeling the weight of human passions and the inevitability of suffering. ### [LI: The Last Day of the Visit (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/li-the-last-day-of-the-visit-continued) Returns to the burning Vicarage, learns of the girl's sacrifice, and rushes into the flames. ### [LII: The Last Day of the Visit (Continued)](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/lii-the-last-day-of-the-visit-continued) Implied to be Delia, who dies in the fire. ### [LIII: The Epilogue](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/chapters/liii-the-epilogue) Referenced only through Mrs. Mendham's scornful retelling: a 'hunchbacked fiddler' who imposed on the Vicar, played by ear, and died in the fire trying to save Delia. His true nature is completely misunderstood. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters/the_angel - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_wonderful_visit_se/characters