# Mr. Carmichael — To the Lighthouse character guide

> Mr. Carmichael in To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Old Mr. Carmichael, old Mr. Carmichael, Carmichael, Augustus Carmichael, Augustus, poor Augustus, old Augustus

**First appearance:** 0000-the-window

## Snapshot

A silent, opium-drowsy poet who pads in for coffee, takes his cup to the sun, and lends Lily his wordless protection on the lawn.

## Who they are

Old Mr. Carmichael drifts through the Ramsays' house, saying little, watching much, a poet whose presence is more atmosphere than action. Lily pitches her easel near him — 'not too close, but close enough for his protection' — and his stillness becomes a kind of shelter against Mr. Ramsay's encroaching demands. He is the novel's image of art's patient, unspoken endurance.

## Relationships

### [Mrs. Ramsay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/characters/mrs_ramsay)

_social_

Mr. Carmichael is a quiet, detached guest who observes Mrs. Ramsay's social orchestration with a kind of sleepy, poetic indifference.

### [Lily Briscoe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/characters/lily_briscoe)

_friendship_

Lily and Mr. Carmichael share a quiet, sympathetic bond as fellow artists and outsiders in the Ramsay household.

### [Lily Briscoe](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/characters/lily_briscoe)

_friendship_

Lily and Mr. Carmichael share a quiet, sympathetic bond as fellow artists and outsiders in the Ramsay household.

### [Mrs. Ramsay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/characters/mrs_ramsay)

_social_

Mr. Carmichael is a quiet, detached guest who observes Mrs. Ramsay's social orchestration with a kind of sleepy, poetic indifference.

### [Mrs. Ramsay](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/characters/mrs_ramsay)

_social_

Mr. Carmichael is a quiet, detached guest who observes Mrs. Ramsay's social orchestration with a kind of sleepy, poetic indifference.

## In the story

### [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/vii)

Shuffles past in yellow slippers at the moment of Mrs. Ramsay's discomfort, prompting her to call out to him.

### [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/viii)

Shuffles past Mrs. Ramsay, avoiding her, and is described as unhappy and unkempt, possibly taking opium.

### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/xi)

Mrs. Ramsay includes Augustus Carmichael in her reflection on the 'apparitions' people present, suggesting a shared sense of a deeper self.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/i)

Keeps his candle burning longer than the rest, reading Virgil.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/ii)

Reading Virgil in the dark, he blows out his candle past midnight.

### [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/vi)

Mr. Carmichael publishes a volume of poems that spring, which gains unexpected success due to the war.

### [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/ix)

Arrives by the same train as Lily Briscoe.

### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/x)

Mr. Carmichael reads a book by candlelight, then shuts his book and falls asleep, thinking the scene looks much as it used to years ago.

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/i)

Pads softly in, fetches coffee, and sits in the sun.

### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/ii)

Mentioned as reading a French novel on a deck-chair, content and oblivious to Mr. Ramsay's mood.

### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/v)

Lily's silent companion on the lawn; she imagines he might understand her unspoken thoughts. He is asleep or dreaming.

### [X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/x)

Mr. Carmichael is mentioned as one of the old gentlemen in the study, sitting opposite Mr. Bankes.

### [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/xi)

Mr. Carmichael grunts and adjusts his book on the lawn nearby, providing a contrast to the distant Ramsays.

### [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/chapters/xiii)

Stands beside Lily, sharing a silent understanding; appears as an old pagan god.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/characters/mr_carmichael
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/to_the_lighthouse_se/characters