Ephraim Winslow

*"And I had 'im handy and helpless. Alone. Too far downstream. And I wanted to do 'im in. I admit I did. Seein' the back of his head. One swipe of the cant hook'd be all. It was...I didn't...but I didn't...I did not. The day was long as hell on that drive. I was lead-tired. I admit it. But I saw him slippin', not me. And we saw the jam comin'. And I stood and he slipped. He shouted up. And I just stood. "Tom, you dog!" And I stood, is all. Just stood and watched 'im git swallowed down by them logs. All I thought when he was done is, "I could use me a smoke." That's it. So, I packed up his kit and fixins, as if they was mine. And, well, Ephraim Winslow has a spiffy clean slate. Thomas Howard, he don't. No prospects. How else am I gonna find respectable work?"*
―Thomas Howard[src]
**Ephraim Winslow** is the foreman of a group of lumberjacks in Hudson Bay, Canada.

## Biography

### Background

*"Give me yer cant hook, I says to him, but foreman Winslow that goddamned Canady son-of-a-bitch fool bastard... always callin' me a dog. A filthy dog."
"Winslow?"
"eah, that bastard. "I'll show you who’s a dog.""
"Winslow?"
"What of him?"
"Who, Winslow? The eaves be fallin'--"
"He’s always raggin' on me, like you. Damn fool nonsense."
"Raggin'?"
"How’d you find yourself off that grass island anyhow?"
"Raggin'? Who's raggin'? What island? That's the trouble with ye, Winslow."
"Yeah, that’s the trouble with Winslow."*
―Thomas Howard and Thomas Wake[src]
Ephraim Winslow employs Thomas Howard in Hudson Bay. He is often unsatisfied with Howard's workmanship, criticising it and calling him a dog. One day they are on a log drive and Winslow ends up in the river and drowns. Knowing that Winslow has a clean record and he does not, Howard steals Winslow's identity in the hopes of improving his chances of finding respectable work.

### Post-Mortem

*"Boo! Boo! What're y'to do? Look at ye. Look at ye. Will y'kill me? Will ye? Will y'kill me like y'done that gull?"
"I didn't–-"
"LIAR! YE MURDERING DOG! TWAS YE WHAT CHANGED THE WIND ON US!"
"Damn you!"
"'TWAS YE WHAT DAMNED US, DOG! 'TWAS YE! Will y'do what y'wish y'done to ol' Winslow?"*
―Thomas Wake and Thomas Howard[src]
Using Winslow's identity, Howard takes a job at a lighthouse off the coast of New England under the supervision of Thomas Wake. During his tenure, he is haunted by his memory of Winslow's death. On his first night, he sees several logs floating in the ocean and Winslow's body face-down among them. He swims towards it and is pulled under the water, where a mermaid swims towards him. Several weeks later, Howard masturbates while fantastising about having sex with the mermaid and his thoughts are repeatedly interrupted by images of Winslow during his final moments.

Much like Winslow, Wake criticises Howard's workmanship and calls him a dog. One night, a drunken Howard tells Wake this, which confuses the older man, who knows Howard as "Ephraim Winslow". Howard eventually confesses his true identity to Wake, who accuses him of murdering Winslow and states that Winslow was right; he is a dog. A fight breaks out between them, during which Howard sees Wake as Winslow. He tackles him to the ground and "Winslow" punches him in the face before transforming into the mermaid, who attempts to seduce Howard before becoming Proteus-like version of Wake covered in seaweed, tentacles and a coral horn.

## Personality

According to Thomas Howard, Ephraim Winslow was an unpleasant individual who always unfairly criticized his workmanship and called him a "filthy dog".

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Eggers, Robert; Eggers, Max, *The Lighthouse*, A24, USA, May 19, 2019