Thomas Howard

*"I read a man could earn six hundred and thirty –– I read one thousand dollars a year if he's willing to tend a light far off shore... the further away, the more he earns. I read that, and hell, I says, yessir. Work. Save my earnings. Soon enough, I'll raise my own roof, somewheres up country, with no one to tell me “what for”... That's all."*
―Thomas Howard[src]
**Thomas Howard**, also known as **Ephraim Winslow**, is a young lighthouse keeper stationed at a lighthouse off the coast of New England under the supervision of Thomas Wake.

## Biography

### Background

*"Since I left Dad, well... I done every kind of work can pay a man. Some I ain’t near proud of."*
―Thomas Howard[src]
Thomas Howard is born somewhere in America. Upon leaving his father, he finds jobs in several lines of work, but none that are to his liking. One of these jobs is as a lumberjack in Hudson Bay, Canada, where he works under the foreman Ephraim Winslow, who constantly rags on him and calls him a dog. One day as they work on a log drive, Winslow goes overboard and drowns. Howard has a chance tp rescue him, but does not. He then steals Winslow's identity, knowing that unlike him Winslow has a clean record and it will increase his chances of findiing respectable work. He learns that a man can earn a lot of money tending a lighthouse and accepts such a position.

### Arrival at the Lighthouse

*"No, sir. Thank you."
"Bad luck to leave a toast unfinished, lad."
"Meanin' no disrespect, sir."
"A man what don't drink best have his reasons."
"Ain't it -- I'd -- I had understood it's 'gainst regulations, sir."
"Did you?"
"Yessir."
"From them's manual."
"Didn't picture you was a readin' man."
"Ain't trying for trouble –-"
"Then y'do as I say. That's in yer book, too."*
―Thomas Howard and Thomas Wake[src]

Howard travels by tender to a lighthouse off the coast of Maine with his older supervisor. They reach the island and enter the lighthouse as that the previous caretakers are leaving. Howard inspects the living quarters before making his way upstairs to the sleeping quarters. He bumps his head on the ceiling upon entry and finds the old man relieving himself in the chamber pot. As Howard sits on the bed, the old man farts in his face before departing. Annoyed, Howard finds a hole in his mattress. Reaching in, he finds a scrimshaw of a mermaid, which he hides within his jacket.

Once Howard has finished tending to the boiler, he joins the old man for supper. The old man toasts the coming four weeks and expects Howard to join him in the toast. Howard declines and the old man tells him that it is bad luck to leave a toast unfinished. Howard insists that he means no disrespect and the old man asks the reason he refuses to drink. Howard replies that he understands from reading *Instructions to Light-Keepers* that it is against regulations. The old man is surprised to learn that he is a reading man. Howard states that he is not trying to be trouble and the old man tells him that he should therefore do as he says, which is also in the manual.

Howard relents and fills his cup. He toasts the four weeks and drinks, but finds it to be foul. The old man laughs and tells him that the cistern needs to be seen to, which is among his duties, along with cleaning the brass and clockwork and tidying the living quarters. He asks Howard if he understands and he replies *"yes, sir"*, but the old man orders him to instead say "aye, sir". The old man tells him that he will be on the dog watch once the fog clears and Howard asks about tending to the lantern. The old man affirms that he tends the light, to which Howard states that the rules outline alternating shifts, but the old man insists that the light is his duty alone.

### Labour

*"You don't go in there!"
"Oil, sir."
"Tired?"
"No, sir."
"Use this next time. Save you a helluva lotta trouble. Catch yer breath, lad. I said catch your breath, lad!"
"Then bring that drum back down the ladderwell where y'found it. 'Less yer fixin' to burn the whole light down."
"Aye, sir."
"Then see to the rest of yer duties. Yer behindhand already."
"Aye, sir."
"Yer too slow. You a dullard?"
"No, sir."
"Fooled me."*
―Thomas Wake and Thomas Howard[src]

As Howard carries out his duties, the constant blaring of the foghorn irritates his hearing. On the first night, he goes outside and smokes a cigarette, staring up at the light as he does so. He looks out at the ocean, where he sees several logs floating towards the shore. Once they part, they reveal the body of Winslow lying face-down. Alarmed, he swims towards it and is pulled underwater, where he sees a mermaid swimming towards him.

Winslow is woken in the morning by drops of water falling on his face. The old man tells him to tend to the cistern and the shingles, as well as fetch some oil for the lamp. As Howard gets up, the old man lays down to sleep. Howard goes to the supply shed and fetches a large bag of chalk, which he carries to the cistern before dumping it inside and stirring it. He then carries a box of shingles up a ladder and onto the roof. While he is up there, he spies on the sleeping old man through a gap.

Howard heads to the coal house and fills a wheelbarrow with coal. He pushes it over to the fog signal house, but finds a one-eyed seagull blocking the door. He tries to scare it away, but it does not move. He picks up a lump of coal and throws it at the bird, causing it to take flight. As he watches it fly away, he sees the old man watching him from the top of the lighthouse.

Howard carries an oil drum up the stairs of the lighthouse, which proves difficult as the drum is very heavy and he must lift it up one stair at a time. Once he reaches the top, he is tempted to climb the ladder into the top room, but the old man appears and orders him not to go in there. He gives Howard a cannister and advises him to use it to transport the oil in future. The old man tells him to catch his breath before bringing the drum back where he got it. As he climbs into the top room, he chides Howard for being behind on his duties. He asks Howard if he is a dulled and Howard replies that he is not, to which the old man replies that he could have fooled him.

### Tall Tales

*"I seen ye sparrin' with a gull. Best y'leave 'em be. Bad luck to kill a sea bird."
"More tall tales?"
"Bad luck to kill a sea bird!"*
―Thomas Wake and Thomas Howard[src]

As they eat their supper, the old man encourages Howard to cheer up and enjoy the chatter with him. Howard insists that he is not much for talking and the old man tells him that he is not the first. The old man reminisces of his days on the *Chicopee* in 1864, telling Howard of a mutiny that broke out. He tells him that it was caused by boredom, which he states to be the worst aspect of the life of a sailor. He states that the only medicine is drink, as it keeps men happy, calm and agreeable. Howard replies that it keeps them stupid, earning a laugh from the old man.

The old man urges Howard to ask the question that is on his mind, so Howard asks why his previous assistant left. The old man replies that he died after going mad and raving about sirens, merfolk and bad omens. He states that the assistant believed there was an enchantment in the light, that St. Elmo had cast his fire into it. Howard chuckles and dismisses it as a tall tale. The old man tells him that he saw his encounter with the seagull and advises him to leave it alone, as it is bad luck to kill a sea bird. Howard dismisses this as another tall tale and is shocked when the old man grows angry, throws his cup at him and repeats his warning. Comporting himself, the old man advises Howard to pay him no mind and tells him to fix them up some coffee.

As Howard lies in bed that night reading the manual and smoking a cigarette, the seagull perches outside his window. The bird taps the window with its beak and flies away, much to Howard's bewilderment. Later in the night, Howard goes to the supply shed and masturbates. Afterwards, he leaves the shed and stares up at the light, where he sees the naked old man redressing.

As Howard carries out his duties, the old man approaches him and accuses him of neglecting his duties. He points him to the floor of the living quarters, which Howard insists that he mopped and swept twice over. The old man call him a liar and Howard insists that he did as was required, but the old man tells him off for contradicting him. Howard states that he never intended to be a housewife or a slave and criticises the condictions of the lodging, stating the he did the best job he could under the circumstances. The old man tells him to follow his orders no matter how demanding they are and to do it with a smile. He then threatens to dock his wages if he contradicts him again and asks Howard if he understands, to which he reluctantly replies that he does.

Howard continues to carry out his duties in the torrential rain, growing increasing frustrated with the old man's overbearing presence. He later whitewashes the outside of the lighthouse while the old man holds him on a harness in midair, despite Howard stating that sailors will be unable to see it in a storm. The old man promises him that he will make high marks in his logbook for the work. A panicked Howard tells the old man to take it easy as he suddenly lowers him several feet. However, the harness snaps and sends Howard falling to the ground, knocking him out. Once he regains consciousness, he finds the seagull perched on his leg. It pecks at his leg and he swipes at it until it flies away.

### Introduction

*"Don't concern yerself with the beacon! Mine, lad!"
"Have it yer way... uh... Say, I never... I don't know yer name."
"Wake."
"Yer Christian name?"
"Thomas."
"Thomas?"
"Thomas Wake, aye. Call me Tom."
"To my friend Tom, and to gittin' off this goddamned rock!"*
―Thomas Wake and Thomas Howard[src]

As they sup to commemorate the completion of two weeks of work, Howard introduces himself to the old man as "Ephraim Winslow" and asks that he call him by that name for the remaining two weeks. The old man is amused to find him giving orders, but agrees to his request. He then asks Howard what has brought him to the island and Howard tells him of his time as a lumberjack. The old man asks if it is true that there is forest as far as the eye can see and if he grew sick of it, with Howard confirming both.

The old man states that the sea is the only life for him and Howard asks if he misses it. The old man replies that he does, but that he damaged leg has left him unable for it. He has accepted that he is now a wickie and declares himself wedded to the light and that it has been a finer, truer, quiter wife to him than any live-blooded woman. Howard asks if he has ever been married and the old man tells him that his wife left he after he spent thirteen Christmasses at sea, leaving her alone with their children.

The old man asks Howard why a lumberjack would want to become a wickie. Howard replies that since he left his father, he worked in many different jobs, but did not fine any that he took a shine to. He read that a man could earn up to one thousand dollars a year by tending a lighthouse and decided to take such a job to earn money and buy a dwelling up-country where he will not have to follow anyone's orders. Later, he asks the old man why it is bad luck to kill a gull and he replies that they are vessels for the souls of dead sailors. He asks Howard if he is a praying man and he states that he does not pray as often as he might, but is God-fearing. At night, he continues to stare at the light while he smokes.

### No Relief

*"What'r y'splittin' yer lungs fer?"
"I --"
"Y'smell o' shit. Best swab this mess afore the tender comes."
"I --"
"Y'do as yer told, lad! The quarters are dire."
"Aye, sir."*
―Thomas Wake and Thomas Howard[src]

Howard continues his various duties while the old man largely stays shut up with the light. One night, he makes his way up the lighthouse and finds the old man naked and masturbating before the light. Howard barely avoids the old man's semen as it drips through the grate. He then hears an animalistic noise and to his shock he sees an octopus-like tentacle in the room with the old man.

The next morning, he pours himself some water, but finds it dirty. He goes out to check the cistern and finds a dying seagull lying in it. The one-eyed seagull then appears and attacks him. Howard grabs it by the neck and repeatedly smashes it against the cistern. Once the seagull is dead, a flock of other seagulls fly overhead and cry out. He is later approached by the old man, who tells him that the wind has changed and a storm is approaching. He tells him to board up the signal house windows. He takes issue with Howard's somber mood and tells him not to start grudging him, for he is due to leave the island the next day. He asks Howard if he is keeping secrets and Howard asks him for help with the boards.

Together they board up the windows and pull up a lobster trap full of live lobsters. The old man cooks the lobsters and as they sit down to eat, he encourages Howard to take a drink, since it is their last night on the island. Howard gives in and attempts to repeat the old man's toast, but cannot remember all of it and simply toasts to relief. They proceed to get drunk, sing, smoke and trade stories. The old man admits that he will miss Howard and commends his work, telling him that he will be working the lamp in no time. Howard asks why he has not and an argument erupts between them, but they quickly laugh it off. Howard asks the old man his name and he introduces himself as "Thomas Wake". Howard toasts him, as well as getting off the island.

The next morning, Howard is the first to wake and carries the chamberpots out to the cliff edge to empty them. However, the wind is blowing in the opposite direction and he screams as he recieves a faceful of human waste. He later pushes a wheelbarrow full of coal through the pouring rain and loads the boiler. As he pushes the barrow back, he sees the body of a young woman lying on the rocks, wrapped in seaweed. He pulls away the seaweed and runs his hands over her body. As he goes lower; he discovers that she has a tail; she is the mermaid he saw on the first night. She wakes and laughs at him before letting out a high-pitched shriek. Terrified, he runs back to the lighthouse, where Wake tells him to clean up the mess they made the previous night. Still in shock, Howard agrees. Later that evening, they wait outside in the rain for the tender to take them off the island, but it never appears.

### The Storm

*"It's only been one day."
"The Devil's tail!"
"Look, maybe the tender, maybe she did come. We missed her, is all. I can take the dory out -"
"Weeks, Winslow."
"What?"
"What d'ye mean, what?"
"Weeks?"
"Weeks, aye. Weeks."
"We slept in. Dead drunk."
"It's been weeks ago since we missed her, Winslow. And I've been askin' ye to ration fer weeks now, too, and you’ve kept barking at me like a mad dog, sayin' you can "take the dory out" --"
"Now look --"
"Don’t be losing yer head now."
"This ain't funny."
"No, it ain't. And I ain't wantin' to be stranded here with some damned lunatic."*
―Thomas Howard and Thomas Wake[src]

The next day, Howard continues to work as the storm rages outside. Wake approaches him and tell him that the damp has reached their provisions. He tells Howard that they need to ration the foodstuffs, which Howard considers unnecessary, as it has only been one day since the tender failed to arrive, suggesting that he take the dory out. Howard is confused when Wake tells him that it has been weeks since the tender did not show and that he does not wish to be stranded with a lunatic. Howard is even more confused, affirming that the tender will come, but Wake tells him of a man named Striker who was marooned there for seven months in 1875 due to storms raging around the island. Howard states that Wake is simply trying to scare him and Wake urges him to stop pretending and know his lot.

Howard and Wake dig up a crate full of alcohol outside the lighthouse. As they drink within, Wake tells Howard of his time at sea when several of his shipmates were bitten by rats and developed gangreen. Howard steals a dinner knife when Wake is not looking. Wake continues his story, stating that they reached an island and found only grass to eat, which caused him to develop scurvy and damaged his leg. Howard points out that Wake previously told him that he had broken his leg, to which Wake replies that he must have misheard him.

As they continue to drink, Howard tells Wake that Foreman Winslow always ragged on him, which confuses Wake. Howard suggests that Wake's story about eating grass was untrue, as gangreen would have caused them to lose their teeth. Wake replies that they ripped it out and swallowed it, prompting a laugh from both of them. Wake senses that there is something unsaid between them and asks Howard "what?", with the confused Howard replying in kind. They repeat the question over and over until a frustrated Howard explodes in anger. He declares that he wants a steak and that if he had one, he would fuck it.

Wake sees this as a critique of his cooking and takes offence, causing Winslow to tell him not to be such an old bitch. He calls Wake's cooking "horse shit" and Wake insists that he would not be saying that if he were sober. He urges Howard to admit that he is fond of his lobster, but Howard only shakes his head and refuses. Wake grows upset, throws his drink at him and stands, going into a long, manic rant in which he conjures the terrors of the deep upon Howard, who watches terrified. Once he is finished, Howard gives in and states that he likes Wake's cooking.

As time passes, Howard grows increasingly obsessed with the light. One day, he sneaks up to the top of the lighthouse and attempts to pick the lock with the knife he stole, only for it to break. He searches for Wake's keys, but does not find them. He eventually discovers them lying beside a sleeping Wake, and is tempted to kill him with the broken knife, only for the old man to wake before he can go through with it. Wake questions why he is not wearing shoes and Howard replies that he did not wish to wake him. Wake tells him to get back to his duties. Howard tells him that he has lost his humanity from being apart from other people for so long and that he is only tolerable when he is drunk, with Wake ordering him back to work.

Howard grows more and more frustrated and deranged as he works through the storm. He masturbates over the scrimshaw as he fantasizes about having sex with the mermaid he found on the rocks, his thoughts occasionally interrupted by images of Winslow in his final moments. He cries out in pain as he ejaculates, laughing as he throws the scrimshaw away and breaks it. Once he recovers, he stabs at the pieces with his knife. He later pulls the lobster trap up from the ocean and within he finds the severed head of a one-eyed man.

### Admitting the Truth

*"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]

Howard and Wake continue to spend their nights drinking, singing and dancing. One night, they share a slow dance as Wake sings tenderly. They share an intimate moment in which they almost kiss, but Howard recoils and they engage in fisticuffs. Afterwards, Howard admits his real name to Wake, who implores him not to "spill his beans". Despite this, Howard tells him of his time working on the log drive with Winslow, who constantly ragged on him and called him a dog. He admits that he wanted to kill Winslow had an opportunity to do so, but insists that he did not. He states that Winslow slipped into the river and demanded his help, but that Howard simply stood there and watched him drown. He stole Winslow's identity, who had a clean slate while he did not, and used it to find respectable work. He then realises that Wake is no longer there and calls out for him, but he does not reply.

Howard goes outside, where he finds a body lying on the ground. He turns it over, only to discover a doppelganger of himself. He then turns around to find Wake standing over him, naked with beams of light coming from his eyes. Howard runs to the boathouse and pulls the dingy out, but Wake arrives and shouts at him not to leave him before smashing the boat with an axe. Howard runs beck towards the lighthouse as a screaming Wake chases after him with the axe.

Once they reach it, Wake accuses him of trying to abandon his post. Howard then accuses Wake of killing his previous assistant and driving him mad with the scrimshaw, proudly declaring that he has broken it. Wake declares that Howard is mad, that he was the one who smashed the lifeboat and chased him with the axe. He then orders Howard to hand over the dinner knife he has stolen. His perception of reality thrown into question, Howard gives it to him. Wake confuses him further by asking how long they have been there, suggesting that he and the island may be figments of his imagination and that he may still be up in Canada. Howard becomes complacent and states that he could use a smoke, to which Wake replies that they are out of drink.

### The Light

*"I'm sick of lookin' at week-old food in yer beard starin' me in the face like it 'spects me of somethin'. You think yer so damned high and mighty cause yer a goddamned lighthouse keeper? Well, you ain't a captain of no ship and you never was, you ain't no general, no copper, you ain't the president, and you ain't my father -- and I'm sick of you actin' like you is! I'm sick of yer orders! I'm sick of your laughing, your snoring, and your goddamned farts. Your damned goddamned farts. Goddamn yer farts! You smell like piss, you smell like jism, like rotten dick, like curdled foreskin, like hot onions fucked a farmyard shit-house. And I'm sick of yer smell. I'm sick of it! I'm sick of it, you goddamned drunk. You goddamned, no-account, drunken, son-of-a-bitch-bastard-liar! That's what you are, you're a goddamned drunken horse-shitting –- short -- shit liar. A liar!"*
―Thomas Howard to Thomas Wake[src]

Without any alcohol left, Howard concocts Thieves' Oil for Wake and himself. As they revel in its effects and laugh hysterically, the storm becomes more aggressive than ever and tears through the lighthouse. They wake the next day to find the quarters destroyed with water. Howard urinates and vomits, and as he kneels he finds Wake's logbook floating in the water. He reads it and finds a very negative critique of his work, stating that he sleeps late, performs substandard work, has a hostile attitude, engages in habitual self-abuse in the supply shed, is drunk on duty and commits assault and theft. Wake has recommended that Howard receive severance without pay, which enrages Howard and causes him to punch through the face of the clock, cutting us his hand as a result.

He returns to Wake and finds him trying to locate a match to find his pipe. He provides one and Wake asks what happened to his bloody hand. Wake tells him of tetanus and Howard angrily tells him that he is sick of his stories, claiming that they are lies, along with his sense of superiority, his laugh, his snoring and his farts. Wake is unmoved and relieves him of his duties, to which Howard grabs the logbook and reads Winslow's critique of his work aloud. Howard insists that he is a hard worker and Wake calls him a liar. Howard kneels and begs to be allowed in to the lantern. Wake refuses, calls Howard entitled and asks if he will kill him like he did the seagull. Howard denies having done so and Wake calls him a liar and a murderer, accusing him of bringing the storm upon them and killing Winslow. He then states that Howard is a dog, just as Winslow said.

Enraged, the two men attack each other. As they fight, Howard sees Wake as Winslow, the mermaid and a figure covered in corals and tentacles. Frantic, he beats Wake into submission. He gets to his feet and orders Wake to bark like a dog, which he does. He then puts a rope around Wake's neck and leads him outside on all fours. He brings him to a hole in the ground and orders him into it before he starts filling it with soil. As he buries Wake alive, the old man warns him of the beauty and horror that awaits him if he exposes himself to the light. Once Wake falls silent, Howard takes his keys and goes back inside. However, Wake chases after him and plunges the axe into his shoulder. Howard strikes him with a kettle, knocking him to the floor. He then kills Wake with the axe before lighting up a cigarette and repeating Wake's toast before he takes a drink.

The wounded Howard crawls up the stairs to the top of the lighthouse and unlocks the grate with Wake's keys. He climbs into the room and gazes upon the lantern, which stops turning and opens before him. He stares into it and reaches his hand out. As the light shines upon him, he is overcome with bliss, but as it grows brighter he screams in horror and pain. He then loses his footing and falls all the way down the stairs.

Howard later lies on the rocks in agony as seagulls defecate upon him and peck at his exposed organs.

## Personality

*"Look at ye, handsome lad, with eyes bright as a lady. Come to this rockplayin' the tough, ye make me laugh with yer false grum. Ye pretended to some mystery in yer quietudes, but there ain’t no mystery, yer an open book. A picture, says I. A painted actress screaming in the footlights, a bitch what wants to be coveted for nothin' but being born, cryin' bout the silver spoon what should've been yers."*
―Thomas Wake to Thomas Howard[src]
Thomas Howard is initially quiet and unwilling to engage in idle conversation with Thomas Wake when they initially arrive at the lighthouse. He carries on with his work, but soon grows frustrated with Wake's unrealistic demands. He also grows sexually frustrated, masturbating over a mermaid scrimshaw as there is no other image of the female form on the island. During his tenure at the lighthouse, he becomes obsessed with the light, though Wake refuses him access to it. He later begins to drink and converse with Wake and while they do get along, the animosity continues to grow between them. Howard becomes prone to violence due to repeated harassment from Wake and the one-eyed seagull. He is unwilling to discuss his past unless he is heavily intoxicated, eventually admitting to allowing Ephraim Winslow to die and stealing his identity. He admits that he did so in order to improve his chances of getting respectable work, as Winslow had a "spiffy clean slate" while he did not. He is not particularly articulate, as he has a tendency to throw childish insults at Wake when angered.

## Religion

*"You a prayin' man, Winslow?"
"Not as often as I might. But I'm God fearin' -– if that’s what yer askin'."*
―Thomas Wake and Thomas Howard[src]
Thomas Howard states, when asked by Thomas Wake, that he does not pray as often as he might, but that he is a God-fearing man.

## Trivia

* In the script, Thomas Howard is referred to as "Young", with Thomas Wake being referred to as "Old".
* The plot of *The Lighthouse* is similar to the real story of a tragedy that took place at the Smalls Lighthouse in Wales in the early nineteenth century, which involved two lighthouse keepers named Thomas Howell and Thomas Griffith.
* Thomas Howard's story is similar to that of the Titan Prometheus from Greek mythology. Prometheus stole fire from the gods of Mount Olympus and giving it to humanity in the form of technology, knowledge and civilization. As punishment for his crime. he was chained to a pillar for eternity. A vulture would eat his liver, which would grow back every day, at which point the vulture would return and eat it again.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Eggers, Robert; Eggers, Max, *The Lighthouse*, A24, USA, May 19, 2019