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Character analysis

Mrs. Who

in A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Mrs. Who is one of three celestial guardians—along with Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Which—who help guide Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin on their journey through time and space to rescue Mr. Murry from the planet Camazotz. She first appears in a run-down farmhouse near the Murry home, where Meg and Charles Wallace catch a glimpse of her as a mysterious figure polishing her spectacles. Her most notable characteristic is her difficulty in expressing herself in her own words; she communicates almost entirely through quoted passages from literature, scripture, poetry, and philosophy in multiple languages, explaining that she has "found it increasingly difficult" to create original speech. This trait isn’t just quirky—it highlights her deep, accumulated wisdom and her role as a keeper of human (and beyond-human) knowledge.

Mrs. Who's most significant act happens before the children tesser to Camazotz: she gives Meg her thick spectacles as a parting gift, telling her to use them only at the right moment. On Camazotz, the glasses help Meg see through the illusions of IT's controlled reality, playing a crucial role in rescuing Mr. Murry. This gift reflects Mrs. Who's foresight and her recognition that Meg's strongest asset is her perception—the ability to see what others cannot. Like her companions, Mrs. Who embodies the novel’s theme that love and individual vision are the most potent forces against conformist evil. Her journey shifts from being an enigmatic local legend to becoming an essential cosmic ally.

About this character

Form
Novel
Author
Madeleine L'Engle
First published
1962

The person01–03

01·Who they are

Who is Mrs. Who?

Mrs. Who is one of three immortal, celestial guardians—alongside Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Which—who appear in the Murry family's orbit at the opening of the novel. Meg and Charles Wallace first encounter her in a dilapidated nearby farmhouse, a hunched, seemingly eccentric figure polishing enormous spectacles in the dark. That image—the glasses, the obscuring darkness, the act of cleaning one's vision—is programmatic: Mrs. Who's entire function in the novel is bound up with perception and clarity. Her most striking quality is her near-total inability to compose original speech. She explains early on that "she had found it increasingly difficult" to formulate her own words, so she communicates almost entirely in borrowed language: biblical verse, Shakespeare, Goethe, Cervantes, Pascal, and Homer, among others, delivered in their original tongues as well as in translation. Far from being a limitation, this characteristic marks her as a living archive—a consciousness so saturated with accumulated human (and beyond-human) wisdom that individual expression has been superseded by something larger.

02·Arc & motivation

What is Mrs. Who's arc and motivation?

Mrs. Who enters the novel as an enigmatic local legend, a figure Meg and Charles Wallace have heard whispered about but never fully seen. Her arc moves from that shadowy periphery into indispensable cosmic ally. Her motivation aligns with her companions': to fight the encroaching darkness—the force of conformist evil embodied by IT and Camazotz—using the tools most native to her nature. Where Mrs. Whatsit offers warmth and direct encouragement, and Mrs. Which commands with authority, Mrs. Who's contribution is knowledge distilled through language. She does not fight with force; she arms others with the right words and, crucially, the right way of seeing. Her gift of the spectacles to Meg before the tessering to Camazotz marks the apex of her arc: a deliberate, foresighted act that places the most consequential instrument of the entire rescue mission in the hands of the child she has identified as most capable of wielding it.

03·Key moments

What are Mrs. Who's key moments?

The farmhouse introduction establishes Mrs. Who's strangeness and her link to the spectacles immediately—the object is foregrounded long before its significance is revealed. Her departure gift to Meg on the night the children tesser is the novel's most concentrated act of mentorship: she presses the thick glasses into Meg's hands and instructs her to use them only at the right moment, without further explanation. On Camazotz, Meg uses the spectacles precisely as directed, seeing through the visual distortions IT uses to trap Mr. Murry behind a transparent column—the glasses cut through the illusion and allow the rescue to proceed. The quoted line from 1 Corinthians—"The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men"—is perhaps her most thematically loaded utterance, crystallizing the novel's argument that apparent vulnerability (Meg's faults, love itself) is the most powerful force available against mechanized evil.

The cast04–05

04·Relationships

What are Mrs. Who's most important relationships?

With Meg, Mrs. Who operates as the guardian who sees most clearly into the girl's truest asset: not intellect or courage in conventional forms, but perception—the capacity to see what others are conditioned to overlook. The spectacles are not a generic gift; they are tailored. With Charles Wallace, the bond is established earliest; it is his precocious, intuitive recognition that draws him to the farmhouse in the first place, and his unconventional mode of understanding mirrors Mrs. Who's own quotation-based communication—both speak in registers others struggle to follow. With Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who forms a complementary pairing: Whatsit's warmth and narrative ease balance Mrs. Who's clipped, allusive utterances, yet they share an identical cosmic allegiance. With Mrs. Which, Mrs. Who occupies a subordinate but vital role—she defers to the eldest's authority while contributing irreplaceable wisdom. Against IT, Mrs. Who stands as a structural antithesis: IT enforces total sameness and silences individual expression, while Mrs. Who is, by her very nature, an explosion of diverse voices, traditions, and languages.

05·Connected characters

How is Mrs. Who connected to the other characters?

Meg Murry

Mrs. Who's primary charge and the recipient of her most important gift—the enchanted spectacles that allow Meg to see through IT's illusions and rescue her father. Mrs. Who recognizes Meg's inner strength and equips her accordingly.

Charles Wallace Murry

Charles Wallace is the child who first discovers Mrs. Who hiding in the farmhouse, establishing the initial bond between the Murry family and the three Mrs. W's. His precocious intuition mirrors Mrs. Who's own unconventional mode of communication.

Calvin O'Keefe

Calvin joins the quest under the guardianship of all three Mrs. W's. Mrs. Who, like her companions, recognizes Calvin's innate goodness and includes him as a necessary part of the mission.

Mrs. Whatsit

Mrs. Who's closest companion and fellow guardian. The two operate as a complementary pair—Mrs. Whatsit is more communicative and warm, while Mrs. Who speaks in quotations—but they share a unified cosmic purpose and appear together throughout the children's journey.

Mrs. Which

The eldest and most powerful of the three Mrs. W's, Mrs. Which leads the trio. Mrs. Who defers to Mrs. Which's authority while contributing her own form of wisdom through quoted language.

Mr. Murry

Mrs. Who's gift of the spectacles to Meg is the direct instrument of Mr. Murry's liberation from IT's prison on Camazotz, making her indirectly but crucially responsible for his rescue.

IT (the Black Brain)

IT represents the antithesis of everything Mrs. Who embodies—enforced sameness versus the rich diversity of human expression that Mrs. Who channels through her vast catalog of quotations. Her spectacles serve as a weapon against IT's deceptive reality.

The evidence06

06·Key quotes

What are Mrs. Who’s most famous quotes?

“The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

Mrs. Who · Chapter 5 – The Tesseract · The guides prepare the children for their journey through the universe

Why it matters

This biblical quotation (1 Corinthians 1:25) is voiced by Mrs. Whatsit in Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time during an early scene where the three celestial guides — Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which — are getting Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin ready for their perilous journey through the universe to rescue Mr. Murry. Mrs. Who, who often speaks through quotes from notable thinkers and texts, shares this line to emphasize the story’s key spiritual theme: that traditional human logic and strength fall short when it comes to measuring truth or power. Thematically, the quote challenges the idea that intelligence alone can resolve the universe's greatest issues. It closely parallels Meg's character development — she’s a girl who feels both intellectually and socially out of place, yet it’s her very human "weakness" (her love for Charles Wallace) that ultimately overcomes IT, the cold logic of a disembodied brain. Thus, the quote supports the novel's argument that love, faith, and humility are stronger forces than reason or sheer strength, highlighting the spiritual and moral stakes of the entire quest.

Study07–08

07·Questions

Questions readers ask about Mrs. Who

Why does Mrs. Who speak almost entirely in quotations?

Mrs. Who speaks in borrowed language because she has "found it increasingly difficult" to formulate her own original words. This characteristic marks her as a living archive of accumulated human—and beyond-human—wisdom, communicating through biblical verse, Shakespeare, Goethe, Pascal, Homer, and more, often in their original languages. Her quotation-based speech expresses her nature as a keeper of knowledge.

What does Mrs. Who give Meg before the children travel to Camazotz?

Mrs. Who gives Meg her thick spectacles as a parting gift, instructing her to use them only at the right moment. The gift is deliberate and foresighted: on Camazotz, the glasses allow Meg to see through IT's visual illusions and locate her father trapped behind a transparent column, making them the single most consequential instrument in the entire rescue mission.

How does Mrs. Who help rescue Mr. Murry?

Mrs. Who rescues Mr. Murry indirectly but crucially by giving Meg the spectacles that cut through IT's deceptive reality on Camazotz. When Meg puts them on at the critical moment, she can see past the illusions concealing her father's prison, enabling her to reach him. Without this gift, the rescue could not have succeeded.

What is Mrs. Who's most famous quote in A Wrinkle in Time?

Mrs. Who's most thematically loaded utterance is drawn from 1 Corinthians (Chapter 5 – The Tesseract): "The foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men." It crystallizes the novel's central argument that apparent vulnerability—Meg's faults, love itself—is a more powerful force against mechanized, conformist evil than conventional strength.

How does Mrs. Who's relationship with Meg differ from her relationships with Charles Wallace and Calvin?

Mrs. Who's bond with Meg is the most tailored and consequential: she identifies Meg's truest asset as perception and equips her specifically with the spectacles. With Charles Wallace, the connection is established earliest—his precocious intuition mirrors Mrs. Who's own quotation-based mode of communication. Calvin is recognized as good and necessary to the mission, but Mrs. Who's deepest, most individualized investment belongs to Meg.

How does Mrs. Who first appear in the novel?

Mrs. Who first appears as a mysterious, hunched figure in a run-down farmhouse near the Murry home, discovered by Meg and Charles Wallace polishing enormous spectacles in the dark. This image—cleaning one's vision in obscurity—immediately foreshadows her role: her entire function in the story is bound up with perception, clarity, and helping others see what conformist evil tries to hide.

Is Mrs. Who a villain or a hero in A Wrinkle in Time?

Mrs. Who is unambiguously a hero—one of three immortal, celestial guardians fighting the encroaching darkness embodied by IT and Camazotz. She stands as a structural antithesis to IT: where IT enforces total sameness and silences individual expression, Mrs. Who is an explosion of diverse voices, traditions, and languages, and she actively arms the children with the knowledge and tools needed to defeat evil.

What is Mrs. Who's relationship with Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Which?

Mrs. Who forms a trio with Mrs. Whatsit and Mrs. Which, all three sharing the same cosmic mission. She and Mrs. Whatsit operate as a complementary pair—Whatsit's warmth and narrative ease balance Mrs. Who's clipped, allusive quotations. Mrs. Which is the eldest and most powerful, and Mrs. Who defers to her authority while contributing irreplaceable wisdom through her vast catalog of borrowed language.

08·Essay angles

Use this in your essay

Tool · Essay angles

  • The spectacles as symbol

    How does L'Engle use Mrs. Who's gift to argue that individual perception—rather than strength or conformity—is the decisive weapon against authoritarian evil?

  • Quotation as character

    What does Mrs. Who's inability to speak in her own words reveal about L'Engle's view of inherited human wisdom versus original thought?

  • The three Mrs. W's as a composite figure

    To what extent do Mrs. Who, Mrs. Whatsit, and Mrs. Which function as a single divided consciousness, and what does each aspect represent thematically?

  • Biblical allusion and moral framework

    Trace how Mrs. Who's scriptural quotations—particularly 1 Corinthians—shape the novel's argument about weakness, foolishness, and divine love.

  • Mentorship and restraint

    Mrs. Who deliberately withholds explanation when she gives Meg the glasses. How does strategic incompleteness in her guidance reflect the novel's broader theme that individuals must find their own path to understanding?

A Wrinkle in Time

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