Who is Terence Hanbury White as noted in the memoir, H is for Hawk?

T.H. White is an author that Helen frequently quotes throughout the book. Despite not being alive during the main course of the story, he’s arguably still one of the protagonists, as the journey in his books is very similar to the one that Helen goes through in the present.

He was raised in a very abusive environment, with both his parents and his teachers being very strict. White eventually becomes a professor, but just like Helen he is very troubled and haunted by stressful events from his past. On top of that, he’s struggling with his sexual orientation and his sadistic desires.

White ends up terrified of humanity. He wants to retreat into the wild and live with his hawk, Gos. Like Helen he was fascinated with birds, but unlike Helen he wasn’t experienced with raising them. His book details his failures in raising Gos, which ultimately result in him losing the bird. His paranoia and fear of the world keep him from being able to raise Gos properly. As time goes on he is able to become a falconer and learn from his mistakes with Gos. He still struggled with issues from his past, but he managed to find a sense of enlightenment after losing Gos. He originally didn’t want to publish the book that Helen was reading because it showed how much of an amateur he was, but his friends eventually convinced him to do so.

White provides a litmus test in many respects for Helen, in that they both chose Goshawks, and they are both writers. White, however, suggests in his journals and books, which Helen devours, that his ineptness caused the death of several of his birds, something that Helen is determined not to do. Helen identifies with White's desire to flee humanity, to see the dark side of human nature, and for a while to give herself over to the field and forest, flight and feather. However, she differs from White in that Helen is able to pull herself free of her depression, something White never did.