Thomas wilson is the lotus-eater in Maugham's story The Lotus Eater. The Greek veterans in Homer's Odyssey eat the lotus fruit on the lotus island. The fruit has an enchanting effect making them oblivious of the past amd mesmerising them into a blissful indolence. Drawing on this analogy, Maugham calls his hero Thomas Wilson a lotus-eater. Wilson is enchanted by the beauty of Capri, and abandons his life in the city to live in indolence and pleasure of beauty.