He tells his mother of his plans ; she begs him to remain in North Carolina and work for a newspaper .
His mentor , English professor Vergil Weldon , modeled after Wolfe 's mentor Horace Williams , encourages Eugene to apply to Harvard for graduate studies .
Wolfe tells Wolfe 's mother of his plans ; she begs him to remain in North Carolina and work for a newspaper .
His mentor , English professor Vergil Weldon , modeled after Wolfe 's mentor Horace Williams , encourages Eugene to apply to Harvard for graduate studies .