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Bradley Headstone
Silas Wegg is an impoverished man with a wooden leg who runs a small stall on the street corner next to a mansion. He attracts the attention of the illiterate Noddy Boffin, who hires him as a reader. Although Silas is a poor man, he identifies with the wealthy, imagining himself as a resident and owner of the mansion he sets up his stall next to. He is aggressive in his negotiations about payment with Boffin from the beginning, and he eventually tries to blackmail Boffin with a will that he found in the dust mounds by Boffin’s old home. Although the novel generally portrays outcasts and people with disabilities in a positive light, showing them as more virtuous than members of the upper class, Wegg is a notable exception, showing how even the poor can be corrupted by greed.
Silas Wegg Quotes in Our Mutual Friend
The Our Mutual Friend quotes below are all either spoken by Silas Wegg or refer to Silas Wegg. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 1, Chapter 5
Quotes
Over against a London house, a corner house not far from Cavendish Square, a man with a wooden leg had sat for some years, with his remaining foot in a basket in cold weather, picking up a living on this wise:—Every morning at eight o’clock, he stumped to the corner, carrying a chair, a clothes-horse, a pair of trestles, a board, a basket, and an umbrella, all strapped together. Separating these, the board and trestles became a counter, the basket supplied the few small lots of fruit and sweets that he offered for sale upon it and became a foot-warmer, the unfolded clothes-horse displayed a choice collection of halfpenny ballads and became a screen, and the stool planted within it became his post for the rest of the day.
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Book 3, Chapter 6
Quotes
“Do you like what Wegg’s been a-reading?”
Mr Venus answered that he found it extremely interesting.
“Then come again,” said Mr Boffin, “and hear some more. Come when you like; come the day after to-morrow, half an hour sooner. There’s plenty more; there’s no end to it.”
Mr Venus expressed his acknowledgments and accepted the invitation.
“It’s wonderful what’s been hid, at one time and another,” said Mr Boffin, ruminating; “truly wonderful.”
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Silas Wegg Quotes in Our Mutual Friend
The Our Mutual Friend quotes below are all either spoken by Silas Wegg or refer to Silas Wegg. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Book 1, Chapter 5
Quotes
Over against a London house, a corner house not far from Cavendish Square, a man with a wooden leg had sat for some years, with his remaining foot in a basket in cold weather, picking up a living on this wise:—Every morning at eight o’clock, he stumped to the corner, carrying a chair, a clothes-horse, a pair of trestles, a board, a basket, and an umbrella, all strapped together. Separating these, the board and trestles became a counter, the basket supplied the few small lots of fruit and sweets that he offered for sale upon it and became a foot-warmer, the unfolded clothes-horse displayed a choice collection of halfpenny ballads and became a screen, and the stool planted within it became his post for the rest of the day.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Book 3, Chapter 6
Quotes
“Do you like what Wegg’s been a-reading?”
Mr Venus answered that he found it extremely interesting.
“Then come again,” said Mr Boffin, “and hear some more. Come when you like; come the day after to-morrow, half an hour sooner. There’s plenty more; there’s no end to it.”
Mr Venus expressed his acknowledgments and accepted the invitation.
“It’s wonderful what’s been hid, at one time and another,” said Mr Boffin, ruminating; “truly wonderful.”
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