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Sergeant Farrat
Evan Pettyman is Dungatar’s town councilor and is an extremely wealthy and powerful man in the community. Evan is also Tilly’s father—he seduced her mother, Molly, when she was young but he refused to marry her. Despite this, Evan pursued Molly after Tilly was born, following her to Dungatar. Evan is now married to Marigold Pettyman. The couple had a son named Stewart, who died in an accident, which involved Tilly, when he was a child. Evan is a lecherous, abusive, and dishonest man. His surname, Pettyman, reflects his character as a mean-spirited “petty man.” When Evan seduced Molly, he told her that he was a rich man, but really, he was poor. Evan then married Marigold just after she inherited a fortune from her father, and he took control of her money, which he then used to maneuver himself into a powerful position on Dungatar’s council. To make matters worse, Evan is a womanizer and is known to sexually assault women, though people in Dungatar do not speak up about this because they are afraid that Evan will use his social position to ruin them. Evan also drugs Marigold, who is extremely nervous and mentally ill because of Stewart’s death, and rapes her every night when she is unconscious. Although Evan gave Molly money for Tilly’s education, this is money he stole from Marigold, and he uses it to control and manipulate Molly. Evan also sends Tilly away after Stewart’s death (which he blames on Tilly), and he cruelly refuses to tell Molly where he sent her. Eventually, Tilly has her revenge on Evan: she tells Marigold the truth about Stewart’s death (which Evan has hidden from Marigold), and Marigold realizes that she has been tricked and abused. As a result, Marigold murders Evan and then tries to kill herself.
Evan Pettyman Quotes in The Dressmaker
The The Dressmaker quotes below are all either spoken by Evan Pettyman or refer to Evan Pettyman. 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:
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Chapter 26
Quotes
'Then when he couldn't have his son anymore, I couldn't have you.' Molly wiped tears from her eyes and looked directly at Tilly. 'I went mad with loneliness for you, I'd lost the only friend I had, the only thing I had, but over the years I came to hope you wouldn't come back to this awful place.' She looked at her hands in her lap. 'Sometimes things just don't seem fair.'
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Chapter 27
Quotes
'Molly Dunnage came to Dungatar with a babe-in-arms to start a new life. She hoped to leave behind her troubles, but hers was a life lived with trouble travelling alongside and so Molly lived as discreetly as she possibly could in the full glare of scrutiny and torment. Her heart will rest easier knowing Myrtle again before she died.
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Chapter 28
Quotes
‘l used to be sick, Evan, you used to make me sick, but Tilly Dunnage has cured me.’
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Chapter 29
Quotes
Then her round soft babe was still and blue and wrapped in cotton-flannel and Molly, pained and cold in her rain-soaked coffin turned stiffly to her, and Teddy, sorghum-coated and gaping, clawing, a chocolate seed-dipped cadaver. Evan and Percival Almanac stood shaking their fingers at her and behind them the citizens of Dungatar crawled up The Hill in the dark, armed with firewood and flames, stakes and chains, but she just walked out to her veranda and smiled down at them and they turned and fled.
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Evan Pettyman Quotes in The Dressmaker
The The Dressmaker quotes below are all either spoken by Evan Pettyman or refer to Evan Pettyman. 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:
).
Chapter 26
Quotes
'Then when he couldn't have his son anymore, I couldn't have you.' Molly wiped tears from her eyes and looked directly at Tilly. 'I went mad with loneliness for you, I'd lost the only friend I had, the only thing I had, but over the years I came to hope you wouldn't come back to this awful place.' She looked at her hands in her lap. 'Sometimes things just don't seem fair.'
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Chapter 27
Quotes
'Molly Dunnage came to Dungatar with a babe-in-arms to start a new life. She hoped to leave behind her troubles, but hers was a life lived with trouble travelling alongside and so Molly lived as discreetly as she possibly could in the full glare of scrutiny and torment. Her heart will rest easier knowing Myrtle again before she died.
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Chapter 28
Quotes
‘l used to be sick, Evan, you used to make me sick, but Tilly Dunnage has cured me.’
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Chapter 29
Quotes
Then her round soft babe was still and blue and wrapped in cotton-flannel and Molly, pained and cold in her rain-soaked coffin turned stiffly to her, and Teddy, sorghum-coated and gaping, clawing, a chocolate seed-dipped cadaver. Evan and Percival Almanac stood shaking their fingers at her and behind them the citizens of Dungatar crawled up The Hill in the dark, armed with firewood and flames, stakes and chains, but she just walked out to her veranda and smiled down at them and they turned and fled.
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