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Walter Cromwell is Thomas Cromwell’s blacksmith father. At the beginning of the novel, he gives his son a beating that almost kills him and prompts him to run away from home. Thomas Cromwell seems to have inherited some of his father’s pugnaciousness—Cardinal Wolsey tells Cromwell that he reminds him of “one of those square-shaped fighting dogs that low men tow about on ropes.” However, Cromwell’s desire to be a different man than his father triumphs and he diverts his aggression into statecraft rather than giving in to irrational, violent rages. Walter was a harsh father to his children, and Thomas Cromwell desires to be the exact opposite. He ends up being a loving father to his children and a caring father figure to his many wards. Thomas Cromwell doesn’t see his father for many years after he runs away from home. Finally, after his son Gregory is born, he returns to Putney to see Walter, and he finds him unchanged. Walter is hostile and rude, and he mocks Cromwell for being a lawyer. When Cromwell tells him he has a son, Walter says he already has other grandchildren, implying that there is nothing special about Cromwell’s news. When the family gathers some years later, Cromwell is glad that Walter is dead because if he were alive, he would have certainly spoiled the occasion.
Walter Cromwell Quotes in Wolf Hall
The Wolf Hall quotes below are all either spoken by Walter Cromwell or refer to Walter Cromwell. 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:
).
Part 1: Chapter 1
Quotes
“So now get up!” Walter is roaring down at him, working out where to kick him next. […] “What are you, an eel?” his parent asks. He trots backward, gathers pace and aims another kick.
It knocks the last breath out of him; he thinks it may be his last. His forehead returns to the ground; he lies waiting, for Walter to jump on him. The dog, Bella, is barking, shut away in an outhouse. “I’ll miss my dog,” he thinks. […]
Inch by inch. Inch by inch forward. Never mind if he calls you an eel or a worm or a snake. Head down, don’t provoke him.
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Part 1: Chapter 3
Quotes
What he says about Gregory is, at least he isn’t like I was, when I was his age; and when people say, what were you like? he says, oh, I used to stick knives in people. Gregory would never do that; so he doesn’t mind—or minds less than people think—if he doesn’t really get to grips with declensions and conjugations. When people tell him what Gregory has failed to do, he says, “He’s busy growing.” He understands his need to sleep; he never got much sleep himself, with Walter stamping around, and after he ran away he was always on the ship or on the road, and then he found himself in an army.
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Part 3: Chapter 1
Quotes
[H]e hears a boy’s voice, speaking behind a half-open door: it is Mark, the lute-player. “…so for my skill he says he will prefer me to Lady Anne. And I shall be glad, because what is the use of being here when any day the king may behead the old fellow? I think he ought, for the cardinal is so proud. […] Yes, for sure the lawyer will come down with him. I say ‘lawyer,’ but who is he? Nobody knows. They say he has killed men with his own hands and never told it in confession. […] So when I am with Lady Anne she is sure to notice me, and give me presents.” A giggle. […] Then Mark: “She is no maid. Not she.” […]
One can do nothing with this. Except bear it in mind.
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Get the entire Wolf Hall LitChart as a printable PDF.
Walter Cromwell Quotes in Wolf Hall
The Wolf Hall quotes below are all either spoken by Walter Cromwell or refer to Walter Cromwell. 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:
).
Part 1: Chapter 1
Quotes
“So now get up!” Walter is roaring down at him, working out where to kick him next. […] “What are you, an eel?” his parent asks. He trots backward, gathers pace and aims another kick.
It knocks the last breath out of him; he thinks it may be his last. His forehead returns to the ground; he lies waiting, for Walter to jump on him. The dog, Bella, is barking, shut away in an outhouse. “I’ll miss my dog,” he thinks. […]
Inch by inch. Inch by inch forward. Never mind if he calls you an eel or a worm or a snake. Head down, don’t provoke him.
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Part 1: Chapter 3
Quotes
What he says about Gregory is, at least he isn’t like I was, when I was his age; and when people say, what were you like? he says, oh, I used to stick knives in people. Gregory would never do that; so he doesn’t mind—or minds less than people think—if he doesn’t really get to grips with declensions and conjugations. When people tell him what Gregory has failed to do, he says, “He’s busy growing.” He understands his need to sleep; he never got much sleep himself, with Walter stamping around, and after he ran away he was always on the ship or on the road, and then he found himself in an army.
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Part 3: Chapter 1
Quotes
[H]e hears a boy’s voice, speaking behind a half-open door: it is Mark, the lute-player. “…so for my skill he says he will prefer me to Lady Anne. And I shall be glad, because what is the use of being here when any day the king may behead the old fellow? I think he ought, for the cardinal is so proud. […] Yes, for sure the lawyer will come down with him. I say ‘lawyer,’ but who is he? Nobody knows. They say he has killed men with his own hands and never told it in confession. […] So when I am with Lady Anne she is sure to notice me, and give me presents.” A giggle. […] Then Mark: “She is no maid. Not she.” […]
One can do nothing with this. Except bear it in mind.
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Explanation and Analysis:
