Mr. Weston Character Analysis in Agnes Grey

Mr. Weston is the new curate in the village nearest the Murrays’ country home, Horton Lodge. Less than a year before he took the position, his beloved mother died; he deals with his grief by throwing himself into his work and trying to better the lives of the poor villagers around him. Due to his religious sincerity, charitable works, and intellectual straightforwardness, Agnes clings to him as an image of human goodness while she is surrounded by status-seeking superficiality at the Murrays. Agnes quickly falls in love with him. Though Rosalie Murray attempts to make a “conquest” of Mr. Weston, Mr. Weston seems immune to her charms and bemused by her attention. A year after Agnes leaves her job with the Murrays, she and Mr. Weston run into one another by chance on the beach, and Mr. Weston reveals that—unable to work with the status-obsessed rector in the Murrays’ village, Mr. Hatfield—he has taken a curacy in a village near the school. He begins to call regularly on Agnes and her mother; eventually, he confesses his love to Agnes and asks her to marry him. They have three children and live simply and happily together.

Mr. Weston Quotes in Agnes Grey

The Agnes Grey quotes below are all either spoken by Mr. Weston or refer to Mr. Weston. 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:

Education, Authority, and Class Theme Icon

Habitual associates are known to exercise a great influence over each other’s minds and manners. Those whose actions are for ever before our eyes, whose words are ever in our ears, will naturally lead us, albeit against our will, slowly, gradually, imperceptibly, perhaps, to act and speak as they do.

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Mr. Weston

Page Number and Citation: 77

Explanation and Analysis:

As for the primroses, I kept two of them in a glass in my room until they were completely withered, and the housemaid threw them out; and the petals of the other I pressed between the leaves of my Bible—I have them still, and mean to keep them always.

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Agnes’s Father/Richard Grey, Agnes’s Mother/Alice Grey, Rosalie Murray, Mr. Weston

Related Symbols: Flowers

Page Number and Citation: 87

Explanation and Analysis:

I thought of the poor man and his one lamb, and the rich man with his thousand flocks; and I dreaded I knew not what for Mr Weston, independently of my own blighted hopes.

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Mr. Hatfield, Mr. Weston, Rosalie Murray

Page Number and Citation: 103

Explanation and Analysis:

If the mind be but well cultivated, and the heart well disposed, no one ever cares for the exterior. So said the teachers of our childhood; and so say we to the children of the present day. All very judicious and proper, no doubt; but are such assertions supported by actual experience?

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Mr. Weston, Rosalie Murray

Page Number and Citation: 107

Explanation and Analysis:

[B]esides my hope in God, my only consolation was in thinking that, though he knew it not, I was more worthy of his love than Rosalie Murray, charming and engaging as she was; for I could appreciate his excellence, which she could not: I would devote my life to the promotion of his happiness; she would destroy his happiness for the momentary gratification of her own vanity.

Related Characters: Agnes Grey (speaker), Rosalie Murray, Mr. Weston, Sir Thomas Ashby, Mr. Hatfield

Page Number and Citation: 113

Explanation and Analysis:

“It seems unnatural: but some people think rank and wealth the chief good; and, if they can secure that for their children, they think they have done their duty.”

“True: but is it not strange that persons of experience, who have been married themselves, should judge so falsely?”

Related Characters: Mr. Weston (speaker), Agnes Grey (speaker), Mrs. Murray, Rosalie Murray, Sir Thomas Ashby

Page Number and Citation: 119

Explanation and Analysis:

“I am not so presumptuous as to believe that […] though you tell it me; but if it were so, I am rather particular in my notions of a companion for life, and perhaps I might not find one to suit me among the ladies you mention.”

Related Characters: Mr. Weston (speaker), Agnes Grey

Page Number and Citation: 147

Explanation and Analysis:

Mr. Weston Character Timeline in Agnes Grey

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Weston appears in Agnes Grey. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...Mr. Hatfield has a new curate. When Agnes asks about him, Rosalie says the man, Mr. Weston , is an “ugly, stupid blockhead” and refuses to talk of him further. (full context)

...way back from church one Sunday, Rosalie asks what Agnes thinks of the new curate Mr. Weston . When Agnes points out that she hasn’t heard Mr. Weston preach yet, Rosalie asks... (full context)

...afternoon so that she can see Harry Meltham again and so that Agnes can hear Mr. Weston preach. In church, Agnes is struck by the pleasant contrast of Mr. Weston’s strong, simple,... (full context)

...either. When Rosalie asks what Agnes thinks of “him,” Agnes briefly thinks she’s asking about Mr. Weston and replies, “No harm still.” Rosalie, shocked, says he’s ever so much better now—and Agnes... (full context)

...Agnes has read a Gospel passage to Nancy, Nancy unexpectedly asks for Agnes’s opinion of Mr. Weston . When Agnes says that he preaches well, Nancy adds that he also speaks well—he... (full context)

...unhappy fears again, and he told her not to bother him. When the new curate Mr. Weston asked who she was, she overheard Mr. Hatfield call her an “old fool.” Yet the... (full context)

Nancy explains that Mr. Weston told her that Mr. Hatfield’s advice to attend church was correct but incomplete: church is... (full context)

Agnes asks whether Mr. Weston has visited Nancy since then. Nancy says that he has, though he is busy visiting... (full context)

...read to a poor cottager dying of tuberculosis, and both he and his wife praise Mr. Weston , who visits them often. They consider Mr. Weston immensely superior to Mr. Hatfield, who... (full context)

...was likely to make her a worse person as their flaws rubbed off on her. Mr. Weston offers her a new model of human behavior that is morally improving to think about.... (full context)

...fears gamekeepers will kill. After Agnes reads to Nancy and helps her with some sewing, Mr. Weston enters carrying the cat. He sees Agnes, bows to her, and gives the cat to... (full context)

...leave, Nancy tells her to stay until the rain that has started stops again. Meanwhile, Mr. Weston announces his intention to go, noting that “someone else” has been reading to Nancy. Nancy... (full context)

...on a bank. Agnes tries to pick them, but she can’t reach. To her surprise, Mr. Weston comes up behind her, asks to help, and gets the primroses for her. Agnes thanks... (full context)

Mr. Weston suggests that Agnes must derive comfort from having a home even if it’s far away.... (full context)

As Agnes walks, she thinks about Mr. Weston ’s words: having heard that his mother died before he came to the village, she... (full context)

...Lodge, Rosalie makes insinuations about why Agnes walks behind the group and why Agnes defends Mr. Weston when Rosalie criticizes him. Agnes tells Rosalie not to be silly. When Rosalie and Matilda... (full context)

...the consumptive man some money and reads to him. On her way out, she meets Mr. Weston coming in. They have a brief conversation—which she cherishes—and she continues on. A beaming Rosalie... (full context)

Mr. Weston approaches Agnes, notes she’s walking alone again, and asks what sort of people the girls... (full context)

Mr. Weston asks whether Agnes entertains herself by reading. She says she does, and for about half... (full context)

...church. Agnes accompanies her happily, for the service allows her to see and listen to Mr. Weston . The only shadow on her happiness is her fear that she’s insulting God by... (full context)

After church, Rosalie and Agnes wait under the covered porch for the carriage. When Mr. Weston comes out, Rosalie asks him to visit one of the Murrays’ sick cottagers. He agrees... (full context)

...propose to her at a ball next Tuesday—and so, before then, she means to conquer Mr. Weston . Agnes silently wishes that Mr. Weston could hear Rosalie’s talk. The next day, Rosalie... (full context)

...Green keeps writing Rosalie love letters, Harry Meltham keeps visiting, and Rosalie tries to ensnare Mr. Weston . Rosalie begins visiting the poor cottagers far more often, thus frequently running into Mr.... (full context)

After Rosalie and Matilda run into Mr. Weston one morning, Matilda tells Agnes—despite Rosalie’s attempts to shush her—that Mr. Weston asked after her... (full context)

Unfortunately, Mr. Weston is likely to move away soon, as he and Mr. Hatfield have differing approaches and... (full context)

...evening, Agnes visits Nancy Brown, apologizes for the hiatus in her visits, and asks about Mr. Weston . Nancy doesn’t know whether the rumors about him leaving are true either. That Sunday,... (full context)

...up, begins to visit poor cottagers with Agnes. One day, Matilda and Agnes run into Mr. Weston , who asks Matilda if she has heard from Rosalie. Matilda says yes—Rosalie has written... (full context)

When Matilda runs off after her dog, Agnes asks Mr. Weston whether he thinks Rosalie will be happy, and Mr. Weston says that he doesn’t know:... (full context)

Matilda returns. She and Agnes continue on their errand, and Mr. Weston on his. But on the way back, they run into him again, and he picks... (full context)

...Lodge. Two weeks after her return, while she is walking back from visiting Nancy Brown, Mr. Weston runs into her and asks sympathetically how her mother is doing. After Agnes explains their... (full context)

Mr. Weston asks whether Agnes will miss Matilda. Agnes says she probably will—after all, she misses Rosalie,... (full context)

Mr. Weston walks out of his way to accompany Agnes and talk with her. After they part,... (full context)

...better to working as a family’s employee as a governess, but she still thinks of Mr. Weston , hoping that his mention of them meeting again means he’ll write or visit. When... (full context)

...mother, but she’s surprised at the commentary. She knows that, having lost hope she’ll see Mr. Weston again or ever get to love someone, she has become deeply depressed—but now she chides... (full context)

...Agnes will help if she can. She also hopes that she might hear something about Mr. Weston . (full context)

Agnes works her way around to asking after Mr. Weston . Rosalie says she doesn’t know much, only that he left the Horton village church... (full context)

...Agnes picks Snap up, kisses him, and looks for his new owner, only to see Mr. Weston . (full context)

Mr. Weston greets Agnes, who to her own surprise maintains her composure. He accompanies her as she... (full context)

Agnes mentions that she had heard Mr. Weston left Horton. Mr. Weston says that he is working in a village parish two miles... (full context)

A lull falls in Agnes and Mr. Weston ’s conversation as they cross a crowded section of the seaside leading into town. Then... (full context)

...how flustered Agnes looks. Agnes collects herself and tells her mother that she ran into Mr. Weston , the former curate of Horton, on the seashore. She and Mr. Weston had a... (full context)

Mr. Weston begins visiting Agnes and her mother several times a week and becomes their close family... (full context)

A few weeks after, Agnes’s mother finds another teacher’s assistant, and Agnes marries Mr. Weston . She has yet to regret her decision. Though she and Mr. Weston have encountered... (full context)

Agnes Grey

Mr. Weston Character Analysis

Mr. Weston Quotes in Agnes Grey

Chapter 11: The Cottagers Quotes

Chapter 13: The Primroses Quotes

Chapter 15: The Walk Quotes

Chapter 17: Confessions Quotes

Chapter 18: Mirth and Mourning Quotes

Chapter 24: The Sands Quotes

Mr. Weston Character Timeline in Agnes Grey