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Mr. Jobling / Mr. Weevle
Bart Smallweed is the grandson and Mr. Smallweed and Mrs. Smallweed and the brother of Judy Smallweed. He is a clerk is the same company as Mr. Guppy and a friend of Mr. Jobling’s. Bart is only 15 but has the cynical and worldly manner of a much older man. He has a small, wizened frame and has inherited his grandfather’s shrewd eye for business and his insatiable greed for wealth. Bart, like the rest of his family, is willing to step on people to get his own way and does not tell his friends anything because he does not want to give them an advantage over him. He was a mirthless child, who had no interest in toys or stories, and he does not have any high minded or noble thoughts but considers everything in terms of money and personal gain. The name “Smallweed” suggests something small, parasitic, and unpleasant, and this description is apt for every member of the family.
Bart Smallweed Quotes in Bleak House
The Bleak House quotes below are all either spoken by Bart Smallweed or refer to Bart Smallweed. 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 21 Quotes
Everything that Mr. Smallweed’s grandfather ever put away in his mind was a grub at first, and is a grub at last. In all his life he has never bred a single butterfly. The father of this pleasant grandfather, of the neighborhood of Mount Pleasant, was a horny-skinned, two-legged, money-getting species of spider, who spun webs to catch unwary flies, and retired into holes until they were entrapped. The name of this old pagan’s God was Compound Interest.
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Explanation and Analysis:
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Bart Smallweed Character Timeline in Bleak House
The timeline below shows where the character Bart Smallweed appears in Bleak House. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 20
Mr. Guppy’s colleague Bart Smallweed enters the office. He is only 15 but seems never to have been a...
(full context)
...he will wait, they can dine together. The group retire to a local inn where Bart Smallweed fancies the middle-aged waitress. He is a strange, wizened little man, who seems to...
(full context)
...that Krook’s previous lodger died in the room but Mr. Jobling seems unconcerned by this. Bart Smallweed goes ahead to Krook’s to see if he is in, while Mr. Guppy pays...
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Bart Smallweed leaves them, and Mr. Guppy and Mr. Jobling go on to Krook’s shop. They...
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Chapter 21
Bart Smallweed lives with his elderly grandparents in a spot called Mount Pleasant. Mrs. Smallweed is...
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...his chair, near a cushion which he often throws at his wife to silence her. Bart’s sister, Judy, sets the table behind them. She says that Bart will be home in...
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...never played with dolls or other children, and she almost never laughs. Neither Judy nor Bart know any fairy tales. As Judy serves tea, Mr. Smallweed asks who the serving girl...
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Bart arrives home and tells them where he has been, and Mr. Smallweed praises him for...
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...pays his monthly interest on his debt. Judy reluctantly gets his pipe and she and Bart leave the room.
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Chapter 32
...Guppy throws open the window. Mr. Guppy tells Mr. Weevle that he has not told Bart about their plan because he does not trust his grandfather; Mr. Weevle agrees this is...
(full context)
Chapter 33
...the Sol’s Arms and Mr. Guppy reluctantly does so, with Mr. Weevle’s help. Judy and Bart follow, accompanied by Mrs. Smallweed. They deposit Mr. Smallweed in an armchair and he says...
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...and Mr. Smallweed swears at her. Mr. Guppy and Mr. Weevle are rather indignant that Bart never told them of this relation. They help carry Mr. Smallweed up through Krook’s shop...
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