Winesburg, Ohio

Winesburg, Ohio

by

Sherwood Anderson

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Winesburg, Ohio makes teaching easy.

Seth Richmond Character Analysis

A close friend and peer of George Willard. After the death of his father, Seth is raised by a struggling single mother who is unable to discipline him. Although the townspeople view Seth as stoic and wise, he feels lonely and adrift. He is envious of the status and sense of purpose that George’s newspaper job awards him. Seth grows even jealous when George announces his interest in Helen White, in whom he is also interested. He shares his plans to leave Winesburg with Helen in hopes that she will tell him not to go, but she encourages him to gain independence and leave their hometown. Seth does not achieve the sense of growth or resolution that George does by the novel’s conclusion and is left feeling as though George will find love but that he never will.
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Seth Richmond Character Timeline in Winesburg, Ohio

The timeline below shows where the character Seth Richmond appears in Winesburg, Ohio. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
14. The Thinker
Coming of Age, Independence, and Manhood Theme Icon
Grief Theme Icon
Seth Richmond, a teenage boy in Winesburg, lives in a large house with his mother that... (full context)
Coming of Age, Independence, and Manhood Theme Icon
Alienation Theme Icon
Faith, Fate, and Meaning Theme Icon
Seth is a quiet, lonely boy who wishes he could join the other teenagers who laugh... (full context)
Coming of Age, Independence, and Manhood Theme Icon
One day, George tells Seth that he is writing a book and has resolved to fall in love with the... (full context)
Coming of Age, Independence, and Manhood Theme Icon
Alienation Theme Icon
Walking around Winesburg, Seth feels envious of George’s rapport with the same townspeople from whom he feels alienated. He... (full context)
19. An Awakening
Coming of Age, Independence, and Manhood Theme Icon
The story pivots to George, who one night goes out with Seth Richmond and Art Wilson to the town pool hall where young men in Winesburg talk... (full context)
24. Sophistication
Coming of Age, Independence, and Manhood Theme Icon
...express his feelings for her, George commented that he used to think she would marry Seth Richmond but now knew that she would not. Amidst the loud spectacle of the fair,... (full context)