Bede, Seth

A Methodist carpenter, Adam Bede's younger brother; a gentle and unselfish man, devoted to Adam. "The next workman is Adam's brother. He is nearly as tall ; he has the same type of features, the same hue of hair and complexion ; but the strength of the family likeness seems only to render more conspicuous the remarkable difference of expression both in form and face. Seth's broad shoulders have a slight stoop ; his eyes are grey ; his eyebrows have less prominence and more repose than his brother's ; and his glance, instead of being keen, is confiding and benignant. He has thrown off his paper cap, and you see that his hair is not thick and straight, like Adam's, but thin and wavy, allowing you to discern the exact contour of a coronal arch that predominates very decidedly over the brow." Less able and ambitious than his energetic elder brother, he is characterized chiefly by his strong religious convictions and his capacity for loyal affection. From the beginning he is in love with Dinah Morris, and more than once asks her to marry him. When he finds that Adam himself is in love with Dinah, he does what he can to help his brother's suit, and later finds his chief happiness in his affection for Dinah and Adam and their children. It was universally recognized that the original of Seth Bede was George Eliot's uncle, Samuel Evans. He was a zealous Methodist, and married Elizabeth Tomlinson, the original of Dinah Morris.

<em>Adam Bede</em>

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