Persuasion
Sir Walter Elliot
Anne’s vain father
The baronet of Kellynch Hall, whose vanity about his looks and his rank has run the family into debt.
Sir Walter Elliot is a widower of forty-eight who reads his own entry in the Baronetage with deep satisfaction. In the story’s first line, vanity is described as the beginning and end of his character. He cares about rank, good looks and an impressive appearance, and he despises the navy for aging men before their time.
He is easily flattered, and he relies on Elizabeth and Mrs. Clay for company. He cannot bring himself to live within his means. When Mr. Shepherd and Lady Russell tell him that the debts are pressing, he calls retrenchment a surrender of Kellynch’s dignity, but he finally agrees to let the house and move to Bath.
“Few men of forty and eight can boast so well-preserved a countenance.”
In the story
Contains spoilers.
Sir Walter takes Elizabeth and Mrs. Clay to Bath and sets his heart on being seen with the titled Lady Dalrymple. When Mr. William Elliot reappears and is flattering, Sir Walter welcomes him. He scolds Anne for visiting Mrs. Smith in Westgate Buildings and cares nothing for her feelings.
When Wentworth returns as a rich captain, Sir Walter and Elizabeth readily approve him, since his fortune makes him presentable. Sir Walter’s worth, in the end, is measured by the same things he always measured.
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