# George Washington — Essays character guide

> George Washington in Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

**Role:** minor

**Also known as:** General Washington

**First appearance:** 0001-self-reliance

## Who they are

First President of the United States, cited as an example of heroic character.

## In the story

### [Heroism](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/emerson_essays_se/chapters/heroism)

Referenced as an example of one safely wrapped in his shroud, envied for being free from the meanness of contemporary politics.

### [Nominalist and Realist](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/emerson_essays_se/chapters/nominalist-and-realist)

Presented as an example of a person whose true greatness is unknowable and who 'looms and fades before the eternal,' illustrating the folly of fixating on individuals instead of universal principles.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/emerson_essays_se/characters/washington
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/emerson_essays_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/emerson_essays_se/characters