Nicholas Nickleby · Character

Arthur Gride

A withered, leering miser and moneylender whose greed makes him Ralph Nickleby's eager partner in a scheme to marry a young girl for her fortune.

supporting

Also known as Gride, old Arthur Gride, old Arthur, Arthur

First appearance: x

As a supporting figure in Nicholas Nickleby, Arthur Gride is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Proposes a scheme to marry Madeline Bray, offering to release her father from debt and revealing knowledge of a secret property she is entitled to.

In the storyMr. Ralph Nickleby has some confidential intercourse with another old friend. They concert between them a project, which promises well for both.Open this moment free

See Arthur Gride in Mr. Ralph Nickleby has some confidential intercourse with another old friend. They concert between them a project, which promises well for both.Book page

Free preview opens at this moment — character cards, Character Web, and themes sit beside the text as you read.

Gride hoards money in secret and gloats over the prospect of a forced marriage, cackling and rubbing his hands while Ralph Nickleby needles him about his jealousy and his age. When a young man bursts in to warn him off,…

Continue beside the text

The fuller portrait of Arthur Gride sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Arthur Gride in x

Character Web

21 connections

A slice of how Arthur Gride sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Ralph's criminal associates
Cheeryble circle and allies
Protagonist

+16 more in the full Character Web

Open in reader

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this scene, the emotional peak is the rare, unguarded happiness of the group, particularly John Browdie’s e…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

In the story

Arthur Gride appears across 6 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Mr. Ralph Nickleby has some confidential intercourse with another old friend. They concert between them a project, which promises well for both.
Proposes a scheme to marry Madeline Bray, offering to release her father from debt and revealing knowledge of a secret property she is entitled to.
Chapter LI
Old miser preparing for his wedding to Madeline Bray, singing a wedding song and selecting his bottle-green suit.
LIII
Triumphant and malicious, he taunts Nicholas and threatens to raise an alarm to drive him away.
The Crisis of the Project and Its Result
Nervously prepares for his wedding, fears Ralph, and is jealous of Nicholas's interference.
LVI
Cowardly and trembling, Gride is present during Ralph's rage and later becomes an unwilling accomplice.
How Ralph Nickleby's auxiliary went about his work, and how he prospered with it.
Referenced as the old man whose wedding was disrupted and who was tricked by Peg; his defeat is a source of malicious glee for Peg.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Arthur Gride unlock in the free preview.

See Arthur Gride in x

See Arthur Gride in Mr. Ralph Nickleby has some confidential intercourse with another old friend. They concert between them a project, which promises well for both.