Our Mutual Friend · Character

Riah

A kind Jewish moneylender who fronts Fledgeby's business, protects Jenny Wren, and is turned out with a black bag and a staff.

supporting

Also known as Mr. Riah, the Jew, Riah the Jew

First appearance: Lodgers in Queer Street

As a supporting figure in Our Mutual Friend, Riah is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Fledgeby's elderly Jewish servant, who tends a rooftop garden and hosts Lizzie Hexam and Jenny Wren.

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Riah is the gentle old man who keeps Fledgeby's counting-house and is dismissed with a scrawled note calling him an unthankful dog of a Jew. He accepts the blow with dignity, takes his few goods and his staff, and is taken in by Jenny Wren, his goddaughter in spirit. His kindness and his homelessness expose the cruelty of the respectable world that uses him as a screen, and his friendship with Jenny and Lizzie gives the novel its moral center.

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See Riah in Lodgers in Queer Street

Character Web

27 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Central characters and rivals
Minor characters and background figures
Lower-class and supporting figures

+22 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Rising action.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This scene is the dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak of Betty Higden’s life…

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In the story

Riah appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Mercury Prompting
Fledgeby's elderly Jewish servant, who tends a rooftop garden and hosts Lizzie Hexam and Jenny Wren.
Lodgers in Queer Street
Riah, the Jewish representative of Pubsey and Co., is treated with contempt by Fledgeby. He presents accounts and a list of debts, enduring Fledgeby's anti-Semitic remarks and maintaining a deferential demeanor.
A Respected Friend in a New Aspect
Visits Jenny Wren and accompanies her to the Six Jolly Fellowship Porters to deliver a paper from Lizzie Hexam.
The Same Respected Friend in More Aspects Than One
Referred to as 'the gentle Jew'; waits in the bar with Miss Abbey and Jenny Wren during the rescue.
Give a Dog a Bad Name, and Hang Him
Returns to the countinghouse and is immediately accused by Fledgeby of rushing to put in a bill of sale at Lammle's, bearing the burden of his master's schemes.
A Few Grains of Pepper
Referenced as the 'child of Israel' and 'Judah'; Jenny believes him hypocritical; Fledgeby suspects he has a dark motive regarding Lizzie.
Two Places Vacated
Leaves Pubsey and Co. after reflecting on the dishonor he brings to his faith, and goes home with Jenny Wren.

Chapter companion notes

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See Riah in Lodgers in Queer Street

See Riah in Mercury Prompting