# William Farren — Shirley character guide

> William Farren in Shirley by Charlotte Brontë.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** glorious William, William Farren, Farren, William, William Farren⁠—who

**First appearance:** 0017-xviii-which-the-genteel-reader-is-recommended-to-skip-low-persons-being-here-introduced

## Who they are

A proud, hungry mill-worker whose dignity in poverty forces the powerful to reckon with the human cost of their prosperity.

## In the story

### [Which the Genteel Reader Is Recommended to Skip, Low Persons Being Here Introduced](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/shirley_se/chapters/xviii-which-the-genteel-reader-is-recommended-to-skip-low-persons-being-here-introduced)

Seen with his children after leaving church; a decent, weather-beaten man who greets Shirley and Caroline.

### [XXV: The West Wind Blows](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/shirley_se/chapters/xxv-the-west-wind-blows)

Wheels Caroline's garden chair, shares interests in natural history, and shows sensitivity to being misjudged by Mrs. Pryor.

### [Written in the Schoolroom](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/shirley_se/chapters/xxxvi-written-in-the-schoolroom)

Helped Louis Moore investigate the dog's illness, asserting it was not mad.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/shirley_se/characters/william_farren
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/shirley_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/shirley_se/characters