# Mr. Stiggins — The Pickwick Papers character guide

> Mr. Stiggins in The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Stiggins, the reverend Mr. Stiggins, Stiggins, the Reverend Mr. Stiggins

**First appearance:** 0006-v

## Snapshot

A red-nosed evangelical minister whose pious unction barely conceals a devoted appetite for rum and the Weller household's hospitality.

## Who they are

Stiggins attaches himself to Mrs. Weller as her spiritual adviser, trading sanctimonious sermons for frequent access to her kitchen and cellar. His hypocrisy—praying loudly while drinking steadily—makes him a target of Tony Weller's blunt contempt and Sam's dry mockery. He represents the novel's satire of religious cant, and his presence in the Weller family circle complicates the elder coachman's domestic life.

## In the story

### [Samuel Weller makes a pilgrimage to Dorking, and beholds his mother-in-law](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_pickwick_papers_se/chapters/xxvii)

The red-nosed deputy shepherd, who enjoys tea and toast while being criticized by Tony Weller.

### [Mr. Weller the Elder Delivers Some Critical Sentiments Respecting Literary Composition; and, Assisted by His Son Samuel, Pays a Small Instalment of Retaliation to the Account of the Reverend Gentleman with the Red Nose](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_pickwick_papers_se/chapters/xxxiii)

Arrives drunk at the temperance meeting, causing a disturbance.

### [LII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_pickwick_papers_se/chapters/lii)

Visits to offer condolences but is thrown out by Tony Weller.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_pickwick_papers_se/characters/stiggins
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_pickwick_papers_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_pickwick_papers_se/characters