# Milton K. Rogers — The Rise of Silas Lapham character guide

> Milton K. Rogers in The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Rogers, Milton Rogers, Mr. Rogers

**First appearance:** 0000-i

## Snapshot

Silas Lapham's smooth former partner, a man whose charm and plausible schemes keep drawing Lapham back toward a debt he would rather forget.

## Who they are

Rogers once stood beside Lapham in the paint business, and the terms of their parting left a stain Lapham cannot quite scrub out. Now he reappears with fresh propositions, pressing his old associate to go in deeper on ventures Lapham distrusts but feels he cannot refuse. His presence turns Lapham's prosperity into a moral ledger, forcing the reader to ask whether the Colonel's fortune was ever clean and what he owes to the man who helped build it.

## In the story

### [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/iii)

Appears unexpectedly at the construction site; his encounter with the Laphams stirs up past grievances about the dissolution of their partnership.

### [Chapter X](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/x)

Visits Lapham to borrow money, leading to a reconciliation; his stocks are low but Lapham holds them as security.

### [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xx)

Mentioned in Lapham's discussion about a failed business deal involving the G.L. & P. mills.

### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xxi)

Proposes a scheme to sell the mills to English parties, but Lapham suspects dishonesty.

### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_rise_of_silas_lapham_se/chapters/xxv)

Arranges a meeting between Lapham and English investors for a land scheme; later visits Lapham's office.

## Links

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