A close friend and peer of George Willard. After the death of his father, Seth is raised by a struggling single mother who is unable to discipline him. Although the townspeople view Seth as stoic and wise, he feels lonely and adrift. He is envious of the status and sense of purpose that George’s newspaper job awards him. Seth grows even jealous when George announces his interest in Helen White, in whom he is also interested. He shares his plans to leave Winesburg with Helen in hopes that she will tell him not to go, but she encourages him to gain independence and leave their hometown. Seth does not achieve the sense of growth or resolution that George does by the novel’s conclusion and is left feeling as though George will find love but that he never will.