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Miss Lavinia Lyte
Merchant Lyte is one of the wealthiest and most successful men in Boston. The patriarch of the powerful Lyte family, he lives with only his adult daughter, Miss Lavinia (most other family members in Boston are deceased). He has a face like melting tallow, something Johnny later learns is because Merchant Lyte is extremely ill. Johnny has reservations about Merchant Lyte from their first meeting, but Merchant Lyte soon proves himself to be classist, selfish, and greedy—he wrongfully accuses Johnny of stealing a silver cup with the Lyte family crest on it and, in court, asks the judge for the death penalty to send a message to impertinent apprentices everywhere. Though Merchant Lyte loses his case, he later steals Johnny’s cup from him anyway. After this, Johnny sees little of the old man except when he returns to Boston from his country home, gravely ill after a Whig mob attempted to murder him. Much later, Miss Lavinia tells Johnny the truth (that Johnny’s cup truly is his, and that Johnny is a family member) and insists that Merchant Lyte didn’t genuinely want to trick or hurt Johnny. Johnny, however, is unconvinced, despite her promise to get this in writing so Johnny can pursue property claims after the war is over.
Merchant Lyte Quotes in Johnny Tremain
The Johnny Tremain quotes below are all either spoken by Merchant Lyte or refer to Merchant Lyte. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 4
Quotes
Rab was obviously a Whig. ‘I can stomach some of the Tories,’ he went on, ‘men like Governor Hutchinson. They honestly think we’re better off to take anything from the British Parliament—let them break us down, stamp in our faces, take all we’ve got by taxes, and never protest. […] But I can’t stand men like Lyte, who care nothing for anything except themselves and their own fortune. Playing both ends against the middle.’
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Chapter 8
Quotes
Johnny liked the old woman all the better that in the end she had been unable to see a considerate master, whom she had served for thirty years, a young woman whom she had taken care of since she was a baby, humiliated, tossed about, torn by a mob. Sam Adams might respect her the less for this weakness. Johnny respected her more.
‘It’s no good to me. We’ve… moved on to other things.’
‘But it isn’t stealing to take back what Mr. Lyte stole from you.’
‘I don’t want it.’
‘What?’
‘No. I’m better off without it. I want nothing of them. Neither their blood nor their silver… I’ll carry that hamper for you, Cil. Mr. Lyte can have the old cup.
‘But your mother?’
‘She didn’t like it either.’
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Chapter 9
Quotes
Johnny knew he longed to own [Goblin] himself. He could, any moment, by merely saying ‘commandeer.’ And Johnny knew he never would say it.
From that day he and Johnny spent hours together jumping or exercising horses. Johnny almost worshiped him for his skill and almost loved him, because, ever and anon, he looked so much like Rab; but still it was only where horses were concerned they were equals. Indoors he was rigidly a British officer and a ‘gentleman’ and Johnny an inferior. This shifting about puzzled Johnny. It did not seem to puzzle the British officer at all.
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Merchant Lyte Quotes in Johnny Tremain
The Johnny Tremain quotes below are all either spoken by Merchant Lyte or refer to Merchant Lyte. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 4
Quotes
Rab was obviously a Whig. ‘I can stomach some of the Tories,’ he went on, ‘men like Governor Hutchinson. They honestly think we’re better off to take anything from the British Parliament—let them break us down, stamp in our faces, take all we’ve got by taxes, and never protest. […] But I can’t stand men like Lyte, who care nothing for anything except themselves and their own fortune. Playing both ends against the middle.’
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8
Quotes
Johnny liked the old woman all the better that in the end she had been unable to see a considerate master, whom she had served for thirty years, a young woman whom she had taken care of since she was a baby, humiliated, tossed about, torn by a mob. Sam Adams might respect her the less for this weakness. Johnny respected her more.
‘It’s no good to me. We’ve… moved on to other things.’
‘But it isn’t stealing to take back what Mr. Lyte stole from you.’
‘I don’t want it.’
‘What?’
‘No. I’m better off without it. I want nothing of them. Neither their blood nor their silver… I’ll carry that hamper for you, Cil. Mr. Lyte can have the old cup.
‘But your mother?’
‘She didn’t like it either.’
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 9
Quotes
Johnny knew he longed to own [Goblin] himself. He could, any moment, by merely saying ‘commandeer.’ And Johnny knew he never would say it.
From that day he and Johnny spent hours together jumping or exercising horses. Johnny almost worshiped him for his skill and almost loved him, because, ever and anon, he looked so much like Rab; but still it was only where horses were concerned they were equals. Indoors he was rigidly a British officer and a ‘gentleman’ and Johnny an inferior. This shifting about puzzled Johnny. It did not seem to puzzle the British officer at all.
Related Characters:
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Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
