Character: Patrick Sellar

Character: Patrick Sellar

Overview

• Patrick Sellar is a historical figure who features in The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil as a representation of the perpetrators of the Highland Clearances.
• Despite being a single character, he symbolises the larger force of greed and exploitation that led to the Clearances.

Character Traits

• Sellar is depicted as callous and unsympathetic towards the plights of the Highlanders, viewing them merely as obstacles in the way of progress. This behaviour is particularly evident in his treatment of the households he evicts.
• He comes across as ambitious, striving to modernise the Scottish Highlands according to his view of progress, and willing to use any means to achieve this, regardless of the human cost.

Role in the Play

• Portrayed as a villain, Sellar embodies the play’s critique of the effects of capitalism, economic opportunism, and displacement.
• His ruthless evictions exploit and marginalise the Highlanders, serving as a narrative tool to highlight the systematic oppression suffered by the people during the Highland Clearances.

Relationship with Other Characters

• Sellar’s relationship with the Highlanders is one of dominance and control. He exercises power over them, controlling their livelihoods and homes, reflecting the broader socio-economic power structures.
• There is generally no sympathy or understanding between Sellar and the Highlanders, emphasising the class struggle inherent in the play’s narrative.

Significance

• Sellar’s character is significant in the portrayal of the Historic Injustice suffered by the Highlanders. His actions and resulting consequences bring to light the long-lasting effects of the Clearances on the Highlands’ economy and culture.
• As a symbol, Sellar allows the play to show the ongoing cycles of exploitation and how similar patterns of behaviour continue into the present with issues like the exploitation of North Sea oil.