Name: Gohil Umaba
B
Roll No:
15
Email id: Umabagohil123@gmail.com
Paper No: Victorian literature
Topic: Theme of the novel “Middle March”
Theme of the novel Middlemarch
1.
The imperfection of marriage
Most characters in Middlemarch marry
for love rather than obligation yet marriage is still appears negative and unromantic.
marriage and the pursuit of it are
central concern in Middlemarch but unlike in many novels
of the time , marriage is
considered the ultimate source of happiness . Two examples are the failed marriages
of Dorothea and Lydgate. dorotheas’s marriage
is failed because of her youth
and of her disillusions about
marrying a much older man , while lydgate’s marriage fails
because of irreconcilable personalities
. Mr and mgrs. Bulstrode also face a
material crisis due to his
inability to tell her about past and fred vincy and Mary garth also face a great deal of
hardships in making their union .as none of the marriage reach a perfect fairy-tale ending , Middlemarch offers a
clear critique of the usual
portrayal of marriage as a romantic unproblematic.
marriage
is one of the major themes in Middlemarch as according to critic Francis George Steiner
both principle plots are case studies of unsuccessful marriage
within this account is suggestion
that the lives of dorothea and lydgate
are unfilled because of these
disastrous marriage . this is
arguably more the case
for lydgate than for dorothea ,
Who obtains a second chance through
her eventual marriage to will
ladislaw, however a favourable
interpretation of this marriage
is dependent upon the character of ladislaw
himself, whom numerous critics have viewed
as dorothea’s sister CeliaBrooke
to sir James chettam and more
significantly fred Vinci’s courting
of Mary garth will not accept
fred until he abandons the church
and settles on a more suitable career .
2. The harshness
of social expectations
The ways in which people conduct themselves
and how the community judges them are closely linked in Middlemarch. when
the expectations of the social
community are not met , individuals often
receive harsh public criticism .for example the community judges ladislaw
harshly because of his mixed
pedigree . Fred vincy is almost disowned because he chooses to go against his family’s
wishes and not join clergy. It is only when vincygoes againstthe wishes of the
community by foregoing hid education that he finds true love and happiness.
Finally rosamond;s need for gentility
and the desire to live up to social standards becomes her downfall.incontrast
,dorothea’s decision to act against the rules of society allows her to emerge
as the most respectable character in the end.
3. Self –determination vs. Chance
In
Middlemarch self-determination and chance are not opposing forces but rather a complicated
balancingact. Whencharacters strictly adhere to a belief in either chance or
self-determination, bad things happen. When rosamond goes against the wishes of
her husband and writes a letter asking for money from his relative, her act of self-determination
puts Lydgate in an unsavoury and tense situation coupled with a refusal to
help. On the flipside, when a fred vincy gambles away his money, relying solely
on chance, he falls into debt and drags with him the people who trust him only
when he steps away from gambling and decides not to go into a clergy do good
things begin to happen for him.in particular, the character of fare brother
demonstrates the balance between fate and self-determination. This balance is
exemplified in his educate gamble in the game of whist through combination of
skill and chance; he is able to win more often than not. His character strikes
a balance between chance and role in determining that fate. The complexity of
the tension between self-determination and chance is exemplary of the way in
which the novel as a whole tends to look at events from many vantage points
with no clear right or wrong, no clear enemy or hero.
4. Responsibility
This
is major theme ofFred’s story and he must become responsible for his fiancés and
his choices. Will does too certain extent. Both men must learn how to rely on
themselves, not infringe upon others and how to become independent in many
ways.
5. Stubbornness
A big issue of character. Rosamond is extremelystubborn,
meaning that if things aren’t done her way. She will go behind other people’s
back to do things the way she thinks they should be done. Societal stubbornness
is responsible for Lydgate s failure with his medical practice; people want
what they want for whatever reason, which means that they are blind to things
that might be best for them.
6. Prejudice
A theme that Lydgate and will ladislaw cannot
seem to beat. People in Middlemarch dislikeanyone who is not from Middlemarch,
or anyone whose reputation seems questionable. Will and lydgate are both a good
people , but it is initial prejudice , sometimes based on invalid or
circumstantial reasons, that means that they are never liked or accepted in Middlemarch.
7 Love
Love
keeps people to gather or the lack or it lets them drift apart. Those who are
truly in love like will and Dorothea. Mary and Fred are bound together by it,
and are veryalike in temperament and outlook. Those who lack it like lydgate
and rosamond, Casaubon and dorothea are ill-suited to each other inmarriage and
are very disappointed by their unions .
8.
Unity of Middlemarch
The
decisions made by every person in Middlemarch seem to have direct effect on at
least one other person’sMary’s decision to marry Fred means that fare brothers
is without a wife. dorothea‘s decision to choose Casaubon leads sir James to
choose Celia. Balustrade’s dirty dealing with regard to raffes mean disgrace to
both Lydgate and will ladislaw. Everyone in Middlemarch is intimately connected,
and it seems that no one can move around without disturbing someone else.
.9.
Social position
Social position means a
great deal in Middlemarch. it means how much respect a person gets , how people
treats them , how they regarded , etc.
people of high status are
generally treated more delicately than people with little money
, like lydgate and will ladislaw . Birth and connections are also important in
determining a person’splace, and also what benefits they will receive from
society.
10. Family
obligation
People within
the novel have varying ideas of
family obligation in the novel , though
it is strong force in Middlemarch
society .mr.featherstone;s relation believes
that she must help and advise
her family in order to show a support . SirJamesshows
his regard for his family by being a very protective andconstant advisor as well.
Casaubon dispenses of his obligation throughmoney. And bulstrode attempts also
to do the same.
11. Pride
This is something which both helps and hinders
many people in thebook, and is most applicable toDorothea,will, ladislaw and Lydgate.
WithLydgate, pride is a tumbling block, something that keeps him from putting
his affairs in order, and sometimes doing what is necessary in his marriage and
practice. dorothea and will’s pride is
more involved in who they are personally
neither of them likes to be regarded
poorly , will defend themselves and
their decisions if needed, and follow their own course with regard to everything.
12. Societal
expectations
Closely
linked tosociety‘s hierarchy are ideas about howeveryone should act in certain situation.
Lydgate proposes to rosamond because societyexpects that he should do it.
Dorothea is pushed to live with someone else marry again after she is widowed,
because society expects that it is right. People don’t necessarily follow these
expectations, nor should they; but they do exist and play a part in people’s
lives
13. Progress
Much
ischanging in the world of middlemarch; English society evolving in social,economic,
technology areas. Socially ideas of gender and class are in flux, as women are
proving more competent and the industrial revolution is causing a greater
amount of social mobility. The economy of England is changing , from aristocratic ,
inheritance based system of holding wealth and land , to one based on commerce
, business and manufacturing . Technology is also changing, in Medicalscience,
and in areas like transportation, and these are changes that are beginning to
sweep through Middlemarch.
14. Money
Money
is the root of manyevils, but much good in the novel. lydgate gets desperate for want of it , fred despairs when
he has little , dorothea becomes
generous when she has too much , and the garths saves carefully
since their money is limited . Money has profound effect on character within
the novel, and though many people are judge by how much money they have, many
of the best people in the novel, like will ladislaw and fare brothers ,
have very little.
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