Chapter 78:
Summary:
Will and Rosamond are shocked at being found, and in a way that would look bad to Dorothea. Will realizes suddenly what Rosamond was trying to do; Rosamond wanted it to look like Will loved her, and kept him around in order to create this impression. He blows up at her, especially when she tries her methods that usually work on Lydgate. But her ways of quietly manipulating fail with Will; he gets very angry when she intimates that Will loves her, and says that the only woman he loves, or could think of loving, was Dorothea. Rosamond is very hurt, and her illusions and vanity are finally shattered. Will was a bit harsh toward her, but this was a lesson that she desperately needed, and hopefully it will do her good.
Analysis:
Finally, Rosamond's vanity has backfired on her; for the first time, she has seen that not everyone she meets is instantly in love with her, and not all men find her irresistible. Her little fantasy of Will loving her over Dorothea has been shattered, and it is a very harsh, but very necessary blow to her. She needs to get over her vanity and become a real human being; but, chances are, she will only become more melancholy, and more blaming of her poor husband. How shallow Rosamond must be that one man saying that he loves someone other than her shatters her whole world, and makes her violently ill. But though her family and her husband will tolerate her and her delusions, the rest of the world will not, as she very reluctantly finds.
Will has never before expressed his love so forcefully or explicitly; this is a great step for him, meaning that he has gotten over his pride at last seeing her enough to admit openly that he loves her. Will wants to be with Dorothea more than ever, especially because she might be lost to him forever because of the little incident with Rosamond. But Will's drive, the force of his love, and Dorothea's love in return mean that in all likelihood they will end up together. Fate has a way of working among the people of Middlemarch, that hopefully will not leave a deserving couple like Will and Dorothea in want of love and happiness.
Chapter 79:
Summary:
Lydgate puts Rosamond to bed, still not totally aware of what has caused her distress. Will comes over, but Rosamond has not mentioned Will's visit earlier in the day; Will makes no mention of it to Lydgate either. Lydgate tells Will a bit of what has been going on, and that his name has also been mixed up in the proceedings. Will is not surprised, and almost does not care, because he thinks that Dorothea has already given up on him. When Lydgate mentions Dorothea's name, he notices that Will has a very peculiar reaction; he suspects that there is something between the two, and in this, he is correct.
Analysis:
Even more interesting than what is said in this chapter, is what is left unsaid by the characters. Will leaves out his crucial information regarding Rosamond's "illness," and the major part he played in that; Rosamond does not tell her husband that Dorothea has been there, when this is information of the utmost importance. Will does not tell Lydgate that he too was offered money by Bulstrode, but was lucky enough to refuse it. Perhaps all these facts will come out, but perhaps not; if they do come out, they might do some minor damage or nothing at all, depending upon context and situation. Secrets have a peculiar way of acting, once they are out; it can never be predicted, especially in Middlemarch, what will come out, and what harm, if any, it will cause.
Chapter 80:
Summary:
Dorothea goes over to the Farebrothers' house, which she does very often; her visits keep her from being lonely, and also keep her from criticisms that she needs a companion. But, when Will comes up, she suddenly feels that she must leave; that evening, she finally realizes that she loved Will, although she fears that this love has been lost. By the morning, she has put aside all the remorse and anger of the previous evening; she also begins to wear new clothes, symbolic of lesser mourning, since it has been a year since Casaubon died. She resolves to go and see Rosamond again, and to offer help as she meant to do the day before.
Analysis:
At last, both Will and Dorothea have declared their love openly; the only question that remains is whether they will be united. Unrequited love is a theme that comes up in the book on occasion, usually with reference to Farebrother and his love for Mary. At this point, though, both of them feel their love is unrequited, which makes their situation all the more desperate.
The irony of their situations is that neither realizes the extent of their love until they think they have lost it. Dorothea's finally realizes that her love has been a "very little seed" that has grown and grown in her, which it has taken until then to notice; the metaphor betrays how she has treasured it, and how slowly but steadily it has taken hold and grown. Will realizes that Dorothea might well be the only woman he could ever love, and curses himself for losing his chance. But, there are still barriers between Dorothea and Will. Dorothea is angry, and her good opinion of Will offended, by the thought that Will loves Rosamond too. Will is proud, and his reputation is not the best, which he fears might have driven her away.
It is a paradox inherent in Dorothea that she can feel so passionately one moment, and then be so collected the next; she feels great love for Will, which is replaced by great anger, which is replaced by a mature calmness, all within the course of hours. Dorothea is a great deal more mature than at the beginning of the novel, when she was mired in illusion and naivete, which have since been chiseled away. She is able to set aside her anger and hate for both Will and Rosamond, and consider how best she can help them and Lydgate; it takes a great deal of strength to do what Dorothea is doing, and again she is proving herself a noble, worthy person.
Chapter 81:
Summary:
Dorothea finds Lydgate at home, and Lydgate thanks her for giving him the money with which to pay his debt to Bulstrode. Dorothea is only too happy to have been of service; she asks him in Rosamond is in, and finds Lydgate completely unaware of what went on the previous day. Rosamond is wary at the visit, but receives her anyway, and finds her quite different from the day before, though perhaps troubled. Dorothea reassures her that her husband is a good person, and is still welcomed in Middlemarch by people of character and influence, like herself, Sir James, Mr. Brooke, and Mr. Farebrother.
Dorothea then proceeds to speak about marriage, trying to address Rosamond and Lydgate's marriage in the process. Dorothea hits on some of her own sadness though, and her anguish at the whole debacle with Will becomes apparent. Dorothea convinces Rosamond that Lydgate loves her very much, and that she needs to give the marriage a chance, because she still has his love; this cheers Rosamond up a bit, though her mind is still dazed from the previous day. Rosamond feels that she should clarify the situation with Will, so Rosamond tells her that Will was only there to explain that he loved someone other than Rosamond, and always would. Rosamond tells her this to try and exonerate herself somewhat, although Dorothea takes this statement as an expression of sympathy and goodness on Rosamond's part. Then, Lydgate enters, and the two part; neither can hold anything against the other anymore, and both their minds have been eased.
Analysis:
This chapter is a turning point for Rosamond, and for Dorothea as well. Rosamond finally accepts the blow to her vanity that Will caused her, and does not let her offended vanity get in the way of telling Dorothea the truth, to ease her mind. Rosamond is not completely over the shock of the previous day, but at least she is able to let go of her pain long enough to show some emotion and talk with Dorothea, who she had focused her anger on after Will's slight.
It also seems that Rosamond might take Dorothea's advice on her marriage; she seems to have a moment of realization that her husband does care for her, and that maybe she needs to make her marriage more of a marriage. Hopefully, after this conversation, she will not treat him with such contempt and disregard; and also, she will hopefully not go back to her old, proud, vain ways, which caused her so much misery. But whether Rosamond will truly be able to get over her materialism is another issue completely. Hopefully, she will have learned that having Lydgate is more important than having nice things, but then again, lessons do not come very easily to poor Rosamond.
Here, Dorothea hits a peak of care for others, and her ability to transcend her own feelings in order to help others is admirable. But, at the same time, her ability to remember and value her own feelings is something new for her; she has broken the old habit of the Casaubon days to put other people first, which sometimes resulted in her own neglect and unhappiness. It seems that Dorothea is learning how to balance her interests in other people's welfare with her own, and how not to discount herself in light of other, pressing interests.
Chapter 82:
Summary:
Will debates with himself whether he should leave Middlemarch altogether after the events of the previous day; in the end, he decides he cannot leave after making some amends to Rosamond after her shock. He is sorry that he got so angry at her, but at the same time, does not want to come straight out and apologizeespecially since this would mean that he would have to explain what happened to Lydgate, which is undesirable. Will does end up going, and is as affable as he can be to Rosamond, without betraying what went on before. Rosamond gives Will a note, saying that Dorothea has been told the truth about what happened; Will is somewhat relieved, but is worried about what might have transpired between Rosamond and Dorothea.
Analysis:
With everything that Will has been through, the fact that he still has affection for Dorothea at this point, and wants desperately to see her, is certainly a positive thing. At the least, they are bound to make amends; Will's desire to see her, and Dorothea's wish to set things right, strongly foreshadow a meeting between them, hopefully a cordial one. Rosamond still has not fully recovered, as Will sees from her note; it is written in an honest, but wounded and pouting, tone, but still sharpens Will's desire to see Dorothea. At least Rosamond has told Will, which represents another positive step on her part, but she still has some distance left to go in mending herself.
Chapter 83:
Summary:
Dorothea is too agitated to set herself at any one task; she tries to memorize places on a map, before Miss Noble comes in, to greet her. Miss Noble tells her that Will is there, waiting outside, to greet her; Dorothea decides that she cannot turn him away, and has him sent into her. Dorothea is a little formal in her greeting to Will; he still cannot fathom whether she loves him or not. Will speaks to her carefully, hoping that she was not offended by the gossip attaching him to Bulstrode; Dorothea, however, knows that he has acted correctly in all things, and brightens up with affection. Will tries to say goodbye, but then is affected by passion; he says they cannot be together, yet it is a cruel thing. Dorothea decides that she cannot let him go again; she would rather give up the wealth that Casaubon has left her and go with Will, with the aid of her own fortune to support them.
Analysis:
The storm in this chapter is highly symbolic; it represents all the barriers in the world to Will and Dorothea's relationship. Dorothea and Will's notice of the storm happens concurrently with the turn of their relationship to the future, and whether they can stay together. Many factors have tried to keep Will and Dorothea apart; Casaubon's spite when he was alive and as he showed in his will, Will's questionable reputation as an outsider and someone of lower class, the objection of all Dorothea's friends and relatives to the relationship, and Will's lack of money. The storm represents the immediacy of all these concerns in their decision whether or not to stay together.
Here, both Will's and Dorothea's passionate natures are inflamed by the possibility that they might be driven apart. They are similar in their show of concern for their possible union, but at the same time, both have finally learned to let passion overrule pride and any social concerns that might stand between them. This moment displays the course of change that Dorothea has been through in the novel; she began as one ruled by restraint, duty, and societal ideals, and she is at this moment only ruled by her own emotions and fervent wishes. Dorothea has truly become herself, and learned how to make decisions that will improve her life and make her happy.
Chapter 84:
Summary:
Mr. Brooke, Sir James, Celia, and the Cadwalladers are all assembled at Sir James' home. Mr. Brooke has news to tell them of Dorothea and Will, and their impending marriage. Sir James is very angry, and objects strongly; he wants to try and protect Dorothea as he should have protected her from her marriage with Casaubon, though this time she does not need help. The others only consider Will's reputation and his money situation in evaluating the worth of the union; everyone still has a great deal of prejudice against Will, and much concern for Dorothea. Sir James sends Celia to go and talk her, but Dorothea is steadfast in her decision. Celia hopes for the best, though still, no one is very positive about the marriage.
Analysis:
In this chapter, Sir James, though he is a decent man, represents all the societal attitudes that have wronged Will Ladislaw, Will's mother, and Will's grandmother. He is a symbol of the strict ideals of marriage confirming status and class, and of the society who condemns women for marrying men whom they love, when those men have little property or renown. The irony is, that none of these women needed protection from their husbands, nor did they deserve to be disowned for making such a match. Sir James, however, is too consumed with the idea that Will is a lowlife, and that Dorothea has been taken in, to see the truth of the situation.
It seems that fate was at work in Dorothea's life, even in her marriage to Casaubon. She was destined to cross paths with Will, and end up with him; he is her one true love, and she is his. Also, from the moment that she found the portrait of Will's grandmother Julia, she has had a romantic and sympathetic disposition toward Julia's story and the consequences of her union. Dorothea already knew from the story what sacrifices that women in that situation had to make, and how they were treated. However, it seems that from the moment she learned of Julia, she was destined to relive her history. And Will too, whose father and grandfather were both worthy but poor and married women of higher rank and money, also seemed destined by family history to do the same. But perhaps the cycle of disentailment of heirs from these marriages, and of social consequences for the people in them, will end; and then the cycle of suffering and unjustness that started with Will's grandmother and has been his legacy will finally end.
Dorothea and Celia are juxtaposed in this chapter, to clarify their characters. Previously, Celia seemed the far more sensible one of the two; however, Dorothea has learned and grown beyond what Celia could have imagined, and now seems to surpass her sister in sense and in worldly concerns. Dorothea has certainly turned out to be the more open-minded, free-spirited one of the two, and has shed her religious-like fervor and piety. Celia, in comparison, does not seem quite as great as she once did; but, Celia is at least herself and has found her own way as well, even if she is not as wise and as driven as her sister.
Chapter 85:
Summary:
Bulstrode is getting ready to leave Middlemarch, since he cannot bear the scorn and shame of being there any longer. His wife has been constant, but at the same time, she has been worn down by grief and remorse in the past few months. She would like to do something nice for her family before she goes away; they decide to give the management of Stone Court to Fred, and a decent income, so that he may be able to save some money.
Analysis:
Bulstrode, though he has suffered, still has the idea that he is some sort of martyr, unfairly persecuted for his past sins. Bulstrode regrets that all of this is happening to him, but if he is not penitent by now, then he probably never will be. Hopefully, he has learned enough not to repeat his mistakes; it certainly seems that he has, especially with his wife's disappointment weighing so heavily on him. But still he has the money he gained through his indiscretions, and as long as he is living off this dirty money, the past will remain with him.
Chapter 86:
Summary:
Caleb Garth tells Mary that the Bulstrodes want Fred to manage Stone court; Mary is very happy, though Mr. Garth is still not sure if Fred will make her a good husband. He questions his daughter, about her love for Fred, and whether she truly thinks she can spend her life with him; she does not want to see his daughter make a huge mistake in marriage, if he can help prevent it. But Mary knows what is right to do, and has a good deal of sense; she will marry Fred, and they will probably be happy. She tells Fred about the management of Stone Court, and he is very happy; they will have to be engaged for a while so he can save money, but yet they are content with their engagement.
Analysis:
Love has brought Fred Vincy full circle, from an irresponsible, hopeless youth, to a hard-working, determined young man. Though he still has some tendency toward laxity in him, he is still a good man, and much improved over his more youthful self. With Mary's help, he will become better still; Mary is a good match for Fred, and will certainly make up for his shortcomings with her intelligence and economy. Mary and Fred are the picture of another kind of ideal of marriage; it is one where the husband and wife are uniquely suited in character and affection, and will be able to weather any hard times through their kinship in spirit and in life.
Finale:
Summary:
Mary and Fred did live happily ever after, with both of them prospering and becoming very happy in their marriage. Fred buys Stone Court, and they have three boys, two of whom resemble Fred, much to his mother's relief. Lydgate and Rosamond kept on going, but were not exceptionally happy. Lydgate was able to make a successful practice, but was not happy because he never did make any of his beloved scientific advances. Dorothea and Will were very happy together; Will goes into politics, and becomes a member of Parliament. They have a boy, who becomes the heir to Mr. Brooke's estate; the disastrous effects of disinheritance are for once avoided. Sir James allows Celia to see her sister, and Will and Dorothea make visits twice a year to Mr. Brooke's house. Dorothea is not able to make the big, sweeping impact she desired; however, she was able to spread happiness and have a wonderful family, and a very contented life.
Analysis:
There are no real surprises in this little epilogue to the novel; everyone's life continues on the whole course on which they were going at the end of the novel. Those people who are well-suited, like Dorothea and Will and Mary and Fred, are happy together and make good lives with one another. Those who are not as happy, Rosamond and Lydgate in particular, muddle through, but are never able to change the dynamic of their relationship. Characters are not set in stone, but it seems that people in Middlemarch remain pretty much as they are. Love and honor do make some favorable changes in the way people act and live; but everyone seems to find their particular destiny, and everything happens according to the indications of fate.
