Reading the Chunksters discussion

So we've made it to Book Six - The Widow and the Wife

Please post your thoughts here.

As the title suggests, in this book Dorothea and Rosamond once again take centre stage.

Lydgate is also finding marriage unsatisfactory - Rosamond is not the adoring support he was dreaming of, and now he's in debt and that is the subject of gossip.

Dorothea is also the subject of conversations behind her back, Celia would like her to marry again but Sir James is against it. At this stage, the obstacles between Will and Dorothea seem insurmountable and he is leaving Middlemarch - how will this ever be resolved? Eliot is leaving us on tenterhooks.

There were sections in this book that reminded me of Dickens - the growth of the railway and its impact on society is one of his favourite issues, and here Eliot tackles the same topic. There is a lot of suspicion in Frick, and Caleb and Fred find themselves in the middle of it.

Also, we have the revelations about Bulstrode and his earlier marriage - the re appearance of Mr Raffles and his hints to Will certainly have that Dickensian feel. There is a great sense of dark foreboding, as Bulstrode's deceptions towards Middlemarch society begin to unravel. I'm really impressed with how Eliot suddenly whips this sub plot up and brings it to the boil, it seems to come from nowhere yet it fits perfectly with what has come before.

Chapter 54-62
Don’t you think it odd Dorothea still has no clue she is in love with Will? I believe she has not learned a thing since we first met her. Once again, she is being impulsive and taking Will’s love for her and her love for him, that it will be enough endure their separation…how ever long it is to last.

Goodness, what is going on with Rosamund… has she always been such a sociopath? She’s a bloody monster! The manner in which she throws herself at Will, while married and quite detached from Lydgate, once the codicil’s intentions for Will are made public, was nothing less than gauche on Rosamund’s part. While Dorothea is the main character of this novel, her story being central to this novel; it is the relationship between Lydgate and Rosamund that continues to linger in my mind. Rosamond is quite literally the the epitome of the reference “the old ball and chain.” There never seems to be a dull moment in Middlemarch, does there? LOL!

Christian hypocrisy is once again in the forefront and cleverly conveyed, I might add. Funny how people, then and now, defend and characterize beliefs opposing one’s own religious ideology when it benefits them to do so…marrying people of different faiths, getting a leg up in life, amassing great wealth.

Pamela wrote: "There were sections in this book that reminded me of Dickens - the growth of the railway and its impact on society is one of his favourite issues, and here Eliot tackles the same topic. There is a ..."

There were sections in this book that reminded me of Dickens - the growth of the railway and its impact on society is one of his favourite issues, and here Eliot tackles the same topic.
Yes, ma'am! I agree, there are many instances where subject matters discussed often in Dickens novels come to light in this novel as well. I have to say, I am so taken by Eliot at this time...she's simply, clever about her writing. She's a woman that has really lived...and endured

Yes, the inclusion of that mystery character and how he/she is tied to own of our known characters, revealing more about them...very Dickensian.

Ami wrote: "Chapter 54-62

Goodness what is going on with Rosamund...She's a bloody monster!..."

Bit harsh Ami, it made me laugh though! Rosamund certainly doesn't adopt lofty principles like Dorothea, she's more pragmatic and from a family with roots in trade, so she's definitely been thinking of the financial benefits of her marriage to Lydgate.

Still, I'm not sure if she's really a monster or just rather spoiled and immature. Fred seems to be learning his lesson about financial expectations, maybe his sister will need to do the same?

Pamela wrote: "Ami wrote: "Chapter 54-62

Goodness what is going on with Rosamund...She's a bloody monster!..."

Bit harsh Ami, it made me laugh though! Rosamund certainly doesn't adopt lofty principles like Doro..."

No more harsh than a husband noting his wife to have a terrible tenacity...no? I think she's comparable to a Greek Siren, she entices and woos, and then kills the spirit of the would be man...currently, Captain Lydgate, but really it's, Dr. Lydgate. Rosamund is beyond reproach, and uncontrollable; she heeds no words from Lydgate. In not doing so; she loses their baby; she angers Will Ladislaw by revealing the contents of the codicil to him; she is denied a loan from her father that she was no supposed to ask for in the first place. Rosamund keeps making the same mistakes, over and over again, and puts not only her own life jeopardy but the lives of others as well.

You're right, I have taken an extreme dislike for Rosamund. It's because she's become so much of a liability instead of an asset. How much of her character can we really attribute to her just being spoiled. Rosamund and Fred are cut from the same cloth; yet, I don't feel as extreme about Fred as I do about Rosamund. Fred, at least attempts to want to do better, he has good intentions; he is motivated by the affections and respect of Mary. Rosamund, on the other hand only thinks of herself, not her husband, and not of those who are hurt by her lack of judgement. Where is her shame, Pamela ? At least in the presence of shame, a conscience is prevalent. Rosamund lacks this, think about how she responds to Lydgate when he makes her aware of their debts...What can I do, Tertius? I found the narrator's own remarks to be crucial here...Eliot writes, Rosamund's thin utterance threw into the words ... as much neutrality as they could hold. She's totally removed and unfeeling, lacks any semblance of empathy, don't you think?

Now, even I'm laughing at my "monster" comment. How about, she's a bloody acquired taste..." better? :P

maybe his sister will need to do the same?
yes, I hope this too.

Well, you argue a good case, and losing the baby through her stubbornness was beyond the pale. I do agree she's lacking in empathy and I can see why Lydgate is finding her lack of support disappointing. But he could have been firmer about taking on debts in the first place.

Maybe I'm hopeful that there is a kind heart underneath and she'll grow up and step up. Fred annoyed me too, he knew Caleb couldn't really afford to take on his debt but he manipulated him into doing it. Maybe if Lydgate was a strong character like Mary, it would be better for Rosamund.

Pamela wrote: "Well, you argue a good case, and losing the baby through her stubbornness was beyond the pale. I do agree she's lacking in empathy and I can see why Lydgate is finding her lack of support disappoin..."

But he could have been firmer about taking on debts in the first place.
Absolutely! She’s not the only one to blame, a coupledom is made of two, after all. I do wonder if Rosamond would be any different than she is in the presence of a stronger male character... surely?

We will soon find out, I feel disaster is heading their way with all the debts and the fact that the other doctors resent him and that Bulstrode also has big problems. Exciting times :)

I agree with all the comments made about Rosamund. I think she is making poor decisions because she is spoiled and immature, but she is also a monster because she does not seem to be learning anything from the consequences of her decisions.

I was really shocked when she brought out the jewelry box and gave it to Lydgate to decide what to get rid of. After she spent so much time defending that she was satisfied with what he expected to make as a doctor, and then she does this to punish him. It felt like a final straw for me cementing her character after all she had already done. Although, maybe she will still be able to redeem herself.

That action really bothered me because I feel like she should have tried to help in some way and see how this was part of the role she had chosen for herself in marrying a doctor and not a banker, but she just throws it in his face as though she were trying to shame him for trying to do something nice for her outside of his means to do so.

I really feel sorry for Lydgate. She is walking all over him.

Overall, this is really a beautiful book. I am very glad that I have been able to read it. Can't wait to see how it ends.