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Assignment : Victorian literature

Name: Bharti Dharaiya
Roll No. : 3
Topic : Theme of Middlemarch
Paper : Victorian literature (Paper no.6)
Class : Sem - 2
Enrollment : 2069198420200008
College : Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University.


∆ Themes of Middlemarch

∆ Introduction : 

         The Middlemarch novel is written by George Eliot.Theme of Middlemarch illustrates the Victorian Era's rituals through the theme of Middlemarch. Theme of Middlemarch is to give ideas about the age of Victoria and how the Victorian Era ran out through the theme of Middlemarch. Here are the major themes of Middlemarch.

∆ Middlemarch as provincial life :
         
           Middlemarch as a provincial life is the main theme of the novel. A sub title of the novel "A study of provincial life". According to critics views the unity of Middlemarch as being achieved through "the fusion of the two senses of provincial life" on the geographical hand that means 
"all part of the country except the capital " and another hand sophisticated life"

∆ The Imperfections of marriage :
       
          In the Middlemarch novel The Imperfections of marriage is an important theme. In the novel many characters who marry for love of pride rather than obligation. So marriage still appears  unromantic and negative.
Marriage is a central idea in the Middlemarch novel unromantic and negative. But in many novels marriage is not a central idea marriage is not considered as a source of happiness at all times. In the novel we found that two main characters who failed in marriage are Dorothea and Lydgate. Dorothea and Lydgate both are the main characters of the novel Middlemarch and both are failed in marriages. Dorothea failed in her married life because of her decision to marry an older man and Lydgate failed in his married life because of his irreconcilable  personality and wealth. Mr. And Mrs. Bulstrode faces many crises in their life to tell about the past. Fred Cincy and Marry Garth also face a great hardship in their married life. So The Imperfections of marriage is clearly found in the Middlemarch.

∆ The harshness of social expectations :

           The harshness of social expectations are a major theme of the novel Middlemarch. In the novel the people who conduct themselves and how other people conducted themselves is correlated in the Middlemarch. In the novel the expectation of social community is not met but the individual community received harsh public criticism. The harshness of social expectations is shown in the novel. For example, the social community judges Ladislaw harshly because of his mixed Breed. Fred Vincy is also disowned because he chooses to go against his family's wishes and not join the clergy by him. He went against the community by foregoing his education that he found true love and happiness.

∆ Self determination vs chance:  

           Self determination versus chance is a very important theme in the novel. Self determination vs chance is not the opposite force, it's a complete balancing of facts. When people believe in chance or either self determination than bad things happen. In the novel also bad things happen when Rosmand goes against his husband's wishes and writes letters to his relatives asking for money from his relatives. So here  Rasmond's act put Lydgate to self determination and bad things happened between Rosamond and Lydgate. And also create tense situations between Rosamond and Lydgate. And Vincy also falls in debt and hangs out with people who trust him. He decided that not go for money into clergy and good things happen with Vincy and there is a balance between self determination and chances.

∆ Responsibility : 

       Responsibility is the major theme of the novel. In the novel many characters are responsible and take responsibility. But they become responsible for their finance and choices rather than family and other responsibilities. Many characters who will do too for certain things but many men are learning how to rely on themselves and how to become independent in their own ways. In the Middlemarch novel Dorothea and Lydgate both are responsible for their life and career. Dorothea fails to choose a life partner that's her responsibility and Lydgate is also responsible for his decision. 

∆ Stubbornness :

      Stubbornness is a big issue in the novel Middlemarch. In the novel stubbornness is a very important theme because Rosamonda is a stubborn character. Stubbornness Means that everything is done on her way, if there is not all things on her way then she will go behind another person and back to do things on her way. In simple words we can say that she is everything done as per her own way. So, in the novel societal stubbornness is responsible for Lydgate's failure because his wife Rosamonda is very stubborn. Because of her, he ruins his debt and becomes poor. He has done all the wishes of his wife. That's why Rosamonda became more stubborn and stubborn and failed to Lydgate in his life.
        
∆ Prejudice :

       Prejudice is also a very important theme of the novel. A theme of prejudice is that Lydgate and Will Ladislaw can not seem to beat. People in Middlemarch dislike anyone who is not from Middlemarch town or anyone whose reputation seems questionable. Will and Lydgate are both good people, but it has initial adverse effects sometimes based on invalid or circumstantial reasons, that means that they are never liked or accepted in Middlemarch like other people in the novel. 


 ∆ Harm of Conformity :

         Conformity is an issue related to societal expectations, but somewhat different in the novel. Conformity is an important concept or theme in the novel. In the novel people conform or come to know about social ideas and norms. For example Dorothea is a proper wife and then becomes a prober widow and then she follows society's suggestions on how to fill each place or each position in the society.

∆ Love : 

       Love is also the theme of the Middlemarch novel. Love has also become part of the theme of the novel because love keeps people together. Those who are really in love like Will and Dorothea, Mary and Fred Vincy are bound together because of love. Those people who lack love in their life like Dorothea and Casaubon, Lydgate and Rosamond have failed in their married life. There is no true love  behind their relationship.
         
∆ Unity of Middlemarch :

          The Unity of Middlemarch theme shows that the decisions made by every person in Middlemarch seem to have a direct effect on at least one other person. Mary's decision to marry Fred means that Farebrother is without a wife. Dorothea's decision to choose Casaubon leads Sir James to choose Celia. So there is unity in Middlemarch novels.

∆ Vanity :

       The Vanity theme is especially relevant to Rosamond in the novel. Rosamond is vain about her charm, her beauty and her appearances. So she is shocked when her friend Ladyslow says that he doesn't love her then she blames Lydgate rather than her lack of interests.
           

∆ Gender roles and expectations : 

      Gender roles and expectations is a major theme of the Middlemarch. Theme is relevant to Dorothea in the novel. Middlemarch society has very defined ideas of what people of each gender should do within the society, and people, especially women, who deviate from this norm, are looked down upon.

∆ Progress :

           Progress is the major theme of the novel. English society is evolving in social, economic, technologic areas. Socially ideas of gender and class conflict are in flow. Women are proving more and more competent in society. Dorothea is more competent in the novel. She progressed in her life. 

∆ Pride : 

        Pride is something which both helps and hinders many people in the book and is most applicable to Dorothea, Will Ladislaw, and Lydgate. In the novel Pride with Lydgate,  pride is something that keeps him from putting his affairs in order and sometimes doing what is necessary in his married life. Dorothea and Will's pride is more involved in that they personally like to be regarded as poor.

∆ Money : 

         Money is also used as a theme in the novel. Money is the root of many evils but in the novel money is good sometimes. In the novel Lydgate dread Lydgate gets desperate for money. Fred dreads when he has little. Dorothea becomes generous when she has too much want money and the Garths save carefully since their money is limited. Money has a profound effect on most of the characters in the novel and though many people are judged by how much money they have, many of the best people in the novel, like Will Ladislaw and Mr. Farebrother, have very little.

∆ Eliot's exploration of the way the web of society both necessary and restrictive :

        A theme in Middlemarch is Eliot's research of the way the web of society is both necessary and restrictive. Eliot argues in the novel that we are not individual desires but we do not impact people around us and their actions turn around us, impact us. In the Middlemarch , Middlemarch is not a lone hero but it is all about the life of town. That's why Eliot gives the title of the novel "A Study of Provincial Life" and also the theme of the Novel.

∆ Conclusion :

From the above analysis of the novel, thus I conclude that Middlemarch is a feminist novel that upholds the desires and the decision of women in her life. In the novel George Eliot tries to bring women to the status of men. Dorothea holds this ideology. And through the theme George Eliot tries to bring out women from society where no equality is given to women.

∆ Work citation:







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