The Theme of Marriage in Middlemarch Essay - 2251 Words

The Theme of Marriage in Middlemarch One of the central themes that runs through Middlemarch is that of marriage. Indeed, it has been argued that Middlemarch can be construed as a treatise in favor of divorce. I do not think that this is the case, although there are a number of obviously unsuitable marriages. If it had been Elliots intention to write about such a controversial subject, I believe she would not have resorted to veiling it in a novel. She illustrates the different stages of relationships that her characters undergo, from courtship through to marriage: A fellow mortal with whose nature you are acquainted with solely through the brief entrances and exits of a few imaginative weeks called courtship, may, when†¦show more content†¦The very thought that Dorothea has come to be engaged to him causes Celia to start to grieve (48). Everything about Casaubon issues from this basic metaphor. His appearance - a pallid complexion, deep eye sockets, iron-grey hair (16) - makes his head look like a skull. Indeed, his proposal to Dorothea - in which his affection is introduced in parenthesis - shows that he is emotionally dead. Eliot could not have been precise on such matters, but he may be sexually impotent, for Dorothea is found sobbing bitterly on her honeymoon in Rome, and it may not simply be his deficiencies as a scholar that account for her disappointment (190). It is not love that attracts Dorothea to the corpse-like Casaubon, rather her sense of duty; her desire to be like one of Miltons daughters. Dorothea, orphaned at a young age, would seem to long for a husband who can fill the role of the father she lost. Casaubons age is no deterrence, indeed she would rather marry a teacher / father figure than a romantic person at the beginning of the novel. She learns, though, that this is a bad idea, and so finds herself attracted to Ladislaw. She is so possessed with the idea of contributing to the good of humanity through the assistance she can offer Casaubon, she does not even notice how patronising and self centred he is. Celia, however, when confronted with the same facts, has no illusions, and can see that Casaubon is entirely unsuitable, even if she expresses herShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of George Elliot s Middlemarch 974 Words   |  4 Pages Middlemarch Essay Sarah Gorda Olympic College ENGL328 British Literature July 24, 2015 Middlemarch Essay Middlemarch, a Victorian novel written by George Elliot, is a story of a conventional society in the eighteenth century. Named Middlemarch, the town in England where the setting of the novel takes place, the novel embodies many characters affected by the social world where they live. 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