Middlemarch Attitude

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Recommended: George Eliots moral vision in Middlemarch

In this passage of George Eliot's Middlemarch, the narrator reveals a complex attitude

toward one of the main characters, Dorothea Brooke. She is portrayed as a plain girl who cares

less for worldly, material things, yet eventually turns into a character to be pitied because of her

childlike view of marriage and conception of the world. The author's attitude in the beginning is

one of reverence and respectability shown through his admiration for the way she dresses and

bears herself. However, the tone develops into one of pity and criticism. This tone begins with a

satirical approach to her philosophy which is too overbearing (for some people) and her

ignorance towards the subject of marriage. The switch in tone is so powerful that it can change

what the reader once thought of Dorothea, a woman of dignity, into a naive child.

In the first sentence, Eliot focuses on Dorothea's facade which " had a kind of beauty

which seems to be thrown into relief by poor dress". Throughout the passage Dorothea's beauty

is masked by something, whether it be by a material object or one of her personality traits. The

first example is shown here through this quote which is interesting because of the way the dress

is related to her appearance. Usually the dress is what makes the girl ornamented and adds more

beauty than the girl has herself , but here her beauty is much greater than the "poor dress". In

lines two and three, the author makes an allusion to the Virgin Mary for visual imagery and

symbolism. "Her hand and wrist so finely formed" shows her delicacy but shown as the Virgin

Mary adds a religious element to her over all characterization. When she wore plain garments

she gained dignity to her name which symbo...

... middle of paper ...

...would curb her doubts.

Dorothea is not looking for a lover because her faith blinds her into thinking she always needs to

gain more faith and knowledge but through his tone, the author shows that she needs a father

figure now because she is still a child and continues to need guidance.

It is wrong to say that the author is merely criticizing Dorothea as a person. Through

many adjectives and allusions, he recognizes her as a young, clever woman who is seen as the

ideal in respect to her purity and her lack of vanity. He comments on her “open, ardent, and non

self-admiring” character because she views her sister as more beautiful and deserving of

relationship than herself. However, Eliot does condemn her binding faith that takes her away

from anything enjoyable. Not everything has to bring forth knowledge but rather she should

enjoy her happiness.

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