Friday, February 10, 2012
Dorothea: The Hypcrite or The Saint?!?
When I first started reading this book, I thought I could relate to Dorothea the most, because she wants to improve the world and is able to get a long with just about everyone, but after today's discussion I'm definitely rethinking everything and her role as a character. I feel that she will be the "twist" in the story as well as create a whole bunch of drama that we will hopefully find later in the book. In class I can recall Maria saying how frustrated Dorothea made her as well as how hypocritical she was, and now looking at....Dorothea is one tough hypocrite. She doesn't have a problem pointing out the flaws in others but when it comes to herself it's like she puts up a wall so that she can't be judge, which I think is something that will surprise us all. Hopefully I can speak for myself and others, when I say that there isn't a perfect person in the world, that's just total baloney!! We all have our flaws, and certain decisions that we've made that help define us in some way. Dorothea has a role that makes us question, and will either turn us against her or my even feel sympathy for.
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I feel that Dorothea was placed in Middlemarch to show a moral compass of sorts. I feel that all the other characters will be judged on a Dorothea standard and not just by Dorothea herself but even by the reader. It's kinda like the Eva standard in Uncle Tom's Cabin. The bar was set so high not many characters were ever close to her angelic status. I believe though just like Eva, her morals will either fade or not become so dominant as the story progresses. Even after Eva's death, we as a class still referenced her and her compassion. Dorothea will faulter and become more obtainable as the story goes on I feel. Something my mother use to say,"It's lonely up there on such a high perch." Also with age comes wisdom.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the title of this blog entry, I think Dorothea is both a hypocrite AND a saint. I think most people are like that. Like you said, everyone has their good points and their bad points. Someone may do or say something that is very saint-like and wonderful, but the same person could be completely hypocritical about something else. I think it happens with everyone.
ReplyDeleteDorothea is young; I see a lot of her within myself, some of it good, some of it bad. Ultimately, she's in for a rude, rude awakening. She's made a logical decision to be with a very intelligent man with a lot of time and ability to actually DO something with that intelligence. The question is, as her husband, will he aid her blossoming intelligence or will he halt her spirit? I believe he will try to halt her spirit, and that is when we will appreciate Dorothea's scrutinizing finger, because it's the finger that will help her realize that she has been slighted. And surely, hopefully, she will do something about it.
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