Oppressive Freedom

Last class, a question was brought up regarding why many characters in this book seem to marry others that are completely wrong for them. As I was thinking about this question, I began to think about how the characters choose their potential partners. In the cases of Dorothea and Rosamond, both girls are given advice on whom to marry (or whom not to marry, rather). Mr. Brooks suggests to Dorothea that Casaubon may be a little old for her. Dorothea disagrees and marries him despite Mr. Brook’s suggestion. For Dorothea, marriage does not turn out the way she expected. Likewise, Mr. Vincy expresses concern to Rosamond that Lydgate is too poor to marry. Rosamond, however, says she loves Lydgate and will marry him anyway. We can see already that Rosamond and Lydgate’s marriage is most likely in trouble. They are already experiencing financial hardships.

In the cases of Dorothea and Rosamond, both receive advice from parental figures, but do not listen. Because they make their own decision, life doesn’t turn out so well for them. At first, it seemed odd to me that Eliot would make this assertion. Why, in a book dealing with women’s freedom, would you give female characters the power to make a decision and then life turn out poorly for them? Wouldn’t it make much more sense for the women to make their own decisions and then their decisions to be great? As I began to think about this issue more, however, the phrase “oppressive freedom” kept coming up in my mind. Maybe Eliot is trying to say this: Although women have freedom to make decisions, like choosing a marriage partner, the prospects of choices can be oppressive. For example, the men these women have to choose from, or the institution of marriage in general, is oppressive. (Do any of the men in this book seem like marriage material?) Women have the freedom to choose, but in reality, their choice does not give them much freedom at all.