1. Did you find Lydgate's compulsive engagement to Rosamond to be realistic? What moral conclusion do you think Eliot may be leading us towards with this pairing?
2. Is there significance to the fact that privacy seems so hard to come by in Middlemarch? Between Rosamond and Lydgate's relationship and Featherstone's funeral, all personal events seem wide open to casual scrutiny.
I think that a glimpse into Lydgate's past explains why he would decide to become engaged to Rosamond so quickly. The reader learns that Lydgate was an oprhan who was not close with his benefactor/protector. Although Eliot does not directly talk about the affect that Lydgate's childhood has on his character, one can assume that the lack of parental figures leaves Lydgate always searching for love deep down inside. Thus, once Rosamond shows him a sincere, heart-felt emotion, Lygate cannot help but feel moved by someone who actually cares for him.
ReplyDeleteOooohhh, these are great questions! For the first one, maybe Eliot is trying to enlighten her readers by showing them that not only women make impulsive decisions regarding love, but men do as well. Women are often characterized by making decisions of the heart, and men by making decisions of the head. In actuality, women and men are capable of doing both! The idea that the heart is solely woman's territory is irritating.
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