Death and Other Thematic Motifs in Middlemarch

This article discusses the role of death and other thematic motifs in George Eliot's Middlemarch. It explores how these motifs contribute to the major themes of the novel, such as prejudice, love, social expectations, self-discovery, money, and more. The article also examines the use of motifs like epigraphs, gossip, and debt in the novel. Overall, it provides a comprehensive analysis of the thematic elements in Middlemarch.

Running Head: MIDDLEMARCH
Middlemarch
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Question - How death and other thematic motifs contribute to form a major part
of Middlemarch ?
Mary Anne Evans, better known as George Eliot is considered to be the one of the best
novelists of the 19th century England. The lady supported in shaping the movement of realism
and held the mirror up to life and accounted everything through her writings. It was the time
when Britain and other countries were rising. Notably, Eliot did not only record whatever she
pointed but delved deep into the minds of the characters (Booth). She is known for analyzing
every parts of the characters both best and the worst. Literature suggests that maximum Victorian
novelists ended with the theme of marriage and the audience were left believing that everything
continues happily after that. However, the novels of George Eliot are different from that and
focus not on getting married but being married. She is one of the most important female authors
of her time. The novels are good n style like the male Victorian counterparts such as Charles
Dickens, Willkie Collins, Thomas Hardy and others more. The lack of equality due to the genre
throughout her time could not hold her back and she prospered over it (Henderson). The novels
of Eliot reflect the best and the worst parts of humanity which is still applauded. Eliot had lack of
devotion to Christianity which is also reflected on her works. From an early age she began to
develop a strong sense of secular humanism which suggests that humanity is capable of morality
and self-fulfillment in God too. Although she did not have firm belief in religion, she respected
the ethics and morals of Christianity.
Middlemarch is a novel of multiple themes which form the base of the novel. The major
themes are the theme of prejudice, love, social expectations, self –discovery, money and death.
The story takes place in an imaginative land named Middlemarch. The people in Middlemarch
are seen to dislike anyone who does not belong to Middlemarch. They also do not like people
whose reputation seem to be unsecure or questionable. Lydgate and Will Ladislaw are good

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friends both but the initial prejudice founded on circumstantial reasons are never accepted in
Middlemarch. The theme of Love binds the people together and the absence of love drive people
apart. The characters like Fred, Dorothea, Will and Mary are bund in love. In terms of
temperament and outlook, they are all alike (Henderson). The characters like Rosamond,
Dorothea, Casaubon are disappointed by the unions and are ill-suited to marriage. The social
expectations are closely connected with the social hierarchy which shape the idea of how a
person should act in specific situations. In the novel, Lydgate wants to marry Rosamond because
the society expects them to do it. Dorothea is forced to live with or marry someone else after
being widowed. This is only because the society expects this to be right. These expectations are
not directly followed by people but these are inherent in their lives and play a significant role in
their existence.
As the story progresses, there are certain truths which is learnt by every character in the
course of trials. Rosamond and Lydgate discover their own characters when they come in terms
of money and ego conflicts. The character of Dorothea undergoes a dramatic journey of self-
discovery and transforms a great deal in the course of the novel. Money, on the other hand is
found to be the root of all evils but in the novel, it has played an essential role too. The character
of Lydgate becomes crazy for money, Fred falls into despair when there is lack of it and
Dorothea is too generous when she has too much. On the other hand, Garth saves money when
there is limitation on money. The characters in the novel are deeply influenced by money and
people are mostly judged by the amount of money they have.
In a piece of literature, motifs are the themes which recur several times and almost take a
figurative meaning. Almost in every literary work, the device of motif is used. It can be an idea,
a concept, an object and anything carrying a deeper meaning and purpose. In Middlemarch, there

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are various motifs such as epigraphs, the debt of borrowing money, gossip and speaking of
others and many more. The novel begins and proceeds with each chapter carrying small
quotations or few lines of verse known as epigraph. The epigraphs function as a method of
summarizing the chapters and moving the plot ahead. Undoubtedly, Middlemarch has been
placed in a large canon of literary works. The selection of quotes from Shakespeare, Dante,
William Blake, and Chaucer were charged with being too intellectual to be used by a woman
writer at her times. The motif of gossip and speaking of others is another motif evident in the
novel. It is usual that the characters from the opposite gender stay away from communicating
from each other and instead use others to speak on their behalf. It symbolizes and carries the
message of using the ‘diplomats’.
The community of Middlemarch is web like and there are excessive number of characters
where the web is made intricate and people use gossip to avoid direct communication. Hence,
gossip plays an essential part of the novel in terms of conveying the information having evaded
direct communication. Apart from it, debt is seen throughout the novel as it is closely related
with the major theme of money (Talairach-Vielmas). From the beginning, the plot is driven by
money and the characters are judged on the basis of money. Fred Vinci is found asking for loans
and Lydgate is seen to incur serious debt as he fails to match the cultural taste of his wife
Rosamond. Another character Raffles’ appears to be constantly begging for money and
blackmailing too having revealed his threatening role in the novel. On the contrary, Mary Garth
refuses to take money from Featherstone which proves her un-greedy nature. The passing of
debts and the exchange of money binds the characters together in an economic context.
The theme of death is evident in many Victorian novels stemming from the imaginative,
freedom-loving and emotional aspects. The Romantic Age has grown various complex themes

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which have been followed up in the Victorian Age. As the importance of Christianity started
being faded, the idea of death caught the attention of the authors and the philosophers. There are
instances of the theme of death in various Victorian novels such as Tennyson’s Ulysses. The
Ulysses portrays the continuation of Homer’s Odyssey and the feelings of death. Apart from this,
it is evident in Robert Browning’s My Last Duchess where death allowed the obsessive Duke to
generate complete control over his wife. Likewise, the theme of death and mortality has been
well articulated in Middlemarch written by George Eliot. In the third book of Middlemarch, the
“waiting for death” consist of three physical ill people along with two marriage mistakes
conducted by them (Spencer). The “waiting for death” can be referred to as rather a pastime.
However, there are certain changes which are recorded in the personal attachments and the social
dynamics among the previously considered “old and young people “. The concern in this book is
specifically with the characters of Dorothea, Casaubon and Peter Featherstone. The subject of
serious illness which is extremely poignant in itself is accentuated by the motif of waiting and
watching (MacDonald). It can be considered as a strenuous poise which records each variety of
feelings. In other words, it is an observation of fear, frustration, understanding, love,
insensitivity, sympathy and professional detachment which is combined with the good aspect of
human curiosity informed by imagination.
The book of “ waiting for death “ gives a clear view of the character of Casaubon who
has been thought to be a “great bladder for dried peas to rattle in “early in the beginning chapters
of the novel. He is an aged but dedicated scholar with great dedication to write the masterpiece
“Key to All Mythologies “and he has been searching for perfect materials to be shaped into the
proper form (Thomas). After going through the chapter “waiting for death “, the chapter of
“waiting for death” directs the sympathy of the readers towards the character of Casaubon who

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suffers from a heart attack. It occurs after an agitated scene with Dorothea. The stories of
Dorothea and Lydgate becomes seamlessly attached when Lydgate is called to visit the patient.
Lydgate watches Dorothea doting on her own ailing husband (Walker). “Tell me what I can do?
“ She requests the doctor helplessly. It is more like a “cry from the soul “and “a sob in voice
“(Gilmour). After that, Dorothea undergoes a remarkable self-reflection full of her memory, fear,
guilt, hostility, resolve, helplessness and innumerous emotions on the context of her marriage
with Casaubon (Watt).
On the other hand, Featherstone’s heart has taken him down and at his ending hours, all
the relatives are roaming around their house. They are all waiting for him to die so that they can
have his land and money. The brothers and sisters claim that they have more right to the
inheritance of the property of Mr. Featherstone than the nieces and nephews of his dead wives.
The charge of Featherstone’s house is given to Mary Garth. Mr. Featherstone having realized
that the relatives are in greed of his property, tells them that he has already made the will. He
finally dies after a mess related to the will with Mary Garth (Walker). The ending of
Middlemarch drives the story of the novel into the future. Dorothea is seen to be into the lives of
another. One must be aware of the dynamic nature of Eliot’s writing. The critics of the older
perspectives have mentioned the tendencies which are universalizing, her knowledge of history
and her moral priorities. The recent critics on the other hand prefer to view the conflicts of ideas
within her, her divergences, contrapuncual forces and others (Wynne). It can be said that George
Eliot’s Middlemarch has achieved an exceptional status of the novel as a literary form.

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