Barchester Towers · Chapter
The Stanhopes at Home explained
After returning from Ullathorne, the Stanhope family deals with the fallout of Bertie's failed courtship of Eleanor Bold.
What happens
After returning from Ullathorne, the Stanhope family deals with the fallout of Bertie's failed courtship of Eleanor Bold. Dr. Stanhope angrily confronts Charlotte, blaming her and Bertie for the debacle. Meanwhile, Signora Neroni has a private conversation with Eleanor, revealing that Mr. Arabin is deeply in love with her and advising her to act decisively. Eleanor leaves the Stanhope home in a state of emotional turmoil, torn between mortification and joy.
Themes in this chapter
Marriage and Courtship
Bertie's failed courtship of Eleanor and Signora Neroni's revelation about Mr. Arabin's love underscore the strategic and emotional complexities of marriage.
Gender and Domestic Power
Charlotte and Signora Neroni exert influence over family and romantic outcomes, while Eleanor grapples with her own agency in love.
Hypocrisy and Moral Ambiguity
Signora Neroni's manipulative yet seemingly helpful advice to Eleanor blurs the line between genuine friendship and self-interest.
Characters to notice
- Eleanor Bold
Visits the Stanhopes and receives a startling revelation from Signora Neroni about Mr. Arabin's love for her, leaving her confused but hopeful.
- Signora Neroni
Manipulatively reveals Mr. Arabin's secret love for Eleanor, advising her to accept him if he proposes, while also showing a rare moment of vulnerability.
- Charlotte Stanhope
Anxiously awaits news of Bertie's proposal; after its failure, she faces her father's anger and plans to secure money for Bertie's debts.
- Dr. Stanhope
Furious at Bertie's failure to marry Eleanor, he berates Charlotte and expresses despair over his family's behavior.
- Bertie Stanhope
Absent during the aftermath; his failed courtship of Eleanor is the subject of family conflict.
Key passages
“She was nearly stupefied by the things that had been said to her. She felt sore that her heart should have been so searched and riddled by a comparative stranger, by a woman whom she had never liked and never could like.”
Eleanor was overwhelmed and hurt that a woman she barely knew and disliked had so thoroughly examined her emotions.
Eleanor's internal conflict after Signora Neroni's revelation.
“Do you love him, love him with all your heart and soul, with all the love your bosom can feel? For I can tell you that he loves you, adores you, worships you, thinks of you and nothing else, is now thinking of you as he attempts to write his sermon for next Sunday's preaching.”
Signora Neroni asks Eleanor if she truly loves Mr. Arabin, revealing that he is completely devoted to her.
The pivotal moment where Signora Neroni discloses Mr. Arabin's feelings.
“With him, yea will stand for yea, and nay for nay. Though his heart should break for it, the woman who shall reject him once will have rejected him once and for all.”
Signora Neroni warns Eleanor that Mr. Arabin is a man of his word; if she refuses him, he will never ask again.
Advice that shapes Eleanor's subsequent decisions.