# St. Ewold’s Parsonage explained — Barchester Towers

> Chapter companion for Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope.

## What happens

Mr. Harding and Mrs. Bold arrive at the rectory, where the archdeacon and Mr. Arabin are inspecting St. Ewold's church. Mrs. Grantly and Eleanor discuss Mr. Slope, with Mrs. Grantly suspecting Eleanor's attachment to him. The party later visits the parsonage at St. Ewold, where Eleanor and Mr. Arabin engage in a conversation about clerical conflict and the nature of the church militant.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Moral Ambiguity

Eleanor defends Mr. Slope despite disliking him, while Mrs. Grantly and the archdeacon condemn him based on suspicion, illustrating the characters' moral contradictions.

### Clerical Corruption and Patronage

The archdeacon's suspicion of Eleanor's deceit and the discussion of Mr. Slope's influence highlight the political maneuvering and patronage within the church.

### Marriage and Courtship

Mrs. Grantly's concern over Eleanor's potential match with Mr. Slope and Eleanor's growing interest in Mr. Arabin reflect the social pressures and dynamics of courtship.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Harding

Arrives at the rectory with Mrs. Bold, rambles about the lawn and church, and later joins the party inspecting St. Ewold's parsonage.

### Eleanor Bold

Defends Mr. Slope against her sister's abuse, converses with Mr. Arabin at the parsonage, and begins to feel weary of the clerical lifestyle.

### Mrs. Grantly

Abuses Mr. Slope, suspects Eleanor's attachment to him, and participates in inspecting the parsonage, showing her experience as a clergyman's wife.

### Archdeacon Grantly

Accuses Eleanor of deceit regarding Mr. Slope, discusses parish matters with Mr. Arabin, and thoroughly inspects the parsonage's condition.

### Mr. Arabin

Inspects St. Ewold's church and parsonage, discusses the parish with the archdeacon, and engages in a philosophical conversation with Eleanor about clerical conflict.

## Key lines

> She positively disliked the man, would have been delighted to learn that he had taken himself off so that she should never see him again, had indeed almost a fear of him, and yet she constantly found herself taking his part.

Eleanor truly disliked Mr. Slope and wished he would disappear, but she felt compelled to defend him when others criticized him unfairly.

_Highlights Eleanor's internal conflict and the theme of hypocrisy and moral ambiguity._

> The outer world, though it constantly reviles us for our human infirmities and throws in our teeth the fact that being clergymen we are still no more than men, demands of us that we should do our work with

Society criticizes clergymen for their human flaws, yet expects them to perform their duties perfectly, as if they were not human.

_Reflects Mr. Arabin's perspective on the unrealistic expectations placed on clergy._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters/xxi-st-ewold-s-parsonage
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/barchester_towers_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/barchester_towers_se/chapters