Middlemarch · Chapter
Chapter II explained
Sir James Chettam continues his courtship of Dorothea Brooke, who rebuffs his advances and shows increasing interest in the learned Mr.
What happens
Sir James Chettam continues his courtship of Dorothea Brooke, who rebuffs his advances and shows increasing interest in the learned Mr. Casaubon. Dorothea admires Casaubon's intellectual depth and spiritual communion, while Celia privately criticizes Casaubon's appearance. The chapter explores the contrast between Sir James's conventional expectations of marriage and Dorothea's idealistic aspirations.
Themes in this chapter
Marriage and Illusion
Sir James's view that Dorothea's religiousness will 'die out with marriage' and his desire for a wife who can 'help her husband out with reasons' illustrate the illusions and practical expectations surrounding matrimony.
Ambition and Frustration
Dorothea's yearning for a higher intellectual life and her frustration with Sir James's conventional attentions reflect her thwarted ambitions.
Gender Roles and Women's Agency
Dorothea's brusque rejection of Sir James's offer of a horse and her desire to engage in scholarly work challenge traditional feminine roles, while Sir James's assumption of masculine superiority reinforces them.
Characters to notice
- Dorothea Brooke
Shows coldness toward Sir James's courtship and eagerly engages with Mr. Casaubon, admiring his learning and spiritual depth.
- Sir James Chettam
Persists in his admiration for Dorothea, offering a horse and attempting to win her favor, but is oblivious to her preference for Casaubon.
- Edward Casaubon
Speaks at length about his scholarly work and need for a reader; Dorothea finds him deeply interesting and compares him to Locke.
- Celia Brooke
Observes the interactions, privately thinks Casaubon is ugly, and reflects that Dorothea despises Sir James.
- Mr. Brooke
Engages Casaubon in rambling conversation about politics and theology, and dismisses Dorothea's offer to sort his papers.
Key passages
“A man’s mind—what there is of it—has always the advantage of being masculine—as the smallest birch-tree is of a higher kind than the most soaring palm—and even his ignorance is of a sounder quality.”
A man's mind, however limited, is inherently superior to a woman's, just as a small birch tree outranks a tall palm; even a man's ignorance is more reliable.
The narrator satirizes the Victorian assumption of male intellectual superiority, which Sir James unconsciously adopts.
“Here was a man who could understand the higher inward life, and with whom there could be some spiritual communion; nay, who could illuminate principle with the widest knowledge: a man whose learning almost amounted to a proof of whatever he believed!”
Dorothea sees in Mr. Casaubon a man capable of understanding her inner spiritual life and sharing intellectual communion, whose vast learning seems to validate his beliefs.
Dorothea's idealization of Casaubon reveals her yearning for intellectual and spiritual partnership, foreshadowing her disillusionment.
“Has anyone ever pinched into its pilulous smallness the cobweb of pre-matrimonial acquaintanceship?”
Has anyone ever compressed into a tiny pill the fragile and intricate web of knowing someone before marriage?
The narrator reflects on the inadequacy of pre-marital acquaintance, hinting at the dangers of hasty marriage based on idealization.