Middlemarch · Chapter
LXXIX explained
Lydgate and Will Ladislaw meet after Will's return to Middlemarch.
What happens
Lydgate and Will Ladislaw meet after Will's return to Middlemarch. Lydgate confides in Will about his troubles, including the public scandal involving Bulstrode and Raffles, and his financial ruin. Will, feeling guilty about his earlier outburst to Rosamond, conceals his own rejection of Bulstrode's money and his visit to Dorothea. Both men pity each other, but Will foresees a bleak future of passive resignation for himself and Lydgate.
Themes in this chapter
Selfishness and Moral Compromise
Will's guilt and concealment, Lydgate's acceptance of Bulstrode's money, and the passive yielding to circumstance highlight moral compromise.
Community and Gossip
The public scandal and gossip about Bulstrode, Raffles, and Lydgate shape the characters' actions and reputations.
Money and Economic Pressure
Lydgate's financial crisis and Bulstrode's money are central to the chapter's conflicts and decisions.
Characters to notice
- Tertius Lydgate
Lydgate confides in Will about his troubles, including the scandal and financial ruin, and speaks of going to settle in London.
- Will Ladislaw
Will returns to Middlemarch, feels guilt over his outburst to Rosamond, and conceals his rejection of Bulstrode's money from Lydgate.
- Rosamond Vincy
Rosamond is ill after a nervous shock and has previously entreated Will to urge Lydgate to move to London.
- Dorothea Brooke
Dorothea's letter to Lydgate is mentioned, and Lydgate notes she was the only person to defend him against suspicions.
- Nicholas Bulstrode
Bulstrode is implicated in the scandal involving Raffles, and his offer of money to Will is referenced.
- John Raffles
Raffles is mentioned as having spoken to Will, and is central to the public disclosures.
Key passages
“We are on a perilous margin when we begin to look passively at our future selves, and see our own figures led with dull consent into insipid misdoing and shabby achievement.”
It is dangerous to passively observe our future selves being led into mediocre wrongdoing and unworthy accomplishments.
Narrator's reflection on the danger of passive resignation, applied to both Lydgate and Will.