Middlemarch · Chapter
XLI explained
The chapter introduces Joshua Rigg Featherstone, the frog-faced and calculating heir to Stone Court, who is visited by his stepfather John Raffles, a swaggering and manipulative rogue.
What happens
The chapter introduces Joshua Rigg Featherstone, the frog-faced and calculating heir to Stone Court, who is visited by his stepfather John Raffles, a swaggering and manipulative rogue. Raffles attempts to extort money and brandy from Rigg, but Rigg coldly rebuffs him, threatening to have him driven off if he returns. The chapter also hints at a letter from Nicholas Bulstrode that Raffles uses to wedge his flask, suggesting future intrigue.
Themes in this chapter
Money and Economic Pressure
Raffles' attempt to extort money from Rigg and Rigg's cold refusal highlight the economic pressures and transactional nature of their relationship.
Selfishness and Moral Compromise
Raffles' manipulative and selfish behavior contrasts with Rigg's unyielding self-interest, both characters embodying moral compromise.
Social Class and Provincial Life
The contrast between Rigg's rural gentility and Raffles' low, swaggering urbanity underscores class tensions in provincial society.
Characters to notice
- Joshua Rigg
Now master of Stone Court, Rigg is cool, calculating, and frog-faced, with a strong aversion to his stepfather Raffles. He refuses Raffles' demands and threatens to have him driven off.
- John Raffles
A swaggering, florid rogue who visits Rigg to extort money and brandy. He carries a letter from Nicholas Bulstrode, which he uses to wedge his flask.
- Caleb Garth
Mentioned as having been involved in transactions between Bulstrode and Rigg concerning the land attached to Stone Court.
- Nicholas Bulstrode
His letter is used by Raffles to wedge his flask, hinting at a secret connection between Bulstrode and Raffles.
- Peter Featherstone
Deceased former owner of Stone Court; his property and legacy are central to the chapter's events.
Key passages
“By swaggering could I never thrive, For the rain it raineth every day.”
Boasting and arrogance never lead to success; life is full of inevitable hardships.
The epigraph from Twelfth Night sets a tone of futility and the cyclical nature of trouble.
“Who shall tell what may be the effect of writing? If it happens to have been cut in stone... it may end by letting us into the secret of usurpations and other scandals gossiped about long empires ago”
Written records, even if long neglected, can eventually reveal hidden truths and scandals.
The narrator reflects on the power of documents to uncover secrets, foreshadowing the importance of Bulstrode's letter.
“The copy in this case bore more of outside resemblance to the mother, in whose sex frog-features, accompanied with fresh-colored cheeks and a well-rounded figure, are compatible with much charm for a certain order of admirers.”
Joshua Rigg inherited his frog-like appearance from his mother, whose similar features were considered charming in a woman.
The narrator uses this comparison to emphasize Rigg's unattractive and calculating nature.
“I should be glad to see you whipped at the cart-tail.”
I would enjoy seeing you publicly punished and humiliated.
Rigg expresses his deep contempt for Raffles, wishing him a harsh public punishment.
“The paper with which he had wedged it was a letter signed Nicholas Bulstrode, but Raffles was not likely to disturb it from its present useful position.”
Raffles used a letter from Nicholas Bulstrode as a wedge for his flask, unaware of its potential significance.
This detail hints at a future revelation involving Bulstrode's secret correspondence.
