# Chapter XVII explained — The Dewy Morn

> Chapter companion for The Dewy Morn by Richard Jefferies.

## What happens

Felise visits an elderly couple, Abner Brown's parents, who are threatened with eviction by the hard-hearted land steward Godwin because they can no longer work and their son works for Mr. Goring, who is independent of the estate. The chapter explores the cruel feudal custom that ties cottage occupancy to labor on the estate, leaving the aged couple facing the workhouse. Felise resolves to help them.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Class and Injustice

The eviction of the elderly couple illustrates the brutal class-based system where laborers are treated as serfs, with the workhouse as the only alternative for the helpless.

### Freedom vs. Control

Godwin's enforcement of the feudal custom represents control over the lives of the poor, while Felise and Mr. Goring's independence offers a counterpoint of freedom.

## Character check-ins

### Felise Goring

Visits the elderly couple, pities them, and resolves to speak to her uncle Mr. Goring about their plight.

### Abner Brown

Son of the elderly couple; works for Mr. Goring, which is a factor in the eviction notice.

### Robert Godwin

The hard land steward who ordered the elderly couple to leave their cottage; described as a flint and a harsh enforcer of the feudal custom.

### Mr. Goring

Felise's uncle; employs Abner Brown, pays him above the usual wage, and is independent of the Squire's estate.

## Key lines

> By the most cruel and iniquitous rule it is possible to imagine, it is not permitted to give assistance from the poor-rates to the oldest, the most helpless, and deserving of the population if they dare to live at home. They must go to the poorhouse, that abomination of desolation.

The narrator condemns the Poor Law rule that denies outdoor relief to the elderly, forcing them into the workhouse.

_Direct commentary on the social injustice of the workhouse system._

> The custom is the last relic of feudal times, for while this condition endures the labourer must still be a serf.

The narrator calls the cottage-occupation rule a feudal relic that keeps laborers in serfdom.

_Explicit critique of the feudal survival in rural England._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_dewy_morn_se/chapters/volume-i-xvii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_dewy_morn_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_dewy_morn_se/chapters