The Dewy Morn · Chapter
XXIV explained
Felise visits Godwin to see Ruy, bargaining for the horse while also pleading for old Abner Brown's cottage.
What happens
Felise visits Godwin to see Ruy, bargaining for the horse while also pleading for old Abner Brown's cottage. Godwin, torn between his miserly instincts and his secret passion for Felise, refuses her request. Felise eventually buys Ruy for seventy pounds. Meanwhile, Mr. Goring consults a solicitor about enclosing a spring and begins constructing a dipping-place for the community. The hamlet gossips about Felise's motives, suspecting she is after Godwin's money.
Themes in this chapter
Obsession and Jealousy
Godwin's obsessive passion for Felise is evident in his sleepless nights and his reflexive opposition to her wishes, driven by years of stored-up emotion.
Social Class and Injustice
Felise's plea for old Abner Brown's cottage highlights the harsh treatment of the elderly poor, with Godwin insisting on the workhouse despite her offers to pay the rent.
Freedom vs. Control
Mr. Goring's fight to enclose a spring and create a public dipping-place represents a struggle against private property rights that restrict common access to natural resources.
Characters to notice
- Felise Goring
Visits Godwin to see Ruy, pleads for Abner Brown's cottage, and eventually buys Ruy for seventy pounds.
- Robert Godwin
Refuses Felise's request to let Abner Brown stay in his cottage, sells Ruy to her for seventy pounds, and later regrets not asking for more.
- Ruy
The horse Felise buys; she feeds him apples and pets him during her visits.
- Mr. Goring
Consults a solicitor about enclosing a spring and begins constructing a dipping-place for the community.
- Abner Brown
The old man whose cottage Felise tries to save; Godwin insists he must leave.
Key passages
“Felise gave Ruy an apple, and then another till the six were gone. He thrust his nostrils into her hand, and pushed her with his face for more.”
Felise fed Ruy all six apples, and the horse nuzzled her hand, pressing his face against her for more.
Shows Felise's affectionate interaction with Ruy, building their bond.
“The stored-up passion of so many years, causing an irresistible reflex action, forced him to oppose her.”
Godwin's long-suppressed love for Felise made him instinctively refuse her request, even though he wanted to please her.
Highlights the internal conflict in Godwin between his love and his stubbornness.
“Has any man a 'right,' then, to enclose the air, the light? Doubtless, if it could be done, there are those who would enclose the ocean and claim it as private property.”
Mr. Goring argues that enclosing a spring is as absurd as trying to claim ownership of air, light, or the ocean.
Reflects Goring's critique of excessive private property rights.