The Last Chronicle of Barset · Chapter
III: The Archdeacon's Threat explained
The archdeacon confronts his son Major Grantly about his rumored attachment to Grace Crawley, threatening to stop his income if he marries her.
What happens
The archdeacon confronts his son Major Grantly about his rumored attachment to Grace Crawley, threatening to stop his income if he marries her. The major defiantly asserts his independence, leading to a tense family dinner and a gloomy evening at the rectory.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Duty
The archdeacon asserts his authority over his son's marriage choice, while Major Grantly struggles between filial duty and personal desire.
Social Class and Reputation
The archdeacon's objection to Grace Crawley is rooted in her poverty and the scandal surrounding her father, highlighting class prejudice.
Love and Marriage
Major Grantly's determination to marry for love despite his father's threats reflects the tension between romantic ideals and practical considerations.
Characters to notice
- Archdeacon Grantly
Confronts his son about Grace Crawley, threatens to stop his income, and is deeply unhappy about the potential marriage.
- Major Grantly
Defends his attachment to Grace Crawley, asserts his independence, and refuses to be swayed by his father's threats.
- Griselda Grantly
The marchioness, visiting the rectory, maintains a cold and distant demeanor, causing tension in the family.
- Mrs. Grantly
Struggles to maintain family harmony during the tense dinner and later cries in her room over the situation.
- Grace Crawley
The subject of the archdeacon's disapproval; Major Grantly defends her as a well-educated lady despite her poverty.
- Mr. Harding
Mentioned as the grandfather whom Griselda requested not to be invited to the rectory, causing Mrs. Grantly distress.
Key passages
“I claim the privilege of a man of my age to do as I please in such a matter as marriage. Miss Crawley is a lady. Her father is a clergyman, as is mine. Her father's oldest friend is my uncle. There is nothing on earth against her except her poverty.”
Major Grantly asserts his right to choose his own wife, arguing that Grace Crawley is a lady and a clergyman's daughter, with no flaw but her lack of wealth.
Major Grantly defends his choice of Grace Crawley against his father's objections.
“Do you mean to tell me, Henry, that you are in love with Miss Crawley?”
The archdeacon directly asks his son if he loves Grace Crawley.
The archdeacon presses his son for a direct answer about his feelings.
“I do not think much of riches, but it is always well that a gentleman's wife or a gentleman's daughter should have a sufficiency to maintain her position in life.”
The archdeacon downplays the importance of wealth while emphasizing the need for a woman to have enough to uphold her social standing.
The archdeacon's hypocritical stance on money and class.