The Last Chronicle of Barset · Chapter
Mr. Crawley's Last Appearance in His Own Pulpit explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Thumble is compelled to go to Hogglestock to perform services after Mrs. Proudie's death, despite his reluctance. Mr. Crawley addresses his parishioners from the pulpit, explaining his resignation and his inability to account for the cheque, and leaves the church with his wife and daughter. The chapter ends with a somber breakfast scene where Mrs. Crawley is unable to eat, and Mr. Crawley tries to comfort her.
Themes in this chapter
Pride and Humility
Mr. Crawley's resignation and address to his parishioners demonstrate a complex interplay of pride in his duty and humility in admitting his failure.
Poverty and Suffering
Mr. Crawley's poverty is cited as making 'the spirit poor, and the hands weak, and the heart sore,' and his wife's despair at the breakfast table underscores the family's suffering.
Clergy and Morality
The chapter examines the moral dilemmas of clergy: Mr. Crawley's resignation over a theft accusation, Mr. Thumble's reluctance to serve without payment, and the bishop's avoidance of responsibility.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Crawley
Delivers his final address to his parishioners from the pulpit, explaining his resignation and his inability to account for the cheque, then leaves the church as pastor.
- Mr. Thumble
Reluctantly goes to Hogglestock to perform services after Mrs. Proudie's death, but is awed and anxious about payment.
- Jane Crawley
Attends the service and criticizes Mr. Thumble's sermon, but is gently rebuked by her father.
- Mrs. Proudie
Mentioned as deceased; her death has awed Mr. Thumble and affected the bishop's willingness to interfere with her arrangements.
- Bishop Proudie
Refuses to see Mr. Thumble after Mrs. Proudie's death, unwilling to interfere with her arrangements.
- Mr. Snapper
Insists that Mr. Thumble must go to Hogglestock, arguing that undoing Mrs. Proudie's work would be in bad taste.
Key passages
“Poverty makes the spirit poor, and the hands weak, and the heart sore—and too often makes the conscience dull.”
Poverty impoverishes the soul, weakens one's ability to act, causes emotional pain, and frequently numbs the moral sense.
Mr. Crawley's reflection on the effects of poverty, delivered in his farewell address.
“It's dogged as does it.”
Perseverance is what gets things done.
An old lame man's comment on Mr. Crawley's resilience, suggesting that stubborn determination will see him through.