The Last Chronicle of Barset · Chapter
Grace Crawley at Home explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Crawley, exhausted from his London trip, insists on fulfilling his parish duties despite his wife's pleas, leading to a severe physical and mental breakdown. Meanwhile, Grace Crawley returns home to her father's sickbed and confides in her mother about Major Grantly's proposal, her refusal due to family opposition, and her determination to prioritize her family's honor over personal happiness.
Themes in this chapter
Pride and Humility
Mr. Crawley's stubborn pride drives him to fulfill his duties despite his breakdown, while Grace's humility leads her to refuse Major Grantly's proposal for the sake of his family's honor.
Family and Duty
Grace prioritizes her family's reputation and her father's well-being over her own romantic desires, reflecting the theme of familial duty.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Crawley
Shows signs of mental and physical exhaustion after returning from London; insists on visiting the brickfields despite fatigue, suffers a breakdown, and becomes delirious.
- Grace Crawley
Returns home to nurse her father; confides in her mother about Major Grantly's proposal and her decision to refuse him due to family opposition.
- Mrs. Crawley
Worries about her husband's mental state; writes to Grace to bring her home; listens to Grace's account of Major Grantly's proposal.
- Major Grantly
Proposed to Grace Crawley, but she refused due to his family's opposition; he wrote a letter to her after the proposal.
Key passages
“He was as a man who walks along a river’s bank thinking of suicide, calculating how best he might kill himself... but yet knowing, or thinking that he knows, that he never will kill himself.”
Mr. Crawley contemplates resigning his clerical duties as a form of professional suicide, but he knows he will never actually do it.
Illustrates Mr. Crawley's internal struggle with his sense of duty and his despair.
“It is no time for us to think of being in love. We have got to love each other.”
Grace tells her mother that romantic love must wait; their family bond is more important now.
Highlights Grace's prioritization of family duty over personal romance.