The Rector and The Doctor’s Family · Chapter
Chapter II explained
A month after his arrival, the Rector is settled in Carlingford with his elderly mother, Mrs.
What happens
A month after his arrival, the Rector is settled in Carlingford with his elderly mother, Mrs. Proctor, who is lively, deaf, and intensely curious about the local parishioners. She teases him about Mr. Wodehouse and his daughters, suggesting that the Wodehouses may have matrimonial designs on him. The Rector, uncomfortable with the topic and fearful of being overheard by servants, struggles to deflect her questions. The chapter highlights the Rector's awkwardness in parish life and his deep attachment to his mother, who brings both comfort and comic agitation.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Gentility
Mrs. Proctor's matchmaking schemes and the Rector's discomfort reflect the social pressures and expectations of clerical life in a small parish.
Duty vs. Personal Inclination
The Rector's longing for the scholarly solitude of All Souls contrasts with his pastoral duties and his mother's insistence on settling down.
Marriage and Domesticity
Mrs. Proctor's persistent hints about Miss Wodehouse as a potential wife underscore the societal expectation that a clergyman should marry.
Characters to notice
- The Rector
Settled in Carlingford with his mother; awkward and embarrassed by her teasing about Mr. Wodehouse and the Miss Wodehouses; longs for the peace of All Souls.
- Mrs. Proctor
The Rector's elderly, lively, and very deaf mother; keenly interested in parish gossip; playfully suggests her son might marry Miss Wodehouse.
- Mr. Wodehouse
Churchwarden; described by the Rector as an 'ass'; his frequent visits to the Rectory are noted by Mrs. Proctor.
- Lucy Wodehouse
One of Mr. Wodehouse's daughters; remembered by the Rector as lost in noiseless laughter.
- Miss Wodehouse
The elder Miss Wodehouse; described as deprecating and gentle; Mrs. Proctor suggests she would make a suitable wife for the Rector.
Key passages
“He's an ass!”
The Rector, exasperated by his mother's questions, blurts out that Mr. Wodehouse is a fool.
Shows the Rector's frustration with parish social life and his mother's teasing.
“Settling for life! Alas! there floated before him vain visions of that halcyon world he had left—that sacred soil at All Souls, where there were no parishioners to break the sweet repose.”
The thought of marriage horrifies the Rector, who nostalgically recalls the peaceful, parishioner-free life at All Souls.
Highlights the theme of duty vs. personal inclination.
“I don't doubt there's a great many unmarried ladies in your church, Morley. There always is in a country place.”
Mrs. Proctor cheerfully observes that country parishes are full of eligible women, implying her son will have many prospects.
Reflects the social pressure on clergymen to marry.