The Vicar of Bullhampton · Chapter
What Mr. Gilmore Thought About It explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Gilmore receives Mary Lowther's letter rejecting his proposal and suffers intense emotional anguish. He struggles to cope with his disappointment, wandering his estate and ultimately seeking comfort from Mrs. Fenwick, who visits him at the Vicarage's behest.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Marriage
Gilmore's profound despair over Mary's rejection highlights the centrality of romantic attachment and marriage in personal identity.
Hypocrisy and Moral Courage
Gilmore's internal struggle between public composure and private grief, and his inability to face the Fenwicks, reflects the tension between social expectation and emotional honesty.
Characters to notice
- Harry Gilmore
Receives Mary's rejection letter and is devastated; wanders his grounds, weeps, and later accepts Mrs. Fenwick's comfort.
- Mary Lowther
Her letter rejecting Gilmore's proposal is the central event; she is mentioned as having chosen Captain Marrable.
- Janet Fenwick
Visits Gilmore on behalf of her husband to offer comfort; calls him 'Harry' in tenderness.
- Mr. Fenwick
Sends his wife to comfort Gilmore; plans to discuss Mr. Chamberlaine's visit with him.
- Captain Walter Marrable
Identified as Mary's successful rival; Gilmore resents him as a 'fellow with a moustache and a military strut.'
- Mr. Chamberlaine
His proposed visit is a matter for debate between Gilmore and the Fenwicks.
Key passages
“There is something mean to a man in the want of success in love.”
A man feels degraded by romantic failure.
Gilmore reflects on the shame of being rejected in love, contrasting it with other kinds of failure.
“If God would strike me dead this moment, it would be a mercy!”
Gilmore wishes for death to escape his emotional pain.
Expresses the depth of his despair to Mrs. Fenwick.
“Was there ever such cold-blooded trash? Friends indeed!”
Gilmore scorns Mary's offer of friendship as insincere and cruel.
His bitter reaction to Mary's hope that they might remain friends.