The Vicar of Bullhampton · Chapter
Sam Brattle Goes Off Again explained
Sam Brattle informs Mr.
What happens
Sam Brattle informs Mr. Fenwick that he is leaving the mill after a quarrel with his father over the possibility of bringing his sister Carry home. The Vicar tries to dissuade him, but Sam is determined. Their conversation reveals Sam's love for Carry and Mr. Fenwick's promise to help find her a home. Meanwhile, the conflict over the new Methodist chapel escalates, with Mr. Grimes refusing to work and a Baptist builder from Salisbury taking over, plunging the parish into discord.
Themes in this chapter
Family Duty and Forgiveness
Sam's quarrel with his father over Carry highlights the conflict between filial duty and the desire to reunite the family.
Religious Conflict and Toleration
The escalating dispute over the Methodist chapel and Mr. Puddleham's accusations against the Vicar exemplify sectarian strife.
Hypocrisy and Moral Courage
Mr. Fenwick's willingness to help Carry despite societal judgment contrasts with the community's harshness, while Sam shows moral courage in defending his sister.
Characters to notice
- Sam Brattle
Visits the Vicarage to announce he is leaving the mill after a quarrel with his father about Carry.
- Mr. Fenwick
Tries to persuade Sam to stay, discusses the quarrel, and promises to help find a home for Carry.
- Carry Brattle
Central to the quarrel between Sam and his father; Sam knows she was in Pycroft and believes she went to London.
- George Brattle
Quarreled with Sam over Carry, struck at him with a mill-bolt, and cursed him.
- Mr. Grimes
Suggests the new chapel might be a nuisance; refuses to continue work, leading to a lawsuit threat.
- Mr. Puddleham
Attacks Grimes for stopping work, preaches against the Vicar, and escalates the chapel conflict.
Key passages
“He had called his peaches angels of peace, and had spoken of his cabbages as being dove-winged.”
He had described his peaches as symbols of peace and his cabbages as gentle as doves.
Mr. Fenwick's earlier efforts to maintain harmony in the parish are contrasted with the current discord.
“May be so, Mr. Fenwick, but I'm sure I'll never be out of 'em as long as I stays here in Bullhampton.”
Perhaps that's true, but I'll never escape trouble as long as I remain in Bullhampton.
Sam expresses his belief that staying in Bullhampton is itself a trap, justifying his departure.
“Down on it, like a dog on a rat.”
The world is harshly unforgiving, like a dog pouncing on a rat.
Sam describes society's cruel judgment of Carry's sin.