In Book Two of George Eliot’s “Middlemarch,” Dorothea is first relegated to her own private affairs but is then rescued from this private world while her scholarly husband, Causabon, occupies himself at the Vatican. Prior to the marriage unraveling in Rome, Dorothea is at a party where she is “naturally the subject of many observations” (88). This party scene, presenting Dorothea from the outsider’s perspective, displays that she is not merely an individual who lives in a vacuum, but shows, rather, that she is a social self who is subject to public surveillance. While the social discourse surrounding Dorothea could be dismissed as intrusive and unnecessary, this voyeuristic standpoint, though objectifying, contributes to a more thorough and complex picture of Dorothea as her internal world begins to collapse. The lens is taken out of Dorothea’s hand and is placed in the hand of her peers.

Dorothea’s lack of vision as a neglected wife in Rome is experienced as a diminishment in stature as she succumbs to depression and a “self-accusing cry” (192). While feeling confused and unhelpful, Dorothea suffers from ineffectiveness. Meanwhile, the attraction that Naumann and Ladislaw have for Dorothea recast her as, no longer a downtrodden wife, but as “the most perfect young Madonna.” Naumann has even invented an assignment for Dorothea to star in a portrait of his, although without her knowledge. Suddenly, where Dorothea is found unappreciated by her husband, she is praised and pursued by these young aspiring men; the demand for Dorothea has not completely sunk.

Moreover, where Dorothea is rejected and forlorn, Will ridicules Causaubon for his failure to appreciate Dorothea. As Will listens to Dorothy, he empathizes with her plight. Furthermore, in these exchanges with Will, Dorothea exercises her boldness and intellectual curiosity. As Dorothea’s friendship with Will develops, Dorothea shifts away from her internal strivings as she openly grows invested in Will’s opinion.

By shedding insight into Causabon’s lack of knowledge of German, Will inadvertently defends Dorothea by showing her that this guy is not as tough as you think he is. At the same time, this backfires as Dorothea’s sense of purpose as a wife is built on the impression that her husband is a big shot with the highest intellectual capacity. This mockery is met with horror and shock by Dorothea who, ineffectually, in her choice to marry Caussabon, purchased stock in his scholastic talents as she hoped to drink from his well of knowledge. Will’s statements, then, are profoundly debilitating for Dorothea as a brick is pulled out from the foundation that her marriage is built on. Who now, after Will has exposed Dorothea to an ugly truth only to reject her friendship, who will be her spokesperson?

Marci Batchelor