In the fourth book, Three Love Problems, we are shown the ways in which several characters are forced to face some unpleasant realities. These revelations come in many forms, delivered from the mouths of lawyers, doctors, and even lowly tenants. While Fred Vincy, Mr. Casaubon, and Mr. Brooke each suffer personal blows to their pride, their reactions vary considerably. In the face of adversity, Fred chooses to return to the path once set before him, Mr. Casaubon machinates a narrow path for his wife, and Mr. Brooke eventually acquiesces to address the needs and desires of those around him.

Upon Peter Featherstone’s death, Fred Vincy, along with many other relations, withstands the disappointment of being excluded from the will of the deceased. It is rather cruel irony that the woman he hopes to marry held the power of his future in her hands in a very literal way. Although Mary could have helped Fred to become a rich man through inheritance, perhaps Fred’s perceived loss will push him to become the sort of man Ms. Garth would be proud to marry. “[U]tterly depressed,” Fred returns to his studies like most who are without any other course of action available to them would do (324). For Fred, his first lesson in life is that it isn’t always fair!

Mr. Casaubon suffers an even greater disappointment when he learns the true nature of his fragile condition after interrogating Dr. Lydgate. Knowing the seriousness of his health issues and his wife’s understanding of them only feeds his suspicions of both Dorothea and Will Ladislaw and the nature of their relationship. Both Lydgate’s and subsequently Casaubon’s suppositions may not be founded in any undeniable fact, but they still have a tangible effect on Mr. and Mrs. Casaubon’s marriage. Dorothea clearly feels a guilty tenderness toward her husband because she blames herself for his illness. Sadly, Mr. Casaubon, while correct in his estimation of Will Ladislaw’s desire for Dorothea, cannot correctly interpret the agency behind Dorothea’s actions and generates the very discord that he imagines. Wrapped up in fear and jealousy, Casaubon chooses not to divulge his misgivings to his wife in life, deciding to memorialize his fears in his death with the freshly created “codicil” in his will. It seems ironic that this man, who cannot open up his heart to anyone including Dorothea, will soon be undone from a disease of the heart.

Finally, Mr. Brooke must come to terms with the fact that despite his illusions of being a fair proprietor, his reputation as a poor landlord is not completely unfounded. Throughout Middlemarch, we have been introduced to a myriad of characters, most of whom come from some sort of pedigree or honorable station in society. Much has been spoken about the need to help the less fortunate, especially from Dorothea, who has been calling for reform and renovations to the cottages since the beginning. Her drive has always been attributed to her religious fervor, but after being introduced to the Dagley’s cottage it is no wonder that Dorothea should feel so strongly. Mr. Dagley clearly feels similarly regarding the state of his domicile, calling Brooke to task for it in reply to Brooke’s concerns about poaching. While Mr. Brooke escapes quickly from the uncomfortable skirmish as quickly as possible, the confrontation seems to move him just as quickly to hire Caleb Garth to finally renovate the slummy cottages.

Emily Fleischhauer