Everything that is new is sometimes scary. People also fear what they do not know. Instead of trying to understand everything that a person may be doing we just fear it. People would also freak out and say it is the devil’s work or accuse a woman of being a witch and then she would usually end up drowning or being burned to the stake, even if her remedies worked better than any man’s. Other times we can treasure what is new, but it can also bring us sorrow or jealousy.

That is why everyone was criticizing Mr. Lydgate. They were scared that Lydgate was a better doctor than the other doctors before him. He was better at curing everyone than the current doctors that they had in Middlemarch and he didn’t use any medicine unless he absolutely had to administer some. He could tell the difference between a tumor and a cramp the others could not see the difference. Lydgate knew what he was doing and had become a doctor to help people instead of trying to make money off of the profession. Lydgate had become very famous and a well-loved doctor.

After Mr. Casaubon had died Dorothea had gone into a state of depression. She was a little bit sad, but she was also now all alone in a huge house without a husband. Celia was extremely happy, because she had a baby. Celia and her husband Sir Chettam thought Dorothea might have been happier with them and the baby and that she could find some companionship with her sister and new nephew. Casaubon had made sure that if there was ever anything more than friendship between Ladislaw and Dorothea it would not grow once he died. He had put in his will that if Dorothea ever married Ladislaw he would disinherit Dorothea and she would loose her entire inheritance.

Dorothea would then be left with nothing. Dorothea had never been pregnant. She had been left utterly alone, no husband, no baby, and no possibility of a new life with Ladislaw. She also had not been allowed to look at the will. Everyone had been telling her to relax and just to grieve and let her pain heal on it’s own time. I don’t think Dorothea was that upset over the death of her husband. When their marriage was near the end she seemed to be in a bad mood and was more of a nurse than a wife to Mr. Casaubon. She was not able to find the manuscripts for the book Mr. Casaubon had been writing she had promised him she would publish it for him if anything happened to him before he finished it.

Fred has lost all his money and to avoid telling his father what happens decides to join the church, but it still hesitant since Mary said she would never marry him if he did join the church. Fred asks Mr. Farebrother if he will ask Mary that even though he is joining the church if she will marry him. Mary is still adamant in not marrying Fred after joining the church. There is no other way for Fed to get back the money, but he can only see going into the church as his only option. He doesn’t do so right away since he still wants to marry Mary.

Julia Rogan