Lady Florida. Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 My niece's husband got home early so I'm at a Panera near where I'm supposed to meet dh. It would have been a waste of gas to go home. Now let's just hope he's running late. ;) In this book we learn more about the Garths and the Vincys, both the individuals and family dynamics, and we also get a peek at what's going on with Dorothy and her new husband. The title of the book, Waiting for Death seems to indicate everyone is waiting for Mr. Featherstone to die and they're all counting on what he left them. Fred has made some poor decisions and is hoping his expected inheritance will bail him out. The Vincys haven't taught their children the value of money. Fred thinks he can keep gambling or losing money in other ways and it will always be okay. Rosalmond thinks having nice things are her right and something she deserves. She also seems to have an inflated idea of Lydgate's family wealth. We don't know for sure yet but so far nothing indicates that his family connections mean he himself is independently wealthy or that one of his family members is a benefactor of his. Mrs. Vincy seems (willfully?) blind to Fred's irresponsible and selfish nature. Fred blames his upbringing for the way he is (there's a timeless action -blaming one's parents for how one turns out as an adult). Fred does seem sorry for his actions but only sorry about how they will affect him. Lydgate was adamant about not wanting to get married because his work was too important and marriage would interrupt his planned accomplishments. While caring for Fred during his illness (thanks to Rosamond's quick trick of calling him in to help), he sees more of her. Is he falling in love with Rosamond or the idea of her? Is he seeing her real personality during this unacknowledged courtship? The Garths have done the opposite and have been clear to their children that money is important. While they think Fred is a nice guy and they know he and Mary have a childhood fondness for one another, they don't foresee a happy future for the two of them together. Mrs. Garth asks her husband to talk with Mary and make it clear that he does not approve of them as a couple. Will he succeed? Mr. Garth makes a point that's very telling both about the times and about Eliot's feelings on the matter. "A woman has to put up with the life her husband makes for her". That little statement is an accurate social commentary as well as a general theme of the novel. Mrs. Garth has done well enough despite the problems caused by Mr. Garth's personality. His generosity and tendency to work for no pay, less pay, or for goods rather than money, makes it hard for their family to make ends meet. Yet she manages to find little ways to make and save money in order to provide extras for her children. When Fred chooses to ask Mr. Garth for financial help rather than ask his own father, Garth's willingness to do so hurts his own family. They do seem to genuinely love each other though and Mrs. Garth is resigned to make the best of the life Caleb made for her. Then of course, we have Dorothea and her realization that marriage, or perhaps specifically marriage to Casaubon, isn't all she thought it would be. The life he's making for her is a lonely one in which she feels she has nothing to contribute. Casaubon hasn't changed but Dorothea is seeing the real him at last, rather than the idealized version of him she had before the honeymoon. She's also completely oblivious to why her husband is so against having Will around. She doesn't see any possibility of anything starting between her and Will because she doesn't think that way. Her attitude towards Will when talking about him to her husband only makes things worse. Will is angry that Casaubon even considered marrying Dorothea and hates to see her wings clipped before she even had a chance to try flying. Virginia Woolf called Middlemarch a "novel for grown-up people" but so many of the characters are young and their mistakes are often youthful mistakes. Do you see any contradiction between Woolf's statement and the large number of young characters? This section has quite a non-linear timeline. Did that bother you when reading it? Discuss. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Fred, Fred, Fred. I have no patience with the selfish young imbecile. Nor with the selfish old imbecile, Casaubon. Can either be redeemed? What I found to be intriguing in this section was the will, the various relatives anticipating their handouts, the promises made then withdrawn and finally the death of Featherstone with his hand in his money box. It has always seemed to me that people should be able to do with their money as they see fit. But apparently the hangers-on still hang on in modern culture--maybe not at the bedside but certainly hovering virtually to receive money that they believe is theirs by genetic attachment. More blatant in Middlemarch, perhaps. That is an interesting point you raise, Kathy, on all of the young people in this novel for "grown ups". We certainly are witnessing changes to Dorothea--but what about her sister? She has for the most part faded from the main story line. At the moment, I'm rooting for Will and Mr. Brooke but then they seem to be questioning the status quo--at least if I understand the political nuance correctly. Thanks Kathy for posing some interesting questions. I am musing... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 I haven't finished this part yet. I stopped reading around the time the board shut down. I was about halfway through. One reason was Fred's predicament and his poor choices were making me feel anxious. At the time I was worried about leaving my kids for a week. I guess I can get back to it now. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted April 13, 2018 Author Share Posted April 13, 2018 I'm having trouble remembering where Book 3 ends and Book 4 starts so I don't want to mention things that haven't happened yet. There's something about Casaubon I want to bring up but I checked and it's for the next part. I'll work on getting that up tonight, then Book 5 and we should be back on track after that. I agree with Jane about Fred and Mr. Casaubon. Also Featherstone. I don't have respect for the family who sat around waiting for him to die and each one thinking they had a right to his money, but he was a nasty old crank too. He relished seeing them squirm. I suppose having people only interested in you for the money you give them both when you're alive and after you die can do that to a person but I suspect he was cranky and mean anyway, even if he wasn't rich. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matryoshka Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 I'm apparently just at the beginning of Book 6 (a bit hard to keep track on audio...), and am also having a hard time remembering what happened in which part... I'm taking another break to listen to Home Fire, though, so hopefully I'll be back in the right spot soon. :) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted April 14, 2018 Share Posted April 14, 2018 I just finished part three: where Featherstone died and Casaubon got a heart attack and Celia is engaged. I am puzzled by the way with how few words this engagement has been told, espacially compared to the financially foolishnesses of Fred. I wonder how Mary became so calm. Is het her name? I think I would have much more emotions 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loesje22000 Posted April 15, 2018 Share Posted April 15, 2018 @ quote of Virginia Woolf: what is her definition of grown up? 18+? 40+? If it is just a way to say: this book is not geared to (young) children I agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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