Middlemarch Ch. 21: When Illusions Begin to Crack

George Eliot

When Illusions Begin to Crack

0:00

0:00 / 0:00

0:00

Summary

The chapter opens where the last ended: Dorothea drying her eyes before Will Ladislaw is announced. She receives him at once, hoping active sympathy will pull her from self-absorption and remind her of Casaubon's generosity. Signs of weeping make her face younger; his shyness makes him look younger too. She explains Casaubon is at the Vatican from breakfast till dinner, even as they prepare to leave Rome. Will pictures the dried pedant who won her and wastes the honeymoon on mouldy futilities, and barely turns disgust into a smile she mirrors.

They talk art, vocation, and patience. When she cites Casaubon's regret about Will's want of patience, Will's contempt stings her into defending her husband's labor. He then says Casaubon would save trouble by reading German; Germans have made roads while English scholars grope with pocket-compasses. Dorothea is wounded: her husband's life work might be void, and she wishes she had learned German at Lausanne. Will, ashamed, praises Casaubon insincerely.

Casaubon returns, rayless beside Will's brightness. Dorothea apologizes for the morning quarrel; he forgives with quoted propriety but withholds complaint that she received Will alone, restrained by pride and a jealousy that needs little fire. She begins to see she expected feeling from him under a wild illusion, and to feel that he has an equivalent centre of self whose lights and shadows cannot match hers.

In this chapter: Terms Characters Key Quotes Modern Story

Why This Matters

Seeing the Other Centre

Devotion fails when it treats a partner as proof of your purpose instead of a person with an equivalent inner life. Dorothea welcomes Will because sympathy has nowhere to go, then hears German scholarship named and fears Casaubon's work is void.

Before you outsource clarity to a charming outsider, ask what your marriage is not supplying and whether truth or relief is what you seek.

Coming Up in Chapter 22

Will dines charmingly, escorts them to Naumann's studio, watches Dorothea posed as Santa Clara, and calls alone to speak of art, German scholarship, and a promise she will extract before he leaves Rome Will shines at dinner, drawing Casaubon out while his own talk falls like a gay chime after the great bell. He urges a studio visit; Casaubon, seeing Dorothea eager, agrees..

PreviousPrevious Chapter NextNext Chapter

Original text

3,113 wordscomplete

Chapter 21

When Illusions Begin to Crack

“Hire facounde eke full womanly and plain, No contrefeted termes had she To semen wise.” —CHAUCER. It was in that way Dorothea came to be sobbing as soon as she was securely alone. But she was presently roused by a knock at the door, which made her hastily dry her eyes before saying, “Come in.” Tantripp had brought a card, and said that there was a gentleman waiting in the lobby. The courier had told him that only Mrs. Casaubon was at home, but he said he was a relation of Mr. Casaubon’s: would she see him? “Yes,” said Dorothea,…

Public-domain chapter text, formatted for reading.

Critical Thinking Exercise

10 minutes

Reality Check Your Relationships

Think of an important relationship in your life—romantic, friendship, or work. Write down three things you assumed about this person when you first met them, then three things you've learned about them that surprised you. Look for patterns: Are you still expecting them to be your original assumptions, or have you adjusted to who they actually are?

Consider:

•Notice whether your surprises were positive, negative, or just different from what you expected
•Consider whether you're still trying to change them back to your original vision
•Ask yourself if you're accepting their actual personality or still hoping they'll become someone else

Journaling Prompt

Write about a time when you had to let go of who you wanted someone to be and accept who they actually were. What did you learn about yourself in that process?

Master this chapter. Complete your experience

Purchase the complete book to access all chapters and support classic literature

Buy at

Available in paperback, hardcover, and e-book formats

The Mill on the Floss

George Eliot

Also by George Eliot

Great Expectations

Charles Dickens

Explores society & class

Pride and Prejudice

Jane Austen

Explores society & class

A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens

Explores society & class

Social Class & Status

Lessons from Middlemarch

Theme-by-theme analyses that connect this book to modern life skills.

Deep diving the literary elements.

When Illusions Begin to Crack

Summary