Dorothea Brooke of Middlemarch - Essay Example

She is the main character in the novel that talks of many families and characters and her travails occupy the reader for much of the novel and beyond. Dorothea Brooke is introduced to the reader right at the beginning of the novel as a beautiful woman. Her physical beauty is however, regulated in a way through her religious beliefs that require her to follow a very simple mode of existence and devote herself to the service of others. This is best exemplified by the opening line- “Miss Brooke had that kind of beauty which seems to be thrown into relief by the poor dress” (Eliot 5, 2000).

The line signifies the austerity of Dorothea’s lifestyle that is a product of her religiosity. At the same time, the physical beauty that Dorothea possesses cannot be hidden even by the plainest of attire. Eliot introduces the reader to her main character right at the outset to give him or her an inkling of the events to come. The events that happen in Dorothea’s life are a result of the trait that has just been discussed. Her beauty is also in keeping with the heroine of the Victorian novel, who is invariably beautiful.

One of the most problematic elements of Dorothea’s religiosity is its self-centeredness. . This desire for an opportunity for charity per se, is not problematic. However, Dorothea wishes the presence of misery so that she might be able to do charity. Eliot, through this trait of her main character also wishes to draw attention to the lack of understanding that the landed classes had regarding the plight of the masses. Dorothea’s surprise at the lack of misery in Lowick Manor is also disturbing, since it paints a sorry picture of the working classes of the Victorian era.

Dorothea is however, not just a religious woman who does not wish for the happiness of a married life. Her disappointment at the way in which her marriage pans out is an evidence of this. While on her honeymoon in Rome, Dorothea realizes that Mr. Casaubon was a person not similar to the one that she had expected him to be. Her lofty ambitions crash and she is forced to examine how realistic her notions regarding her future with Mr. Casaubon were. Dorothea’s feminine and romantic side is revealed when she thinks of the disappointment and resentment that she feels.

Her expectations of tenderness are met with coldness and through her character, Eliot seeks to portray a failed marriage and the complexity of marriage as a social institution. This portrayal stems partly from Eliot’s own bitter experiences with her marriage that was not successful. Eliot poignantly describes the confusion that Dorothea feels as a newly wedded bride, who had “married the man of her choice” (ibid, 160) but still did not feel happy. She ascribes her lack of happiness as the “fault of her own spiritual poverty” (ibid).

This marks the beginning of Dorothea’s transition to a person