Book Five: The Dead Hand Summary and Analysis
Chapter 43
Dorothea drives to Middlemarch to see Lydgate. She wants to ask him about Casaubon’s health, as it is clear that Casaubon himself is very worried about something. Lydgate is not at home, but Dorothea sees Rosamond, who is talking to Will. Will offers to go and fetch Lydgate, who is at the new hospital, but Dorothea prefers to go herself. This upsets Will, and when Dorothea has left, he confesses to Rosamond that he thinks Dorothea is perfect and worships her to excess. When Lydgate comes home, Rosamond tells him that Will adores Mrs. Casaubon. Lydgate exclaims “Poor devil!” and says that when men fall in love, they neglect their work. Rosamond complains that Lydgate spends all his time working and neglects her instead, whereupon he asks if she is not ambitious for his career.
Chapter 44
Lydgate talks to Dorothea about the needs of the new hospital, as he knows she is interested in social reform and wants to improve the health and living conditions of the local people. He mentions the petty rivalries in the town and the unpopularity of Mr. Bulstrode, which have led many people to oppose the hospital despite the good work Lydgate wants to do. Dorothea has seven hundred pounds a year of her own money and promises to dedicate two hundred pounds to the hospital. When she mentions this to Casaubon, he remarks that it might be a disproportionate amount to give to a single cause but does nothing to hinder her. Casaubon does not care about spending money and is wrapped up in his own worries and feelings of loneliness.
Chapter 45
The landlady of the Tankard in Slaughter Lane starts a rumor that Lydgate intends to allow the patients at the new hospital to die, if not poison them himself so that he can cut up the cadavers in his experiments. This is only the most extreme of many rumors about Lydgate and the new hospital; some local doctors even ask Mr. Hawley, the lawyer, if any legal action can be taken against Lydgate’s reforms, though he advises them that this is not possible.
The local auctioneer, Mr. Borthrop Trumbull, contracts pneumonia and calls in Lydgate, who tells him that his strong constitution presents a good opportunity for simply watching the disease and allowing it to run its course without the use of any drugs. The success of this treatment, or lack of it, enhances Lydgate’s reputation, and Mr. Trumbull becomes one of his most enthusiastic defenders. None of the Middlemarch doctors will agree to work at the hospital with Lydgate as superintendent, but Lydgate tells Bulstrode that he will simply have to work harder himself and obtain doctors from other towns.
Later, Lydgate tells Rosamond about an anatomist called Vesalius who lived three hundred years ago and could only obtain a complete skeleton by snatching a criminal from the gallows. Rosamond says that she hopes Lydgate is not planning to imitate Vesalius because he has plenty of enemies already. She says that she often wishes Lydgate had not been a doctor. Although they were not talking seriously before, Lydgate is pained by her attitude to medicine, which he calls “the grandest profession in the world.” He does not think Rosamond can love him if she does not love his devotion to his work.
Chapter 46
People in Middlemarch are becoming more interested in political reform, and Will tells Mr. Brooke that there is likely to be another election soon. As the two men discuss the political situation, Will is pleased with Mr. Brooke’s compliments on his talent, which...
(This entire section contains 863 words.)
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he feels usually goes unnoticed in Middlemarch. As he reflects on this thought, he realizes that he would probably not be involved in politics or living in Middlemarch at all if he were not so eager to be close to Dorothea.
Many people in Middlemarch are suspicious of Will and think that Casaubon must have good reasons for having nothing to do with him. He is invited to the houses of the more progressive residents, including those of Bulstrode, Farebrother, and Lydgate. Will engages in political discussions with Lydgate, and one evening they both become angry in their dispute. While Will is upset by Lydgate’s comments about his political support for Mr. Brooke, Lydgate is concerned about money, as he has just received a final demand for payment of a furniture bill. He does not want to worry Rosamond with such matters, however, as she has recently become pregnant.
Chapter 47
After his dispute with Lydgate, Will wonders if he is making a fool of himself by associating with Mr. Brooke. He thinks of Dorothea, though only of seeing her not—as Casaubon suspects—of marrying her if she should become a widow. After some internal debate, he decides to attend the church service at Lowick the following day, though he knows this will annoy Casaubon. Will suddenly feels uncomfortable when he sees Dorothea in church and, when the service is over, Casaubon walks straight past him without meeting his gaze. Dorothea looks agitated as she leaves the church, and Will thinks she is repressing tears.
Expert Q&A
Analysis of connected quotations in book 5 of Middlemarch
An analysis of connected quotations in book 5 of Middlemarch would involve examining key passages that reveal character motivations, thematic developments, and plot progression. These quotations often highlight the internal conflicts and societal pressures faced by characters, illustrating the complex interplay between individual desires and social expectations in George Eliot's novel.