A study of characterisation in the novels of George Eliot

~lirectinG her irony at just the sort O~ cldn :;tation t.'at Spencer W·'.S auvocating.
She cannot J
however, escape her
bias, and we cannot
feelinc; that her Christi[m diabili ty is Irl:)ti vated
less by the exibencies of the plot than by her need 0 show us th~,t he
vrill not be ["ole to continue this kind)f
He represen:::s a
survival ethic which she totally repudL.tes.
Itr Christian, "ilho h:'l.d been remar:able life for power
of adapting himself to circur:\stv:1.C8S which en~·bles a man to fall
safely on all-fours in the most >mrried ions and escapes,
was not exempt f'rom bodily suf'fe:::'inc;--a circui:~stance to which
there is no knovm WHy of adaptins one t 5 ':0 as to be perfectly
comfortable under it, or to push it off on to other people" s
shoulders. 57
The relationship of a oharacter to~he Cu"",; ... ",,,,,,, ...
of his envil~onment
and the difficulties he may have in adapting hio;,,,;elf successfully
to that enviro:nment are treated themati(~ally
in
However, this relationship also prOvide: exte!lG.ed
analogies in the novels. InterestinglY:1 thp rev:i,evl(~l"
and ecological
__ IIf· ____
)f The Millo!1 the
~~ for the Examiner, 181:0, was "SO a;-noyedl! at Eliot t S u.se of
'tscientii'ic terminology" that he "even 1.en1:. so fnr a. +:0 accuse Lc-,1e5
of interpolating it." 58 Direct compari"ons W:1:''::::: act',iil animals ar:.i
~pecific characters abo~~d in Mill .:1 the ~
._- ----~--,..
"';hat
of the characterc: in the book
teva Stump corl1nents
Ok'
',;:1. vn ·t~~~ sL e exceptior of
J)r Kenn, are characterised and developE';' in terms nimal images. t! 59
~~ggie is an exuberant and p'.:, ,Y'1; she and ·'·Jnl together 13::--e
~)hetland
ponies. The Dodson aunts and t',;e3 are e~~:li
fl.'ulliver is the subject of a Chauceria!l:'able in the
ilHow a Hen ta,1ces to Stratagem" where he:: f'.1tile atteF
for the mill are COffiT:Jrect \T1th t:n~
entitled.
s to diS8U8.,ie
efforts of a hen
·!to prevail on Hod""e not to v,-ring her n; -k "' ....
to market. II
60
o ....... .1' ..... ) vr..;.
send hfT and her chicks
Besides these direct comparisons,
Iere are 1 on:r, more important