Who Dorothea Brooke is
Dorothea Brooke lives with her younger sister Celia at Tipton Grange, the home of their uncle, Mr Brooke. She dresses simply, cares more about ideas than fashion, and brings deep religious feeling to her hopes for life.
What Dorothea Brooke wants
Dorothea wants useful work, but the world around her offers few clear paths for a woman with her ambitions. She studies plans for better cottages on her uncle's land, turning her concern for tenants into a practical project.
Edward Casaubon's learning seems to promise another way to give her life purpose. She accepts his proposal because she imagines marriage as a chance to gain wisdom and help with meaningful work.
How Dorothea Brooke changes
Marriage begins to unsettle Dorothea's hopes when Casaubon keeps his scholarship apart from her. She offers help with his notes, but his distance leaves her unhappy and uncertain of herself. As she returns to charitable duties, she begins to question her belief that devotion to an admired man is enough.
A best-known line
“What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?”
Questions
Who is Dorothea Brooke in Middlemarch?
Dorothea is a rich, serious young woman whose wish to do good places her at the center of the novel.
Why does Dorothea marry Casaubon?
She believes his scholarship will give her opportunities to learn and serve a worthy purpose. Her hopes keep her from recognizing his anxiety and emotional distance.
How is Dorothea related to Celia?
Celia is Dorothea's younger sister. She loves Dorothea but views her enthusiasm with affectionate doubt.