Middlemarch, Chapter 9 summary

What happens

1. Marriage arrangements proceed smoothly, and Dorothea visits Lowick, where she welcomes the old furnishings while Celia finds the house gloomy.
2. Dorothea chooses to preserve Casaubon’s mother’s room and notices a portrait of his aunt, whose marriage he calls unfortunate.
3. Mr. Tucker describes the villagers as comfortable, leaving Dorothea disappointed by the apparent lack of useful work for her.
4. Casaubon introduces Will Ladislaw, his second cousin, who mistakes Dorothea’s confession of ignorance about pictures for criticism of his sketch.
5. Casaubon criticizes Will’s refusal to choose a profession but agrees to support further travel, which Dorothea praises as generous.
6. Alone with Dorothea, Celia challenges her claim to patience by pointing out her intolerance of other people’s words and actions.

In this chapter

What to notice

Dorothea’s disappointment concerns the shortage of work she can do for others, not the house. This wish helps explain her turn toward serving Casaubon’s aims.

Quick check