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A novel by George Eliot.

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When Celia asks Dorothea to bring out their mother's jewels so that they can decide what to do with them, Dorothea experiences an inner conflict.  Her religious ideals tell her that wearing the jewels would not be modest or fitting of her faith, but her human nature tries to convince her otherwise.  After stating that wearing the jewels would be wrong, Dorothea decides to keep some of them for herself, prompting her sister's annoyance at her inconsistencies.

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This is one of the first signs that Dorothea and Casaubon will not have a perfect marriage. Readers see Casaubon's opinions and his eagerness to neglect his wife, prompting their relationship to suffer. Even though every marriage will not be perfect, a couple can still maintain a healthy relationship if they put effort into making it one, not ignoring their problems until they grow so great as to separate them.

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When Dorothea meets Will Ladislaw, her husband becomes jealous and tries to keep her from seeing her new friend.  He is afraid that once he dies, Will shall try to pursue his wife, and he does not wish for that to happen.  After his short, stingy remark to Dorothea's sincere exclamation of joy, she decides not to mention her friend again in order to keep her husband happy.  She sacrifices her own happiness for his, even though he does not do the same for her.

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Where as Dorothea is modest and meek, her sister is the exact opposite. Not only does she dress in other styles of wear, she is not as devout as Dorothea is, which leads some to believe that Celia is the smarter or wiser of the pair. Her coquettish ways lead people to enjoy her company more than that of her sister's. People need to look beyond someone's looks to see who they truly are, and then they will be able to form opinions as to someone's morals or character.

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When Dorothea first meets Will Ladislaw, she is quite taken aback by his cool manner toward her. Eventually they form a friendship, that will further blossom into romance. One's first impression of a person may not always be correct, they need to get to know someone more in order to truly judge that person's character.

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Casaubon always believes that he has the correct opinion, no matter what anyone else says. He especially undervalues his wife's opinions, not even listening to them most of the time. When she says something, she often feels ignored and unworthy of the pompous man's time. Even if two people have differing opinions, listening to the opposing viewpoint could help both sides to live in harmony.

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Eliot was a firm believer in scientific study and growth, so themes of science were incorporated into many of her novels. Men at that time would make suspicions about women's behavior, and then apply it to all of them, even though each woman is different. A scientific study cannot be conducted on one or two people and then applied to every member of the human race.

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A main theme in the novel is compassion, and Sir James feels a lot of compassion for Dorothea. He believes that someone should have warned the girl about her choice to marry a man old enough to be her father. His statements show his compassion and sympathy for Dorothea in the decisions she has made.

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Dorothea is under the impression that Rosamond is having an affair with Will Ladislaw, prompting her to reveal her opinion that marriage and love do not work together. Her statements reveal Eliot's views on marriage, and ultimately convinces readers that marriage is not always perfect.

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Even though Rosamond is married, she ends up finding herself attracted to Will Ladislaw. One day she decides to inform Ladislaw of her affection, but Dorothea walks in at the wrong time and assumes the worst, running away before they can explain themselves. Will then panics and enlightens Rosamond as to just how strong his feelings are for Dorothea, and she finally understands him and wants to make things right.

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Dorothea accidentally witnesses Will and Rosamond alone together and assumes that they are in love, even though Will was actually explaining to Rosamond that he was in love with Dorothea. After Dorothea runs away in shock, pain, and confusion, Will begs Rosamond to explain that what Dorothea assumed was not true, so Rosamond decides to do the right thing and tell Dorothea the truth.

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At first, Dorothea does not believe that marriage and love can work together. However, as the novel progresses she sees the flaws in her theories and her decision to marry Casaubon. When he passes away, she decides to choose love, and she married Will Ladislaw against her late husband's wishes, costing her the Casaubon fortune and estate.

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Eliot references Roman ruins and landmarks as Dorothea and her husband complete their honeymoon.  In doing this she give more details that could convince readers that the story could have actually happened.

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Eliot alludes to events that were happening as she wrote her novels so that they would seem more realistic. Readers of her time would know what she referenced, so the book and storyline would then seem realistic and relatable to them.

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This quote has some actual history connected to it.  There were fifty years of proposals to reform the parliamentary system  that preceded the First Reform Bill.  This was during the formation of a new class in English society, the industrial bourgeoisie.

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So many characters in the novel ride that it just has to be a symbol. For instance, Rosamond uses her love of horseback riding to get what she wishes, which is a ride to Stone Court. She convinces her brother to take her there so that she may try to gather information about Lydgate, even though she claims to be "indifferent" as to where they ride.

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One day Dorothea finds a miniature portrait of Casaubon's aunt (Will's grandmother). Aunt Julia gave up the Casaubon family fortune to marry the man that she loved. Dorothea connects with her husband's aunt because she too has experienced marital problems. The woman's story can also be viewed as foreshadowing later events in the novel, since Dorothea gives up her Casaubon fortune to marry her Ladislaw.

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Dorothea feels a strange closeness to a painting of Casaubon's aunt Julia. She imagines that the woman listens to her trouble since she had problems too. Then, however, she begins to imagine that it is a portrait of Will Ladislaw, as he is the only person to listen and understand her. This continues throughout the novel, and in the end of the book Dorothea openly caresses it.

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This passage introduces Middlemarch as a kind of character.  The town is not as interested in Lydgate as a single character, but as a part of the greater community.  Middlemarch is portrayed as a force that "swallows" its inhabitants and a force that draws its inhabitants into its community. It shows the positives and negatives of living in a country community.

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In the end of her novel, Eliot shifts from third to first person. This allows her to present the moral of the story as she calls attention to how acts of common people create cultural norms. Through focusing on Dorothea's trials, Eliot gives particular attention to a woman's role in marriage, making her concern with conventional marriage a central theme of the story.