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Fred Vincy and the unravelling of 'Middlemarch.' (by George Eliot)

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From: Papers on Language & Literature
Date: 19940101
Author:Martin, Bruce K.

The ease with which the character Fred Vincy finds success in George Eliot's 'Middlemarch' undermines the novel's major moral theme about the interconnectedness of social action. Eliot takes great care to avoid showing sympathy with specific characters in an effort to present a world in which actions result in consequences and the moral ambiguities of people are shown to cause real-life problems. Fred Vincy is not held to the same standards as the other characters and seems to do as he pleases without repercussions. Eliot's favoritism towards Vincy leads to moral inconsistency.

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