Originally Posted by
kev67
Having finished the book last night, I decided to re-read a section from the chapter on Daniel Deronda in a book called The Body Economic by Catherine Gallagher, which is the sort of book you would normally only find in a university library. She pointed out that even in the later chapters, after losing her husband, she had not gained a sense of perspective. She wants to be a better person, but to her, this seems to mean being better to her mother. And a large part of her motivation for being a better person is to win Daniel's approval. Therefore, out of the £2000 a year Grandcourt leaves her in his will, she thinks about giving her mother £800, giving away the rest, but only after taking advice from Daniel. She is still rather blinkered and self-centred. At least she has the grace to write a letter to Daniel to congratulate him on his marriage.
I still felt for her. She really has had her confidence shattered. Still, by the end of the book, she is still young, beautiful and rich. She will not meet anyone like Daniel again, but I hope Grandcourt has not put her off marriage for good.