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Chapter 12
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Vicar of Wakefield, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Humility in the Face of Adversity
The Possibility of Redemption
Family and Society
Equality, Justice, and the Law
Travel, Home, and Belonging
Summary
Analysis
Reflecting on his family’s recent embarrassments, Dr. Primrose lectures them on the folly of their attempts to rise above their station in life. Dick then illustrates this moral with a fable, telling the family the story of a giant and a dwarf who fought many battles together in which the giant got all the glory, and the dwarf lost limbs and eyes. Dr. Primrose’s explanation is interrupted, however, by Mrs. Primrose’s argument with Mr. Burchell, who is attempting to dissuade her from sending Olivia and Sophia to town. Mrs. Primrose accuses Burchell of being motivated by his own desire for Sophia. Seeing that his presence is now unwanted, Burchell departs in a hurry. Dr. Primrose scolds his wife for treating their guest so rudely but is secretly pleased that a poor man like Burchell will no longer be seeking—and receiving—his daughter’s affections.
Dr. Primrose again attempts to impress on his family the futility of social climbing, and again they fail to heed his warning. Mrs. Primrose, suffering from tunnel vision regarding her daughters’ future employment with the town ladies and the marital success that will surely follow, is unable to consider the dangers, and she angrily reacts to Mr. Burchell’s suggestion of caution. While Dr. Primrose’s condemnation of his wife for her lack of hospitality is morally straightforward, he must grapple internally with his own satisfaction with Burchell’s departure, as he realizes that he too is not immune to the desire for greater things that has captivated his family.
Themes
