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Chapter 20
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
George’s story is interrupted by the arrival of Squire Thornhill. The butler informs Dr. Primrose that the Squire is attempting to marry Miss Wilmot, with the Arnolds’ approval. The Squire is clearly surprised to see the Primroses, but it’s unclear if it’s a pleasant or unpleasant surprise. The Squire asks Dr. Primrose about Olivia and says he has been comforting the Primrose family in his absence; he strongly approves of Dr. Primrose’s decision not to tell George or Miss Wilmot just yet about Olivia’s elopement. Later, Dr. Primrose observes that Miss Wilmot does not seem enamored with the Squire and is accepting his courtship to please her aunt and uncle; George, on the other hand, elicits tenderness and affection from her, prompting the Squire to seek his friendship more enthusiastically.
Fate rewards Dr. Primrose’s graciousness in asking Mr. Arnold not to fire the butler, even though he was about to throw Dr. Primrose out of the house—now, the butler gives Dr. Primrose crucial information regarding the Squire’s intentions. The meaning behind the Squire’s inquiries about Olivia’s is ambiguous; perhaps he is expressing genuine concern, or perhaps he is deflecting attention from himself. Regardless, a front of struggle seems to form between the Squire and the Primroses, as the Squire attempts to prevent George from threatening his engagement to Miss Wilmot.
Themes
Squire Thornhill generously procures an officer’s commission for George to go the West Indies at the cost of 100 pounds, offering it as a loan as Dr. Primrose is unable to pay. George departs with his father’s blessing, and Dr. Primrose leaves for him the next day. Stopping at an inn on the way, Dr. Primrose sits and talks with the owner, who harshly criticizes the Squire while praising his uncle, Sir William. The Squire, he claims, repeatedly seduces and abandons young women. They are interrupted by the innkeeper’s wife complaining of a woman who will not—or cannot—pay for her room. To his shock, Dr. Primrose discovers the guest is his daughter Olivia.
The Squire’s generous offer so surprises the downtrodden Dr. Primrose that he is unable to stop and consider whether it is a ploy to get George out of the way and ensure the Squire’s unobstructed marriage to Miss Wilmot. Indeed, Dr. Primrose is so shocked that he does not even stop to consider the consequences of accepting such a large loan from the Squire. But the Squire’s reputation among commoners like the innkeeper contrasts with his apparent good deeds. Once again, Dr. Primrose volunteers to help someone in need, knowing little of their circumstances. And once again he is rewarded for his generosity, discovering his daughter Olivia.
Themes
Olivia is in despair and does not believe her father when he says he forgives her. He asks her how Mr. Burchell could perpetrate such villainy, and Olivia corrects him: it was Squire Thornhill who seduced her, and in fact Burchell attempted to warn her beforehand. The town ladies were in fact prostitutes used as a ploy who were scared off by Burchell’s letter. Thornhill, after kidnapping Olivia, had them illegitimately married by a Catholic priest; while this at first gives Dr. Primrose relief, Olivia explains that Thornhill has had six or more such marriages before.
Olivia’s despair, while tragic, indicates the depths of her moral feeling and therefore also her potential for redemption. The revelation that Squire Thornhill was indeed her abductor finally explains the town ladies’ departure and Mr. Burchell’s mysterious letter—and it exposes the Primroses’ earlier actions as jealous and misguided. The revelation reveals Squire Thornhill to be even more villainous that Dr. Primrose suspected; dishonoring Olivia is immoral already, but false marriage is another degree of sin.
Themes
Olivia was sworn to secrecy, however, and cannot inform on the priest, and though Dr. Primrose is aghast he supports her refusal to break an oath. The day after her “wedding,” Olivia found the Squire would not be faithful to her alone and intended for her to engage in sex work for his benefit. She rejected this and his offers of money or marriage to someone else, instead running away and hiding in the inn ever since. Dr. Primrose plans to take her home and promises the family will forgive her too.
Dr. Primrose is gratified by Olivia’s refusal to go back on her word, as much as it pains him to know that a fellow priest enabled such a crime against morality. Nevertheless, he firmly believes that evil—such as breaking an oath—cannot be done for the greater good. That Olivia also recognizes this affirms her fundamentally good nature and the redemption that awaits her, and her refusal to live in sin with the Squire after the initial seduction further indicates her goodness.
Themes
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