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Chapter 22
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
Neighbors continue to help the Primroses, and as Dr. Primrose cannot use his arm, he reads to his family to keep their spirits up. Olivia is particularly dejected and rejects farmer Williams’s overtures, unable to recover her former innocence. To distract her Dr. Primrose tells the story of Matilda, an Italian woman who, after losing her child in a river, is abducted by French soldiers and marries one of their officers. She moves back to France with him and lives happily until the Italians besieged the city. After capturing it, they intend to execute her husband when the Italian general realized he is Matilda’s lost son and spares her husband. The story does little for Olivia, however, who is further aggrieved by news of Squire Thornhill’s engagement to Miss Wilmot. Moses is sent to inform Miss Wilmot of the Squire’s treachery but is unable to deliver the letter as she is traveling. Dr. Primrose remains thankful for his family, no matter their circumstances.
Paradoxically, the suffering of the Primrose family is the surest proof of their fundamental goodness. Olivia’s depression stems directly from her own moral nature and her inability to reconcile her dishonor with it. The story of Matilda, while it may appear to simply be a diverting tale encouraging the listener to never give up hope, foreshadows a later revelation regarding Mr. Burchell’s true identity. The Primroses, though no longer seeking revenge, do hope to warn Miss Wilmot, not wanting a similar fate to befall her. Society, however—despite Dr. Primrose’s faith in it—does not provide the downtrodden like the Primroses with the means to bring someone like Squire Thornhill to justice.
Themes
Literary Devices
