Summary
Lydgate faces his first major ethical dilemma in Middlemarch when forced to vote on the hospital chaplaincy between Farebrother and Tyke. Though he genuinely likes Farebrother, Lydgate is troubled by the vicar's gambling for money—a necessity Lydgate, who has never known financial pressure, cannot understand. Meanwhile, banker Bulstrode expects Lydgate's support for his candidate Tyke, and Lydgate knows opposing Bulstrode could damage his medical career. The chapter reveals the complex web of relationships and interests that govern small-town politics. When the vote arrives tied, Lydgate holds the deciding ballot. Despite his personal preference for Farebrother, he votes for Tyke, partly from principle but mostly from professional self-interest. The decision haunts him as a moment when 'petty medium of Middlemarch had been too strong for him.' Farebrother, gracious in defeat, reflects on how 'the world has been too strong for me,' showing how even good people can be worn down by circumstances. The chapter explores how idealistic young professionals often find themselves making compromises they never expected, and how financial pressures can force decent people into situations that conflict with their values. It demonstrates that moral choices are rarely clear-cut when personal relationships, professional advancement, and economic survival intersect.
Coming Up in Chapter 19
As Lydgate settles into his new role at the hospital, his relationship with Bulstrode deepens, but so does the complexity of navigating Middlemarch society. Meanwhile, other characters face their own moral crossroads as the town's interconnected relationships continue to evolve.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
O“h, sir, the loftiest hopes on earth Draw lots with meaner hopes: heroic breasts, Breathing bad air, run risk of pestilence; Or, lacking lime-juice when they cross the Line, May languish with the scurvy.” Some weeks passed after this conversation before the question of the chaplaincy gathered any practical import for Lydgate, and without telling himself the reason, he deferred the predetermination on which side he should give his vote. It would really have been a matter of total indifference to him—that is to say, he would have taken the more convenient side, and given his vote for the appointment of Tyke without any hesitation—if he had not cared personally for Mr. Farebrother. But his liking for the Vicar of St. Botolph’s grew with growing acquaintanceship. That, entering into Lydgate’s position as a new-comer who had his own professional objects to secure, Mr. Farebrother should have taken pains rather to warn off than to obtain his interest, showed an unusual delicacy and generosity, which Lydgate’s nature was keenly alive to. It went along with other points of conduct in Mr. Farebrother which were exceptionally fine, and made his character resemble those southern landscapes which seem divided between natural grandeur and social slovenliness. Very few men could have been as filial and chivalrous as he was to the mother, aunt, and sister, whose dependence on him had in many ways shaped his life rather uneasily for himself; few men who feel the pressure of small needs are so nobly resolute not to dress up their inevitably self-interested desires in a pretext of better motives. In these matters he was conscious that his life would bear the closest scrutiny; and perhaps the consciousness encouraged a little defiance towards the critical strictness of persons whose celestial intimacies seemed not to improve their domestic manners, and whose lofty aims were not needed to account for their actions. Then, his preaching was ingenious and pithy, like the preaching of the English Church in its robust age, and his sermons were delivered without book. People outside his parish went to hear him; and, since to fill the church was always the most difficult part of a clergyman’s function, here was another ground for a careless sense of superiority. Besides, he was a likable man: sweet-tempered, ready-witted, frank, without grins of suppressed bitterness or other conversational flavors which make half of us an affliction to our friends. Lydgate liked him heartily, and wished for his friendship. With this feeling uppermost, he continued to waive the question of the chaplaincy, and to persuade himself that it was not only no proper business of his, but likely enough never to vex him with a demand for his vote. Lydgate, at Mr. Bulstrode’s request, was laying down plans for the internal arrangements of the new hospital, and the two were often in consultation. The banker was always presupposing that he could count in general on Lydgate as a coadjutor, but made no special recurrence to the coming decision between Tyke...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Justified Compromise
The process by which good people construct moral justifications for actions they know betray their values when pressured by larger systems.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when you're manufacturing moral reasons for decisions driven by self-interest or fear.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you start explaining why something you don't want to do is actually the right thing to do—that's usually your mind trying to avoid seeing a compromise for what it is.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Chaplaincy
A religious position at an institution like a hospital, where a minister provides spiritual care to patients and staff. In Victorian times, these were paid positions that came with social status and steady income.
Modern Usage:
Today we see similar roles as hospital chaplains, military chaplains, or corporate ethics officers - positions where someone's job is to provide moral guidance within an organization.
Patronage System
A system where wealthy or powerful people control who gets jobs and opportunities. Bulstrode, as a wealthy banker, expects his financial support to influence who becomes chaplain.
Modern Usage:
This still exists as networking, political appointments, or when major donors influence hiring decisions at nonprofits and universities.
Professional Self-Interest
Making decisions based on what will advance your career rather than what you personally believe is right. Lydgate votes for Tyke partly to stay in Bulstrode's good graces.
Modern Usage:
We see this when people stay quiet about workplace problems to protect their jobs, or when professionals make choices that benefit their careers over their principles.
Moral Compromise
When you act against your personal values because of outside pressures like money, career advancement, or social expectations. Lydgate compromises by not voting for the person he actually prefers.
Modern Usage:
This happens when people take jobs they don't believe in for the paycheck, or when they go along with decisions they know are wrong to avoid conflict.
Genteel Poverty
Being from a respectable social class but having little money. Farebrother comes from good family but struggles financially, which forces him to gamble for extra income.
Modern Usage:
Today this might be college-educated people working multiple gig jobs, or middle-class families struggling to maintain appearances while living paycheck to paycheck.
Provincial Politics
The complex web of relationships, favors, and obligations that govern decision-making in small communities. Everyone knows everyone, and personal relationships affect professional choices.
Modern Usage:
Small-town politics still work this way - school board elections, city council decisions, and local business dealings often depend more on personal connections than merit.
Characters in This Chapter
Lydgate
Conflicted protagonist
Faces his first major ethical test in Middlemarch. Despite liking Farebrother personally, he votes for Tyke due to professional pressure from Bulstrode. This decision marks the beginning of his moral compromises.
Modern Equivalent:
The ambitious young professional who compromises their values to get ahead
Mr. Farebrother
Sympathetic candidate
The current chaplain who genuinely cares for his family and patients but gambles to make ends meet. He loses the vote despite being the better person, showing how good people can be defeated by circumstances.
Modern Equivalent:
The dedicated teacher or social worker who takes on side hustles to pay the bills
Mr. Tyke
Rival candidate
Bulstrode's preferred candidate for chaplain. Represents rigid evangelical religion and serves as a tool for Bulstrode's influence over the hospital.
Modern Equivalent:
The corporate yes-man who gets promoted because they tell the boss what they want to hear
Bulstrode
Manipulative power broker
Uses his financial influence over the hospital to push his religious agenda. Expects Lydgate's loyalty in exchange for supporting his medical career.
Modern Equivalent:
The wealthy donor or board member who expects their contributions to buy influence over decisions
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The petty medium of Middlemarch had been too strong for him"
Context: Describing Lydgate's feelings after voting against his conscience
This reveals how even well-intentioned people can be overwhelmed by local pressures and expectations. Lydgate realizes he's already being shaped by the very forces he thought he could rise above.
In Today's Words:
The small-town politics and pressure got to him more than he expected
"The world has been too strong for me"
Context: Reflecting on losing the chaplaincy vote despite being the better candidate
Shows how external circumstances can defeat good people. Farebrother recognizes that merit alone isn't enough when money and influence are involved.
In Today's Words:
Life's pressures have worn me down and I can't compete with the system
"He would have taken the more convenient side... if he had not cared personally for Mr. Farebrother"
Context: Explaining Lydgate's internal conflict about the vote
Reveals that Lydgate would normally just go with whatever benefits him most, but personal relationships complicate his calculations. This shows both his selfishness and his capacity for genuine feeling.
In Today's Words:
He would have just picked whatever was easier for him if he didn't actually like the guy
Thematic Threads
Professional Integrity
In This Chapter
Lydgate's medical ideals clash with the political realities of hospital governance and his need for Bulstrode's support
Development
Building on earlier chapters where Lydgate's reformist ambitions meet Middlemarch's established interests
In Your Life:
Every time you stay quiet about workplace problems because you need the job or promotion
Class Blindness
In This Chapter
Lydgate cannot understand why Farebrother would need to gamble for money, having never experienced financial pressure himself
Development
Continues the theme of how different class experiences create mutual incomprehension
In Your Life:
When people with financial security judge choices made by those living paycheck to paycheck
Moral Rationalization
In This Chapter
Lydgate constructs ethical reasons for a decision driven primarily by career self-interest
Development
Introduced here as a key pattern in how good people make compromising choices
In Your Life:
Whenever you find elaborate reasons for doing what benefits you rather than what feels right
Systemic Pressure
In This Chapter
The 'petty medium of Middlemarch' proves stronger than individual moral conviction
Development
Expanding on how social and economic systems shape individual choices beyond personal character
In Your Life:
When you feel forced to act against your values because 'that's just how things work here'
Grace Under Defeat
In This Chapter
Farebrother accepts his loss with dignity, recognizing larger forces at work rather than blaming individuals
Development
Introduced here as an alternative response to systemic unfairness
In Your Life:
How you handle situations where you're treated unfairly but fighting back would only hurt you more
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific pressures influenced Lydgate's vote, and how did he justify his decision to himself?
analysis • surface - 2
Why does Lydgate judge Farebrother's gambling so harshly when he's never faced financial pressure himself?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today creating moral justifications for decisions that primarily serve their self-interest?
application • medium - 4
How can you tell the difference between genuine principle and convenient rationalization in your own decision-making?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about how power structures shape individual choices, even among well-intentioned people?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Map Your Own Compromise Points
Think of a recent situation where you felt pressure to act against your instincts—at work, with family, or in your community. Write down what you actually wanted to do, what pressures you faced, and what justifications you created. Then trace how the decision played out and what you learned about your own patterns.
Consider:
- •Notice how your mind automatically searches for 'good reasons' when you feel conflicted
- •Consider whether the justifications came before or after you'd already decided what was practical
- •Identify which relationships or systems hold the most power over your choices
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you compromised your values for practical reasons. What would you do differently now, knowing what you know about how these patterns work?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 19: Art, Beauty, and Uncomfortable Recognition
Moving forward, we'll examine unexpected encounters can reveal hidden feelings we didn't know we had, and understand we sometimes react defensively when others see what we're trying to hide. These insights bridge the gap between classic literature and modern experience.