In George Eliot's novel Middlemarch, a happy and successful marriage between two characters implies a willingness to work together on their relationship. Each character must present a broad perspective, which includes the ability to know and understand what the other is feeling. In the Finale, Eliot writes that marriage "is still the beginning of the domestic epic: the gradual conquest or irremediable loss of that complete union" (511). In other words, marriage is a shared endeavor whose goal is the unity of two separate people. In Eliot's Middlemarch, this slow progression is seen in the marriage of Mary Garth and Fred Vincy. Before marrying him, Mary forces Fred to choose a suitable career and develop as an individual person. A hostile marriage, like that of Rosamond Vincy and Tertius Lydgate, will develop if one partner refuses to communicate and work on their marriage. The couples who are still happily together at the novel's conclusion, such as Fred Vincy and Mary Garth and Will Ladislaw and Dorothea Brooke-Casaubon, have learned about themselves and their partners. Through the couples of Middlemarch, George Eliot illustrates that marriage is a journey that requires both work and an ever-evolving perspective of oneself and one's partner. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay When Dorothea Brooke meets Edward Casaubon, she completely loses her state of being to serve him more fully. However, Casaubon acts with little to no consideration towards Dorothea's wishes. Because of Casaubon's supposed wisdom and intelligence, Dorothea hopes that his influence will help her become more educated and find higher purposes in life. His only wish is to be his assistant. She completely relies on him for her contentment and self-esteem. When Casaubon excludes Dorothea from his studies, she is left in exile with nothing to live for. Because the courtship between Dorothea and Casaubon is brief, Eliot suggests that brief courtships provide an unstable foundation for marriage. A mortal mate whose nature you know solely through the brief ins and outs of a few imaginative weeks called courtship, may, when seen in the continuity of marital companionship, be revealed as something better or worse than you have preconceived, but they certainly will not seem completely the same (125). Instead of getting to know each other through face-to-face communication, Dorothea and Casaubon's marriage is finalized through letters. After marrying Casaubon, Dorothea begins to wonder if he is worth living for (265). Previously, he had the drive and desire to improve the world through building better homes for agricultural workers. However, men hold the money, land and power to carry out such construction. Yet Casaubon, caught up in his plans, refuses to work alone with Dorothea, even though it would increase the happiness and togetherness of their marriage. In fact, Casaubon is so busy with his studies that he even ignores her on their honeymoon. He is surprised that "although he had won a lovely, noble-hearted girl, he had not won joy, which he had also regarded as an object to be found by searching" (54-55). In one of their conversations, Dorothea states that Casaubon talks to her "as if I were something you have to fight against" (178). Casaubon responds ignorantly, claiming that he has "neither time nor energy for this kind of debate" (178). The "debate" Casaubon talks about is paying attention to Dorothea's needs and opinions. Neglect to put in a small amount of work or effortto gain insight into Dorothea's personality. Just as Casaubon views Dorothea as an object, both Lydgate and Rosamond view themselves as objects to be acquired. Rosamond "was tired of the faces and figures she had always had; she was accustomed to the various profiles and irregular gaits... which distinguished those young men of Middlemarch whom she had known as boys" (62). Lydgate is new to her, and something she wants to achieve. Lydgate sees Rosamond as a plant, and "that by marrying her, he could give her a much-needed transplant" (218). Their refusal to know each other, or even to regard the other as anything other than an object, predicts their ultimate callous treatment of each other. . Because of their inadequate courtship and mutual decision not to try to understand each other, Lydgate and Rosamond's marriage is doomed to unhappiness. Rosamond never gains her husband's respect. She tells Dorothea that "Tertius is so angry and impatient if I say anything" (490). Her happiness diminishes as she is not allowed to express her point of view without being insulted. Financial problems cause a rift in their marriage because Rosamond and Lydgate neglect to work together and resolve the problem. Shortly before Lydgate's death, he described Rosamond as "a basil plant," claiming that it "bloomed beautifully on the brain of a murdered man" (513). Obviously, Lydgate feels that Rosamond is a detriment to his intellectual progress. Unlike the marriage of Lydgate and Rosamond, the marriage of Dorothea and Will Ladislaw begins with a long and well-developed courtship. This courtship includes several tests. During their first acquaintance, Dorothea meets Ladislaw while he is painting. She comments that the paintings are similar to "a Greek phrase...that means nothing to me" (51). Ladislaw "took her words for a hidden judgment, and was certain that she considered his sketch detestable" (51). A significant part of the success of Dorothea and Ladislaw's marriage is the fact that Dorothea is allowed to progress as a person and expand her perspective before marrying him. For Dorothea, charity is something she does to feel good about herself, even more than for the good of others. Later, he recognizes the life he lives outside of his own. Become an anonymous supporter of the New Hospital. After seeing Ladislaw and Rosamond together, Dorothea experiences a night of pain. However, "he now began to deliberately relive that morning yesterday, forcing himself to dwell on every detail and its possible meaning" (485). She wonders, "Was she alone in that scene? Was it just her event? Did she force herself to think of it as related to another woman's life" (485). He rises above his previous view that this was his world. Dorothea's new perspective allows her to accept that Ladislaw has his own motivations and connections outside of their relationship. Dorothea and Ladislaw have a prosperous marriage because they both work on their relationship and have found mutual acceptance before marriage. Ladislaw allows Dorothea to be self-oriented and has interests of her own such as writing. Both willingly agree to lose status and wealth and move to a house in London. The devotion between the couple is unquestionable. Dorothea gives up her money, outward respectability and public opinion. Will Ladislaw publicly declares his love for her. She states that "no other woman exists beside her. I would rather touch her hand if she were dead, than touch that of any other living woman" (480). Ladislaw confirms his love by leaving his hometown to realize Dorothea's happiness. Although Eliot does not develop the relationship between the Bulstrodes as much as the other couples in the novel,.