Remolona 1

Jake Remolona
Mann
AP Literature
19 September 2016
Middlemarch Essay
A complicated relationship is a relationship which contains some element which doesnt
make it straightforward. It has this, but it also has that. For example, teenagers probably share a
complicated relationship with their parents because they are probably looking to become more
independent, but they also need the support of the parents. This serves as one of the many
examples of a complicated relationship. Complicated relationships are apparent not only in real
life, but they can also make their way into literature. One such example appears in George Eliots
novel,

Middlemarch. The married couple of Rosamond and Tertius are forced to come up with
answers to their lack of money. Because they are getting dragged through a crisis, it allows them
to figure out each others true characters. Rosamond is characterized as the wife who longs for a
life full of luxury and privilege; Tertius aspires to give for his wife, but his pride gets in the way.
Their contrasting personalities cripple their strained relationship.
In the passage, Rosamond is the wife of Tertius. Her solutions to the financial problem
are mostly based off of using somebody else. It is reasonable to conclude that she grew up
spoiled because according to Tertius, she is a young creature who had known nothing but
indulgence. She bent under the will of the problem because she grew up receiving. She really
didnt have to work because her life was full of extravagance. As a result, she expects her
marriage to be like that--a life of privilege. Her determination to find alternate ways of receiving
money is first apparent at the beginning of the passage. She asks Tertius if he has requested

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money from his father. When answered with no, she still seems persistent in asking him. When
shut down altogether, she quickly rebounds and asks, Why can we not go to London? Or near
Durham, where your family is known? Her refusal to listen to Tertius and work starts to
aggravate him because she is set on how she wants things run. Their relationship becomes
complex because he approaches it differently, but hes almost exactly the same.
On the other hand, Tertius appears to be there for the purpose of providing. He wants to
provide for Rosamond, but the lack of money isnt allowing him to do so. His solutions are more
geared towards figuring out their problems by themselves. However, very little is known about
the character of Tertius, because of the narrative perspective. George Eliot employs the use of a
third person omniscient. That allows us to delve into the thoughts of both characters without any
bias--or so we think. Exclusively for this passage, it tends to be more weighted towards
Rosamond and her feelings and thoughts. In doing so, it exposes her selfishness because all she
wanted from the marriage was indulgence, more exactly to her taste. Eliot offers the metaphor,
like a creature who had talons but who had reason too, which often reduces us to meekness. in
order to describe the state in which Tertius was in. In illustrating that hes a creature with talons,
shes essentially saying that hes a person with opinions. He has his own weapons. But he gets
reduced to meekness. This is fitting because he is submitting to his wife in order to appease her
(again hes attempting to provide). His self-blame gave her some hope that he would attend to
her opinion. She tries to take advantage of him for her own needs. Unfortunately, all we see of
Tertius is coming through the mindset of Rosamond. The fact that Eliot employs a third person
perspective allows us readers to see the arguments from both sides. These seemingly opposite
characters serve as the reason why the relationship is complex.

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The marriage between Rosamond and Tertius is very uneasy. According to Rosamond,
[if she] had known how Lydgate would behave, she would never have married him. Their
contrasting characterizations are dooming this relationship. However, the complexity of the
relationship may stem not only from their personalities, but both of their prides. The rise of
financial problems puts both of their prides on the line, but how serious is their problem?
Towards the end of the passage, Tertius states, Dover says he will take a good deal of the plate
back again, and any of the jewelry we like. This means that the couple has enough jewelry in
that they dont need to sell everything just to get what they need. Theyll still have a good deal
of it left over. This shifts the focus of the passage from how theyll solve the problem, to whos
willing to give in to the others way of handling the situation. Both have completely different
ways of handling this situation. Theyre both stubborn to the point in which Rosamond
actually questions why she married him in the first place. Her desire to live a life full of
indulgence simply counters that of the life that Tertius desires--a life of providing. She wants
this, but he wants that. Even though it seems like they would complement one another, one
receives while the other gives, their relationship is complicated because of their collective refusal
to comply to each other.
Complex relationships are not simple, two dimensional objects. More often than not, they
contain one component which makes them three dimensional and complex. Whether its a
teenagers complex relationship with his or her parents or its a love-hate relationship with food,
complicated relationships are very prevalent in todays society. They can also be prevalent in
literature also. In George Eliots, Middlemarch, the married couple of Rosamond and Tertius
Lydgate serve as an example of a complex relationship. Their love for each other is blemished by
the fact that they cannot agree on an answer to a problem. Their relationship is filled with a lot of

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problems similar to those found in a typical complicated relationship--something that poses more
questions than answers.

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Account of Revisions

REVISIONS I MADE:
Explain, in detail, the changes you made. Include
quotations/examples to make the revisions
apparent to the reader. Make sure your revisions
are both small and large scale.

RATIONALE:
Why did this change need to take place?
(How did it improve the clarity, coherence, style,
effect, focus, etc. of your words?)

Introduction Paragraph:

Introduction Paragraph:

1.
2.

3.

4.

I changed the wording of the first sentence

I changed the wording of the sentence,
teenagers probably share from singular to
plural
I added a transition in between the phrases
This serves as one of the many examples of a
complicated relationship. to One such
example,,,
I changed the thesis from ...forced to
confront financial difficulties. Their
contrasting characterizations cripple their
strained relationship. to

1.

2.

3.

4.

First Paragraph:
1.

Switched the positioning of the quote, young

creature who had known nothing but
indulgence and the references to the father
and family for money

Second Paragraph:
1.

2.

This paragraph was originally part of the first

paragraph, but I split them into two separate
ones.
I add the literary element of narrative
perspective. Added the metaphor from the
original third paragraph.

Third Paragraph:
1.
2.
1.

First Paragraph:
1.

I added a conclusion. Struggled with echoing

the introduction because I didnt know how I
could tie it back to the audience.

I switched the positioning because by stating

the quote first, I was allowed to use the father
and family as evidence for the quote.

Second Paragraph:
1.

Brought in a new point: their prides pull them

apart.
Added in a quote from Tertius about Dover.

Conclusion

I changed the wording because I felt like the

original wasnt as clear as the revised one.
The revised one makes it easier to understand.
I changed the wording because it sounded too
repetitive if teenager was kept singular. This
improved the general flow of the passage.
I did this because a transition allows the
reader to see how my intro is connected to the
main argument of my essay.
I changed the thesis because I included
prompt language. Its not good to include it
because the reader is most likely going to
know the prompt of the passage already, no
need to restate it. Also, the second part of my
thesis was changed to better align with the
strength of the word choice. Better depicts the
characterizations rather than just stating it.
Established that Rosamond receives while
Tertius provides.

2.

I split the paragraphs up in order to further

illustrate the differences between Rosamond
and Tertius. That allowed me to further point
out the differences that make up their complex
relationship.
I added the analysis of the various literary
elements into this paragraph to illustrate
Tertius point of view and the fact that he
submitted to his wife. In doing so, Im adding
another layer of complexity to this already
complex relationship. Added analysis to the
metaphor instead of just flat-out stating that it
existed.

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Third Paragraph:
1.

2.

I brought in a new point because it was an

interesting take on the whole thing. Again, it
was another layer to this already complex
relationship. Enhances the depth of my
analysis.
Added in the quote about the jewelry because
it supported my assertion that their prides are
tearing them apart. Added analysis after the
quote because overall, claims were good, but I
didnt have the analysis to back them up.

Conclusion:
1.

I thought that the relationship was very

strained. They seemed to love each other, but
they simply cannot find a way to agree with
each other. Their respective ways of handling
the situation was simply ignored by the other.
My conclusion was based off of the things I
stated in the introduction.

My writers workshop group helped me a lot. I believe that it was Sydney who gave me the idea
that both Rosamond and Tertius are stubborn in that they simply dont want to accept the others
beliefs. I received quality feedback from Justin, Nate, and Sydney because they were all here to
help. At the time, I was debating between this essay and the fourth essay and they helped me
decide which one to choose. They said that this essay had the makings of a good essay; I just
needed to expand on a few claims and summarize less. This essay, I set out to do just that. For
every claim, I tried backing it up with analysis that was missing in my rough draft. Justin and
Nate also helped me expand my thesis to make it clear and effective. Even though this is my first
essay with the help of my group, I can tell that they are going to prove essential in helping me
achieve better grades for the essays later in the year. Im looking forward to improving with
them.