Adam Bede
The main character of the novel , the character with the namesake, seems to have a rather ambiguous role in the novel as the prominent figure. At times, it is as if he is merely thrown into the plot as a type of formality. Considering this and the fact that the novel was written by Mary Ann Evans under the pen name George Eliot, one may come to the conclusion that this novel is not actually about a man at all, rather it is about a woman, or better yet women.
Among the main female characters of the plot, Hetty, Dinah, Mrs. Poyser and others, there is one woman in particular that stands out prominently despite a somewhat limited presence. Lisbeth Bede, mother of Adam and Seth and wife of ...
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woman, consider what biblical implications are made about her character and observe the effect this construction has on other characters in the novel.
When we are first introduced to Lisbeth, it is with comparison of how similar she is in physique to her son Adam. One detail, however, provides for a very concise way of describing Lisbeth in condensed terms. It reads:
Her dark eyes are somewhat dim now perhaps from too much crying . . . (Eliot pg. 41) It is clearly the intention of the author to show us that this is the type of life Lisbeth has led, one of sadness and tears. Later we gather that her husband Thias has a lot to do with her depression, as he is an alcoholic. In a way, we see that the couple has a certain similarity in that they both have habits that lean towards perpetual melancholiness. Perhaps we can read this as being a sort of a cycle, Lisbeth seems heavily depressed, this type of activity weighs heavily on Thias, he seeks recreation and escape in his ...
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never bitter and resentful are often the most querulous; and if Solomon was as wise as he is reputed to be, I feel sure that when he compared a contentious woman to a continual dropping on a very rainy day, he had not a vixen in his eye a fury with long nails, acrid and selfish. Depend upon it, he meant a good creature, who had no joy but in the happiness of the loved ones whom she contributed to make uncomfortable, putting by all the tid-bits for them, and spending nothing on herself. Such a woman as Lisbeth, for example at once patient and complaining, self-renouncing and exacting, brooding the livelong day over what happened yesterday, and what is likely to happen to-morrow, and ...
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"Adam Bede." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 12 Jan. 2007. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Adam-Bede/58578>
"Adam Bede." Essayworld.com. January 12, 2007. Accessed April 29, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Adam-Bede/58578.
"Adam Bede." Essayworld.com. January 12, 2007. Accessed April 29, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Adam-Bede/58578.
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