8/12/2019 Characterization in Adam Bede

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Characterization in Adam BedeIntroduction:- Characterization or character delineation is a special skill of a novelist to present his characters asacceptable creatures for the readers. George Eliot stands prominent among her contemporaries as a delineatorof character. he is the first novelist to dive deep into the recess of heart and soul of her characters. he alsopresents the real life like characters! living people of the "a#slope and ston#shire! from her memor# ofchildhood. $avid Cecil observes !% It is in the treatment of characters that George Eliot&s more active intellectgives her the most conspicuous advantage over the t#pical 'ictorian.%It is significant that George Eliot never forgot her childhood e(periences )hich gave a realistic touch to her )ork.

he al)a#s looked up to English *idland for inspiration. he reall# e(cels in the portra#al of humble and rusticpeople. he uses the rustic dialect to enhance the impact of realism. *ost of her characters are therepresentations of her friends and relatives from real life. "ence her characters are true to life. +he# are themi(ture of good and evil! virtues and vices. "ugh ,alker observes in this connection!% It is notorious that in theearlier novels! George Eliot dre) ver# freel# on the stories of her memor#. cene after scene! character aftercharacter! in these novels! has been identified )ith some place or person )ithin the range of her earl#e(perience. "er mansions and cottages! her lanes and meado)s! are those to )hich she had been accustomedto drive in childhood )ith her father. till more are the characters of her novels! the figures )ith )hom she hadbeen familiar. "er father! her mother! her brother! her sister! her aunt! and herself! all appear in her pages.% Inher later )orks! she turned to political e(perience of other people! problems of racial integration. "o)ever! )henshe left familiar grounds! she faltered and failed! and it is onl# in *iddlemarch that she could hold out a gleam ofher former glor#.George Eliot e(cels at portra#ing the traged# of unfulfilled female longings. he identifies herself )ith her chief

female characters and unfolds their inner feelings )ith masterl# strokes. Compton ickett points out!% *aggie&scr# for fuller life! amola&s for ampler kno)ledge! are dealt )ith b# her )ith a striking ps#chological profundit#)hich makes her a ver# )orth# forerunner of the ps#chological novelists like "enr# ames.% he )as aps#chological novelist through and through. he la#s bare the ver# souls of her characters. /ike Bro)ning! sheattempted to represent the inner struggle of a soul! and to reveal the motives! impulses and hereditar#influences )hich govern human action. $avid Cecil has rightl# remarked!% he tried to pierce behind the sho) ofthings and to reveal the forces b# )hich the# are controlled.% he )as a great anal#zer of motives. he )as arationalist and a philosophical thinker and she brought to bear on the novel a highl# skilled intellect! a probingmind! and a searching anal#tical facult#.

Another important feature of her novels is their ver# deep concern )ith human ps#cholog#. "er novels are allnovels of character. Compton ickett observes!% he )as the first novelist to la# the stress )holl# uponcharacter rather than incident0 to make her stories spiritual rather than ph#sical dramas.% In her characterization!she displa#s both subtlet# and variet#./eslie tephen sa#s!% In her childhood! of course! she took the colouring of her surroundings and it is this fact

)hich makes her a great regional novelist.% "er school education came to an end ver# earl#. "o)ever! theeducation she received from the book of nature and the countr#side )as lasting and permanent. +hiscountr#side al)a#s kept a stronghold on her and she returns to it again and again in her novels. he )asintimatel# familiar )ith the scenes and sights of the English *idlands.Conclusion:- +he characters of George Eliot are not flat rather the# are round characters )ho develop graduall#as the stor# progresses. he also attends to the religious characters and paints them )ith due regard. +here isno e(aggeration in her characterization. he presents her characters as the# are . +he# are real! living breathinghuman beings. +he# are )arm! full of vitalit#! )ith human desires and )eaknesses. In addition to ma1orcharacters in Adam Bede! George Eliot has introduced a number of minor characters as )ell. +he# are dra)nfrom various )alks of the *idland life. "er picture galler# is thus complete and comprehensive. All hercharacters are significant to the initial plot of the novel. +he# gro) and appear )ith the course of the stor#. oanBennett observes!% he )as more a)are than her immediate predecessors of the comple(it# of character andher creation cannot be labeled good or bad! nor accorded the )holesale approval or disapproval of the reader

as readil# as can man# 'ictorian heroes or heroines.% George aintsbur# observes!% But because she )asbefore all things a great artist and )armhearted and s#mpathetic )oman! she )as able to create an immortalgaller# of human beings! )hose 1o#s and sorro)s can never lose their hold on the affections.% 2uiteastoundingl# all her novels are peopled )ith a )ide variet# of human beings! simple and comple(! humorousand tragic! passionate and imaginative or prosaic and practical! shallo)! insincere and )a#)ard! or cultured freethinkers and m#stics and even half-)itted rustics. It is her great credit that each of her character is convincingand appealing. he makes her characters credible through her keen ps#chological insight. Generall# critics as/eslie tephen are of the opinion that George Eliot has dra)n )omen characters )ith much greater s#mpath#than male characters3that her most successful men are substantiall# )omen in disguise. Another criticobserves that her male characters are not as convincing as the female characters. E.A. Baker agree )ith /eslietephen that George Eliot&s male characters are evolved to embod# the 4ualities that a )oman )ould 1ustifiabl#value in the opposite se(. )inburne observes that % the# are flagrant e(amples of a )oman&s man.% "o)ever!all critics do agree that George Eliot&s characterization of )omen is remarkable for the credibilit#! intimate

s#mpath#! subtlet#! and certaint# of touch in the anal#sis of their minds. ,e ma# conclude that hercharacterization is informed b# her remarkable capacit# for imaginative creation and acute anal#tical thinking.he had a true instinct for ps#chological realism )hich makes Geral Bullet call her % the most adult novelist ofher times.%5repared b#5rof. aleem aza

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