Discuss George Eliot’s art of characterization with special reference to “Adam Bede’

Q 2: 

Discuss George Eliot’s art of characterization with special reference to “Adam Bede’.

 Answer: 

In novel writing, like the dramatic art the significance of characterization cannot be denied. Particularly the modern novelists lay great emphasis on the true and forceful delineation of characters. The great the quality of characterization, the higher is the appeal of fiction writing. This is exactly what we find in almost all the great writings of 

George Eliot 

. She is rightly credited with introducing an almost revolutionary change in the delineation and presentation of characters. The novelists of later generation have fully acknowledged the greatness of 

George Eliot 

in this regard.

D. H Lawrence, one of the most influential modern novelists pays tribute to

George Eliot in the following words:

“It was she who started it all; it was she who started to put all the action inside her characters.” 

George Eliot’s skill in characterization is now fully recognized, though it is generally believed that this mastery is exhibited only in

“Middlemarch” and more particularly in the

“Mill on the Floss”.

To some degree Eliot’s matchless skill is shown equally well in “Adam Bede”, her first full length novel. Even here her characters are made perfectly credible and their motives are fully established. It has been mentioned by many critics that she exposes all the complex feelings of spirit that strike at the doors of disturb conscious. She describes the action before it is committed. She reveals the actions when they are taking shape into the hearts. When they are committed their ugliness is exposed. For instances, the character of 

 Arthur is the best example of the change brought in by the novelist herself. In portraying this particular character, she lays bare all the conscious as well as semi-conscious emotions which compel him to action. We see the working of his inner most mind. The characterization in “Adam Bede” is absolutely vivid and memorable. In the words of a modern critic,

“There is not a single character in the novel which is not perfectly drawn, even if the portrait is but a sketch still it is a true one. Even the character of Mr. Irwin, the person, is very carefully drawn and plays a very impressive role in the final predicament of Hetty. His religious learning has made him a very sensible and caring figure. The sufferings and agonies of humanity seem to him his own sufferings. He extends full cooperation to anybody who undergoes injustice, oppression and unfair treatment. Even such a minor character finds full opportunity to make a mark on the readers.” 

 The other critic, Hennery James and Gerald Bullet have found some irregularities in the characterization in “

 Adam Bede 

”. For example, it is their belief that the major characters like Adam and Dinah do not arouse the desired interest. They also claim that the character of Mrs. Poysers has been over praised. Both these critics are unanimous in their opinion that Hetty has been the most successful creation of all the characters. Her innocence, great interest in life, her sharing capability, and great interest in human psyche and her free and frank attitude in all matters of life make her a very complete character, the most suitable for the modern day fiction. The whole gallery of characters, from major to minor, has been beautifully projected to create desired effect. The perfection and imperfection of the personalities of different characters make a wonderful sense of literary triumph by the great novelist. The peak of characterization becomes self-evident when we glance at the variety of characters, roles they perform and the inner coordination that they exhibit at every level. The psychological pattern of inner thinking is the hallmark of special gift of characterization of George Eliot. The complex feelings keep on adding to the overall effect and the thematic interpretations of the different segments of the plot. The collective picture that emerges out of this fine blend of action and characterization is a gem indeed. No other novelist of George Eliot’s era can claim to have produced such marvelous interlink and psychological treatment at such an artistic level. Characterization is definitely a special feature of George Eliot’s art of novel writing, which is difficult to surpass. 

To conclude, it can be said with absolute confidence that the writing of George Eliot are full of unique characters which are larger than life. The typical flavour of 

George Eliot’s own personality gives colour and broader dimension to her characters. The matchless characters are the proud product of strong mind of the writer.

 Adam, Hetty, Dinah and few others testify this reality.