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Chapter 3
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Wives and Daughters, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Friendship
Class, Status, and Romance
Independence, Opportunities, and Gender
Challenges, Growth, and Community
Gossip and Rumors
Summary
Analysis
After Molly’s childhood spent with Miss Eyre, and after Molly’s experience falling asleep and being left behind at Cumnor Towers, she continues to grow up, and her life proceeds more or less uneventfully until she is 17 years old. At that point, Mr. Gibson has begun to spend more time with Lord Hollingford, the son of Lord Cumnor and Lady Cumnor. Both Gibson and Lord Hollingford have a “scientific” disposition, and Gibson especially enjoys talking about scientific topics with Lord Hollingford. Gibson also meets with scientific authorities when they come to town and has begun sending in papers of his own to scientific journals. Aside from Lord Hollingford, Gibson’s closest friend is perhaps Squire Hamley. Squire Hamley’s holdings are not as vast as some other landowners in town, but his family goes back generations in the area.
This passage provides more information about the class distinctions within Hollingford. Lord Hollingford and the Cumnors occupy the highest echelon of socioeconomic status in the town. Below that rung is Squire Hamley and the Hamley family. Squire Hamley holds a title—Squire—and the family has lived in the town for generations. However, the Hamleys’ landholdings are not as vast as those of many other landholders in town. Below Squire Hamleys, in terms of socioeconomic status, is Mr. Gibson and the Gibson family. Gibson holds a respected position as the town’s doctor, but he doesn’t hold a title and isn’t a landholder. Notably, though, Gibson freely associates with and is respected by people of higher socioeconomic status like Lord Hollingford and Squire Hamley, suggesting that the distinction that separates different classes may not be as rigid as it once was in England.
Themes
Squire Hamley is married to Mrs. Hamley, a woman from London who has a refined taste in literature. Squire Hamley and Mrs. Hamley have two sons, Osborne and Roger. Osborne does well in school and receives many prizes as a result. Roger is two years younger. He’s not a noted scholar, though his teachers praise his personality. Squire Hamley is determined that the boys receive the same advantages, though, so he sends them both to Cambridge.
This passage establishes Osborne and Roger as foils for each other. Osborne, as the eldest son, is the family’s heir, and he’s considered brilliant. Roger, on the other hand, as the younger brother, has fewer expectations placed on his shoulders, and no one seems to expect much from him other than that he continues to have a pleasant personality.
Themes
Mrs. Hamley has often said she would like Molly to come and stay with the Hamleys on their land, but Mr. Gibson has turned down the offer, mostly because he can’t bring himself to part with Molly, even if only for a short time. One day, though, Gibson changes his mind and asks Mrs. Hamley if Molly could come stay with them. Mrs. Hamley is overjoyed. The reason Gibson has changed his mind about Molly staying with the Hamleys is related to one of Gibson’s apprentices, Mr. Coxe.
The passage ends on a cliffhanger, hinting at why Gibson has changed his mind about sending Molly to the Hamleys without revealing the reason outright. However, Gibson has previously expressed anxiety about Molly being alone with his male apprentices, suggesting that his change of heart may be in some way related to his ideas about gender norms.
Themes
Literary Devices
