The Way We Live Now--Chapters XXI--XL (21--40)

Some thoughts: (Spoliers included so don't read if you aren't past chapter 40)

In this section of the novel, Trollope developes his theme of marriage for advantage through the motifs of parents forcing their children into unwanted alliances for monetary gain. This happens in three incidents: Melmotte forcing daughter, Maire, into an alliance with the Nidderdale family through marriage to Lord Nidderdale; Lady Carbury forcing her daughter, Hetta (gently) into marriage with her cousin Roger for security; and Grandfather Ruggles forcing (violently) granddaughter Ruby into marriage with John Crumb again for security altough he is willing to pay John 500 pounds dowery. To round out the symmetry, both Marie and Ruby are distracted from their parentally-planned alliances by the same lover: Sir Felix Carbury.

Of course all of this is played out against the backdrop of the major theme of the novel: unrestrained greed for wealth, greed fuled by unscupulous cleverness of some as they play on the gullibility of others. Shares of the South Central Pacific and Mexican Railway are issued to the young and naive "directors" (Felix, Nidderdale, Miles and Paul) who are believe they can buy at par and sell at premium (speculate) with no end in sight---the stocks will never fall. One character is even convinced to sell a country estate because Melmotte "advises" him that it is too expensive to own. Of course, Melmotte winds up with the property without actually paying anything of value for it.

Melmotte continues to rise in fame (noteriety) as a man who turns to gold everything he touches. He does it with a mixture of charisma and manipulation: "He could thus trade either on the timidity or on the ignorance of his colleagues. When neither of these sufficed to give him undisputed mastery, then he cultivated the cupidity of his friends. He liked young associates because they were more timid and less greedy than their elders."

Just as Melmotte and Fisker are bucaneers of the financial world, Mrs. Hurdle, the American woman, is introduced as a bucaneer of passion focused on the person of Paul Montague. She is described as very lovely, dark, blue eyes that can be soft of severe, black silken hair, mouth large and chin with two dimples. She is dressed, not to kill, but to arrest the attention of men through emphasising her natural attibutes. She is described as possibly related to a "wild cat". Her attitude to love echoes Melmotte's attitude to money: ethics are not needed for "greatness", people break the commandments but weakly, she looks with admiration on a man who boldly disregards such laws. She pursues Paul with a mixture of subtle persuasiveness and dramatic passion. I am not sure how Trollope would have us "take" Mrs. Hurdle, but, at this point, for me, she is the most fascinating character in the novel except, of course, Melmotte.

The other front-and-center character in these chapters is Sir Felix Carbury. Initially described as without sympathy or empathy for anyone or anything except himself, Trollope continues to draw him into a fall. He is pushed by his mother to pursue Marie, supposedly the wealthiest heiress in England, complies and then is blocked by Melmotte who has bigger son-in-law game (Lord Nidderdale) in mind. Felix's mother urges Felix to elope with Marie and take a chance that Melmotte will forgive them and bankroll their married life together. But what if there is no forgiveness? Or what if there is even no money? Felix states to his mother: "I couldn't bear it. I think I should kill her." (Quite a shock to hear Felix say this). Melmotte uses greed to derail any possible elopement by having Felix sign a statement "renouncing" his suit for Marie in return for a vague promise to help Felix make as much money as he wants to. He will "put you in the way of doing well"---no specific details. All this after Melmott has taken 1000 pounds from Felix with a vague promise of stock purchase which he may/or may not be able to redeem at a premium at some future date.

A universal statement Re: safe investments, "As to danger--who could think of danger in reference to money intrusted to the hands of August Melmott?"
Or in our own time: Bernie Madoff!

I am somewhat disappointed by some of Trollope's characters: Hedda Carbury is described in such a shadowy, insipid way through two men are beside themselves to win her love?!! The priest, Barham, converted to Catholicism and now obsessed with it, is an irritation, though a minor one. Mid-way along the scale of irritation is Georgiana Longstaffe, a spolied, selfish female counterpart to Sir Felix although I find myself admiring her at times as she tries to jockey for position in the marriage market in London. At least she is attempting to better herself with the options available.

Stay tuned for the exciting Dinner Party and Reception for the Emperor of China hosted by Augustus Melmotte! For those reading this novel, please note the battles for invitations to this "do", noteworthy of today's competition to be included on the guest list to a White House Inaugral Party!

I'm not savvy with money or anything, but it's pretty amazing to see everyone being taken in by Melmotte. I'm just waiting for a crash.

Roger Carbury, though not exactly thrilling, is probably one of the most honorable characters still, but I agree that I don't see what the draw of Hedda. I'm rooting for Mrs. Hurdle.

Thanks ladygata,
I,too, am not all that savy about money, but those who supposedly ARE are sometimes badly fooled by Melmotte types. (Rememeber Bernie Madoff and the billions lost?) There is one section near the middle of the novel where the following statement appears:

"There must be money where there is all this buying and selling of shares".

Well, not necessarily. Better they should ask: How much of the railway has been completed? (Difference between investing in something that is real and speculating ("playing") the market. Or at least, that's how it would seem to me.

Ah, yes. No matter how secure the scheme may appear to be, there's always the crash. The trick is to leave with the money before it happens! (As the AIG executives did recently.)

Do you think Roger Carbury is a busy-body? Trollope seems to want to make him the "voice of reason" but the way Roger seems to meddle in everyone's business (Ruby, Paul) almost makes him irritating. Trollope has Roger use direct, almost "I'm right, you're wrong) type of language to try to convince people that they are headed for disaster if they persist in their current ways. Roger gets to be a "little much" at times.

I think Mrs. Hurdle is so wonderfully drawn that I could almost fall in love with her myself! The three letter episode was brilliant! To me Mrs. Hurdle is one of the few characters in this story who are operating on a "realistic" level. Letter One gets torn up! Letter Two is kept! Paul (a weak man trying to do the right thing but always failing) cries. Maybe Trollope is saying Paul and Hedda are really the compatible pair. Personally I don't see what Winifred Hurdle sees in Paul!

Roger's a bit of a busy-body, but I think being in his position in society at least some of the country folk look up to him. Paul is kind of sad. His intentions seem well, especially next to Felix the brat, but he's a little misguided and sad.

I really like Roger! especially in comparison to the behaviour and outlook of most of the other characters. I think that his involvement in other people's affairs are almost always at the behest of other people who come to him. As he's the head of the Carbury family and the squire of the country estate, I think he's just doing what he (and perhaps others) see as the duties of his position.

I think Melmotte has been very astute in choosing his directors...the combintion on "yes men" and greedy, disinterested youngsters allows him to do as he pleases as long as the promise of money remains.

scarper,
Good point re: Melmotte's collection of "yes" men. His problem, I think, is not having an inner circle of influential con artists that can effectively keep their finger on the pulse of the upper reaches of society. He needs to "see it coming" before it happens.

ladygata,
I agree that Roger has a position in the county with the people there and must be consistent in his role as "squire". I keep forgetting (though Trollope keeps reminding me) how the social class structure of rural England worked. Didn't you love his "take" on how the rural lad wouldn't dare fall in love with the squire's daughter because she was so far above him; and how the rural lass could so easily fall in love with the squire because he was so far above her and would raise her to his level! LOL

Not just Roger's take; that was the way it was, legally as well as socially. A woman was defined by her father's (or brother's) status until she married, and then she was defined by her husband's. It was quite late into the 19th century before women were granted individual property rights and began to assume individual status - and well into the twentieth before other laws were "de-gendered".