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MR. THORNHILL made his
appearance with a smile, which he seldom wanted, and was going to embrace
his uncle, which the other repulsed with an air of disdain. “No fawning,
sir, at present,” cried the Baronet, with a look of severity, “the only way
to my heart is by the road of honor; but here I only see complicated
instances of falsehood, cowardice, and oppression. How is it, sir, that this
poor man, for whom I know you professed a friendship, is used thus hardly?
His daughter vilely seduced as a recompense for his hospitality, and he
himself thrown into prison, perhaps but for resenting the insult? His son
too, whom you feared to face as a man—”
“Is it possible, sir,” interrupted his nephew,“that my uncle
could object that as a crime, which his repeated instructions alone have
persuaded me to avoid?”
“Your rebuke,” cried Sir William, “is just; you have acted in
this instance prudently and well, though not quite as your father would have
done: my brother indeed was the soul of honour; but thou—yes you have acted
in this instance perfectly right, and it has my warmest approbation.”
“And I hope,” said his nephew, “that the rest of my conduct
will not be found to deserve censure. I appeared, sir, with this gentleman’s
daughter at some places of public amusement; thus what was levity scandal
called by a harsher name, and it was reported that I had debauched her. I
waited on her father in person, willing to clear the thing to his
satisfaction, and he received me only with insult and abuse. As for the
rest, with regard to his being here, my attorney and steward can best inform
you, as I cannot the management of business entirely to them. If he has
contracted debts and is unwilling or even unable to pay them, it is their
business to proceed in this manner, and I see no hardship or injustice in
pursuing the most legal means of redress.”
“If this,” cried Sir William, “be as you have stated
it, there is nothing unpardonable in your offence; and though your conduct
might have been more generous in not suffering this gentleman to be
oppressed by subordinate tyranny, yet it has been at least equitable.”
… …
But in the meantime the ’Squire perceiving that he was on
every side undone, now finding that no hopes were left from flattery or
dissimulation, concluded that his wisest way would be to turn and face his
pursuers.
From this passage, we can see the powerful, wise, and just
image of Sir William Thornhill who confounded his nephew’s conspiracy and
feel Goldsmith’s optimistic attitude toward the upper class.
Dr. Primrose, the hero, is a very good man. Yet he is silly, gullible, too
prone to charity, and a natural victim of all who are tyrannical and
vicious. The whole novel is an odyssey of undeserved disaster. Primrose is
stripped of everything—home, daughters, son, and reputation. Yet he never
loses hope even in gaol and retains a relish for living in the worst times.
His spirit proves unbreakable. Obviously this is a praise of the lower
middle class people for their believing in humanity. The imperfect figures
who are lack of rationalism are more close to real life than those rational
ones in Richardson’s works.
This domestic novel not only tinges with light and romantic
idyll and sentimentalism, it is also embedded with both moral and social
comment. Furthermore, Goldsmith extols fresh and peaceful countryside and
points out that man can keep frankness, honesty and goodness if they close
to nature. In this sense, this novel indicates the following literary trend
in the next century, romanticism. Yet, the fine picture of daily life in
countryside and the detailed description of characters including their
psychology make the novel realistic. The radiation of goodness, the
excellent lyrics, charming anecdotes, one of the best expositions of the
uncertain world where feudal tyranny still flourished, all give it enduring
worth.
Goldsmith is believed to be one of the finest natural writers
in English language and write as a bird sings, that is, the words flowed
from his pen as naturally as he breathed. Together with his poetry and
plays, Oliver Goldsmith became one of the great luminaries of the literary
scene
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