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Essay / A life of imperfect virtue in The Vicar of Wakefield
In The Vicar of Wakefield, although Charles Primrose portrays almost flawless virtue, he retains two major flaws, pride and stubbornness, which lead to many complications in his family's life. The Primrose family suffers the reprisals of these faults until they are finally purged when Charles gains humility in prison. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay Several times in the novel, Charles' immense sense of pride creates problems within the Primrose family, leading mainly to their suffering. He shows pride in two areas: his family and his virtue. In the first pages of the novel, Charles reports his pride in his offspring, noting “my robust and active sons, my beautiful and fulfilled daughters” (10). Charles values his family alongside God, but, as a result, this pride in them leads him to have very high expectations of his children. Charles' expectations of his children create many obstacles to overcome. It is her pride that affects Olivia the most, being perhaps her greatest “treasure” (120). Her hopes of marriage to Mr. Williams prompt her to elope with the Squire, leading to "the contamination of the family honor" (88). At this point, the Vicar is more worried about damaging his family's reputation than the safety of his child, never realizing that Olivia could have fled her oppressive pride in him. The Vicar's pride in his virtue can also be noticed in this incident. When he finally finds Olivia, he welcomes her home, but is even more excited for her return when he discovers that she was married to the Squire, exclaiming, "now you are a thousand times more welcome than before” (122). Even in light of all of his daughter's suffering, Charles Primrose still focuses on his family's reputation and virtue rather than his daughter as a person. After bringing Olivia home, he puts her pride before his family's well-being when he gets stubborn with the squire. During this meeting with the squire, Charles' pride and inflexibility place his entire family in debtors' prison. Charles' stubbornness not only lands his family in prison, but also helps trigger many other difficulties. With George about to be married, the Vicar is ready to call the whole thing off because he and Mr Wilmot disagree on the subject of monogamy. His obstinacy here threatens to “interrupt [their] intended alliance” (15). Once again, his stubbornness as well as his pride obstruct the wishes of one of his children, thus showing his selfishness. Another instance where her wishes take precedence over those of her child is the arranged marriage between Mr. Williams and Olivia. Although Olivia makes it clear to her father that she does not want to marry Mr. Williams, he insists that “honest Mr. Williams will be rewarded for his loyalty” (83). Charles disregards Olivia's wishes, asserting that "my tenderness, as a parent, will never influence my integrity as a man" (83). Due to the Vicar's stubbornness in this situation, Olivia runs away with the squire to avoid her marriage to Mr. Williams. When the squire asks the vicar for his consent to marry Mrs. Wilmot, the vicar's stubbornness gets the better of him. The Vicar proclaims to him: “As for your marriage with someone other than my daughter, I will never consent to it; and though your friendship could raise me to the throne, or your resentment sink me to the grave, yet would I despise both” (135). This proclamation.