Middlemarch · Character

Mrs. Cadwallader

The rector's wife, a thin, well-built woman with a turn of tongue that lets you know exactly who she is, and who treats local politics as her personal theatre.

supporting

Also known as Mrs. Cadwallader, Cadwallader

First appearance: iii

As a supporting figure in Middlemarch, Mrs. Cadwallader is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The diplomatist of Tipton and Freshitt, she is irritated by Dorothea's engagement and quickly schemes to match Sir James with Celia.

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Mrs. Cadwallader moves through Middlemarch society with companionable jokes and pared-down prices, giving neighborliness to both rank and religion while keeping everyone slightly on edge. She corners Mr. Brooke in his own library to accuse him of brewing bad politics with Casaubon, foretelling that he will make a Saturday pie of all parties' opinions and be pelted by everybody. Her gossip is not idle: she names the town's pretensions out loud, and her running commentary shapes how the reader sees Brooke's fecklessness and the marriage plots forming around Dorothea.

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See Mrs. Cadwallader in iii

Character Web

2 connections

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Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Minor townspeople, relatives, and servants
Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

In this scene, the emotional and psychological peak occurs when Dorothea, having just endured the humiliation…

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In the story

Mrs. Cadwallader appears across 7 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

VI
The diplomatist of Tipton and Freshitt, she is irritated by Dorothea's engagement and quickly schemes to match Sir James with Celia.
VIII
Enters the conversation and reinforces her husband's stance, adding witty and critical remarks about Casaubon's character.
Chapter X
Comments on Mr. Brooke's tendency to treat Middlemarchers, preferring the farmers at the tithe-dinner.
Chapter XXXIV
Observant and dryly witty; comments on the funeral attendees and the social scene.
XXXVIII
Criticizes Ladislaw as a 'Byronic hero' and 'amorous conspirator'; jokes about using leeches to scare Brooke about election expenses.
LV
Engages in provocative conversation about second marriage, citing Mrs. Beevor's case. Argues that a good second husband is preferable to an indifferent first.
LXXXIV
Offers caustic commentary on the situation, suggesting that Casaubon's actions made Ladislaw tempting.

Chapter companion notes

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See Mrs. Cadwallader in iii

See Mrs. Cadwallader in VI