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The Vicar of Wakefield · Theme

Hypocrisy and Morality

How The Vicar of Wakefield develops Hypocrisy and Morality.

The book exposes the hypocrisy of the wealthy and powerful, such as Squire Thornhill's public charm versus his private villainy, while the Vicar's own minor hypocrisies (e.g., his pride in his monogamy tracts) are gently satirized.

Where it surfaces

  • Chapter II

    Mr. Wilmot's prudence in breaking off the match after the loss of fortune contrasts with his earlier willingness to proceed, suggesting a moral compromise driven by self-interest.

  • VI

    The Vicar's harsh moralizing about Mr. Burchell's past contrasts with his own family's imperfections and Sophia's more compassionate view.

  • Chapter IX

    Thornhill's virtuous talk about temperance and honour masks his immoral proposal, while the ladies' discreet dialogue on virtue is undercut by their own behavior.

  • Chapter X

    The vicar's lectures on contentment are ignored by his own family, and he secretly enjoys their mortification as a lesson in humility.

  • XIII

    The vicar's self-justification after the breach of hospitality reveals a moral compromise.

  • XV

    The vicar's allegory contrasts the behavior of the guilty and the virtuous, highlighting the hypocrisy of those who judge without full knowledge.

  • Chapter XX

    Sir William Thornhill's rebuke of George for being the instrument of his nephew's vices, while George himself fights a duel for Thornhill, underscores moral hypocrisy.

  • Chapter XXI

    Thornhill's public generosity and private treachery, along with the innkeeper's wife's harsh judgment, highlight societal hypocrisy.

  • Chapter XXIV: Fresh Calamities

    Thornhill's hypocritical offer of friendship and marriage while having seduced Olivia highlights the moral corruption of the wealthy.

  • Chapter XXVI: A Reformation in the Gaol

    Mr. Jenkinson reflects on his life of cunning and deception, admitting that his tricks have led to his poverty and lack of trust, contrasting with the honest simplicity of Farmer Flamborough.

  • Chapter XXVII: The Vicar's Reform of the Prisoners

    The Vicar criticizes the hypocrisy of a legal system that punishes the poor harshly while protecting the rich, and calls for more humane justice.

  • Chapter XXVIII

    Mr. Thornhill's cruel refusal of submission and his impending marriage while Olivia languishes highlight his hypocrisy.

  • Chapter XXIX

    Contrasts the false consolations of philosophy with the genuine comfort of religion.

  • XXXI

    Mr. Thornhill's pretense of public justice and honor is unmasked as cowardice, tyranny, and revenge.