Rebellion And Submission

George Eliot, one of the greatest writers in Britain in the 19th century, lives a life full of rebellion and submission to power. Her Middlemarch is generally acknowledged as the most mature masterpiece of George Eliot, and the previous critics are devoted to the study of the art and philosophy expressed in this novel from different angles such as realism, biographical study, feminism, ethics, Marxism and so on. Among them, realistic study and feministic study are the most common approaches to George Eliot criticism. However, it is significant to jump out of the cliche and dig out the extraordinary charisma and depth of Middlemarch from a new aspect.This paper focuses on the rebellion and submission in George Eliot's life and the Middlemarch, and demonstrates George Eliot's compromise to power. The present study uses Foucauldian power concept to establish a power system in Middlemarch, discusses the rebellion and submission of Dorothea and Lydgate in the Victorian penopticon, and reflects George Eliot's strategy to the pressure of power. The Foucauldian power controls and manipulates individuals through surveillance and self-rehabilitation of power scheme. The 19th century Victorian society is under industrialization and conflict. George Eliot manages to condense the society into a power prison in Middlemarch. Her lifetime struggle with power is reflected in the rebellion and submission of Dorothea and Lydgate.Based on the exhaustive textual evidence from Middlemarch and study of the concept theory of Foucault, this paper analyzes the rebellion and submission of the major characters Dorothea and Lydgate. They are controlled in the Foucauldian prison established by the traditional Middlemarchers. Under their pressure, both Dorothea and Lydgate meet with obstacles and disillusion.The power representations against which the two characters rebel are different but related to each other. When confronted with the power representations of marriage, Dorothea experiences three surveillance, thirst for knowledge, piety to religion and passion for love. When confronted with the power representations of realism, Lydgate experiences two surveillance, social pressure and marriage. Both rebellions end with submissions. This paper aims at providing a fresh angle to interpret Middlemarch and examine the strategy of George Eliot to tackle the social and domestic pressures:balance is found in the process of rebellion and submission.