Mrs. Cadwallader

Humphrey Cadwallader is the spirited wife of the Rector of Freshitt parish, a woman of established standing in Middlemarch's respectable society. She takes an active, if sometimes acerbic, interest in the affairs of those around her, particularly the young people of good family. Her parlour is a gathering place for social news and her opinions are offered with bracing directness—she does not suffer fools gladly, nor does she shy away from frank speech about the follies and pretensions she observes in those she knows. Though she can be caustic and unforgiving, her judgments often prove sound, rooted in a practical understanding of human nature and social reality. She is deeply attached to her own family and their standing, protective of her husband's reputation and interests, and capable of both genuine warmth and steely disapproval depending on whether she views a person or action as sensible or as a threat to good order.