Passage pertaining to my discussion 

Book V Chapter 52 

“Fred has sense and knowledge enough to make him respectable, if he likes, in some good worldly business, but I can never imagine him preaching and exhorting, and pronouncing blessings, and praying by the sick, without feeling as if I were looking at a caricature. His being a clergyman would be only for gentility’s sake, and I think there is nothing more contemptible than such imbecile gentility. I used to think that of Mr. Crowse, with his empty face and neat umbrella, and mincing little speeches. What right have such men to represent Christianity—as if it were an institution for getting up idiots genteelly—as if—” (516)

Question underpinning my discussion

What are the Middlemarchers’ view of Christian vocation and Christianty reflected in Fred Vincy’s deliberations in being a clergyman? 

In Middlemarch, faith appears superficial. Throughout the chapters, we witness devout characters like Dorothea falling out with their religion, transforming into someone who “seldom prays”. Specifically, Vincy’s discussion of his future vocation with Mr. Farebrother, and Mary Garth’s reaction, epitomizes the Middlemarchers’ religious views. Vincy, Farebrother, and Garth’s views will be closely examined in the following analysis. 

Vincy sees vocation as a satisfactory compromise between family expectations and enjoying financial comfort. Driven not by his strong faith but family pressure, he has only begun to consider entering the Church because he “can’t see anything else to do”. (511) This reflects that being a clergyman is seen as a dignified last resort rather than a faithful devotion. Vincy’s idea stems from his own selfishness, contradictory to the expected altruism harbored by clergymen. To Vincy, vocation is also a tool to secure his status and income. Entering the Church is seen as he has attained his father's approval and would or else have to “go into the backwoods”. His remonstrance in going to the backwoods reveals that his considerations of being a clergyman hinge on his desire to maintain his social standing and personal comfort. 

To Fred, his vocation is only regarded as a performative job. He downplays priesthood as merely a performance, seen from his inadequate description “preaching” (511) and “looking serious” (511). His understanding of being a clergyman is also inadequate, as he fails to recognize the nobleness of the devotion. His repetition of the words “duty” (512) and “obliged to” (511) exemplifies his view. He views it as just an ordinary job and is ignorantly complacent in his incompetence. When questioned by Farebrother on whether or not he could make a fine priest, Fred gives an assured reply “of course” (511), despite his limited knowledge in divinity. His “belief” is based on herd mentality, shown in his faulty reasoning that “better, cleverer fellows than I am go in for it entirely”. He even innocently asks if he would be blamed after completing his duty (511), showing that he views genuine belief in Christianity to be unnecessary in a clergyman. It seems that to Fred, he would be apt for the vocation as long as he performs the duties of a clergyman. The holiness of the vocation, such as a divine calling and an evangelical passion commonly expected, is absent in Fred’s understanding of a clergyman. 

Farebrother also perceives priesthood as a “duty”, exemplified by his repetition of “duty”. (511), albeit being more conscientious than Vincy. His admission that he used to wish he “had been something else than a clergyman”. Such conflict, however, is solved by personal resolve (511) rather than divine assistance. His motivation for self-improvement originates from his conscience, not his devoutness. Additionally, In spite of his role as the vicar, Farebrother is surprisingly tolerant in Vincy’s irreverent view in priesthood, even claiming that he has “no insuperable objections” (515) towards Vincy’s being a clergyman despite knowing his inaptitude. He even goes so far as to convince Garth to approve of Vincy’s religious pursuits, and ironically it is Garth, who is presumably the least religious, who points out how “ridiculous” the proposal is. This suggests that he, too, regards vocation as an ordinary job. 

Mary Garth, ironically, appears to hold religion in higher regard than clergyman Farebrother and potential clergyman Vincy. She seems to have fundamental respect for religion, as shown from her vehement refusal to marry Vincy if he decides to become a clergyman. The line “what right have such man to represent Christianity” and condemning Fred as “contemptible” and “imbecile” further implies her reverence towards Christianity, as she would not allow Fred to desecrate the religion for his own convenience, despite having “too strong a feeling for Fred to give him up for anyone else” (517) . 

With that said, however, Mary is not without reservation about Christianity. Garth frequently associates preachers of Christianity with “gentility”, shown in its repetition. This reveals that Mary sometimes sees rituals like “praying by the sick” and “pronouncing blessing” as no more than insincere demonstrations of one’s virtues. Mr. Crowse is another such archetype. He is described as “empty face”. His aloofness juxtaposes with the supposed religious passion expected in a clergyman. “Neat umbrella” and “mincing little speeches” reinforce the irony. As opposed to living modestly and being down-to-earth to believers, clergymen leave a distant, pretentious impression to Garth. Drawing a comparison between Christianity and “an institution for getting up idiots genteelly” accentuates Christianity’s hypocrisy. Christianity is characterized not by believers’ passion or how it enlightens them but reduced to an institution deceiving the gullible by bestowing them a sense of moral superiority, almost like a scam. 

In conclusion, Middlemarchers perceive vocation as a desirable job to maintain status and Christianity as a performance.