The Vicar of Wakefield: Oliver Goldsmith

Oliver Goldsmith’s work The Vicar of Wakefield was first made available to the public in 1766 and was printed in two volumes. The story, which is a portrait of village life, is narrated by Dr. Primrose, the title character, whose family endures many trials before everything is put right in the end. These trials include the loss of most of their money, the seduction of one daughter, the destruction of their home by fire, and the incarceration of the vicar. The novel’s idealisation of rural life, sentimental moralising, and theatrical situations are balanced out by a keen but good-natured cynicism that runs throughout the book.

The central idea of The Vicar of Wakefield

The vicar of Wakefield, Dr. Primrose, is a rich man who lives in a quiet neighbourhood with his family. He and his wife, Deborah, have two daughters, Olivia and Sophia, as well as four sons, George, Bill, Moses, and Dick. Dr. Primrose’s son George is engaged to Arabella Wilmot, but on the night of their wedding, his broker declares bankruptcy, and he loses all of his money. Arabella’s father later cancels the wedding.

George is later dispatched to London, forcing the family to relocate to a parish on Squire Thornhill’s holdings. Mr. Thornhill is known as a ladies’ man who relies on his wealthy uncle, Sir William Thornhill. At first, the family had difficulty adjusting to their new, less trendy surroundings. Mr. Primrose meets Mr. Burchell and Squire Thornhill shortly after relocating to the region.

Mr. Burchell saves Sophia from drowning, and the two fall in love. Because Mr. Burchell is a poor young man, the pastor opposes the relationship. Despite his bad reputation, Squire Thornhill is gracious, pleasant, and kind. Mr. Primrose is pleased that Thornhill is interested in Olivia. The family lives happily for a little period. Squire Thornhill constantly pushes the Primrose family to pursue social objectives that surpass their class level, resulting in several embarrassments.

Mr. Primrose eventually realises that Squire Thornhill has been misrepresenting the family. Olivia departs with him rather than marrying the man her family has chosen for her, risking her reputation. The vicar pursues her but becomes unwell on the way. Mr. Burchell saves the family from humiliation after a sequence of terrible occurrences that destroy the family’s image and reveals himself as the courteous Sir William Thornhill.

The main character in the fiction The Vicar of Wakefield

Primrose Charles

He is the vicar in the title, and he tells the story. He portrays one of the most innocently basic and naive, yet hilariously complicated, characters ever to emerge in English fiction. He has a gentle, forgiving temperament, as seen by his open arms in forgiving his daughter Olivia. He is a devoted spouse and the father of six beautiful children. Despite his kind, friendly disposition, he may be a little stupid, headstrong, or conceited at times. For example, he is fascinated with a particularly obscure and unimportant aspect of church doctrine. He declares matrimony to be one of his “favourite topics,” and emphasises that he is pleased to be a “strict monogamist” (in the sense that he opposes remarriage of any kind and believes scripture permits just one marital partner for a person’s lifetime). In the face of a heated quarrel with the neighbour who would soon become his son’s father-in-law, he stands firm on his “principles” (who is about to be married a fourth time). “…was summoned by one of my relatives, who, with a concerned expression on his face, persuaded me to drop the disagreement, at least until my son’s wedding was done.” He, on the other hand, shouts vehemently that he will not “relinquish the cause of truth,” adding, “You could as well counsel me to give up my riches as my argument.” This is ironic, because he soon discovers that his money has been abruptly reduced to nearly nothing. This causes Mr. Wilmot to call off the planned marriage between Mr. Primrose’s son George and Miss Arabella Wilmot, shattering his son’s pleasure. He is occasionally proud of what he considers to be his debating prowess, and he frequently misjudges his family’s alleged acquaintances and neighbours. Despite his flaws, he is affectionate, devoted, loving, patient, and generally pleasant.

Irish nationality was Goldsmith

Goldsmith was the son of Rev. Charles Goldsmith, priest in charge of Kilkenny West, County Westmeath, an Anglo-Irish cleric. The family moved into a large house in neighbouring Lissoy around the time of Oliver’s birth, where he spent his youth. Much has been written about his boyhood, his difficult years as a student at Trinity College, Dublin, where he got his B.A. degree in February 1749, and his numerous misfortunes before departing Ireland in the fall of 1752 to study medicine in Edinburgh. His father was no longer alive, but several of his relatives had pledged to help him pursue a medical degree. He was afterwards known in London as Dr. Goldsmith—Doctor being a courtesy title for someone who holds a Bachelor of Medicine—but he did not receive a degree while in Edinburgh, nor, as far as anybody knows, during the two-year period when, despite his little means, he managed to travel across Europe. His first phase of existence came to an end when he arrived in London, bedraggled and impoverished, in early 1756.

Conclusion 

The Vicar of Wakefield is sometimes regarded as a sentimental tale that demonstrates faith in the inherent goodness of human beings. However, it may also be interpreted as a parody on the emotional book and its morals, as the vicar’s values seem incompatible with the real “sinful” world. He can only get out of his predicament with the assistance of Sir William Thornhill. Furthermore, there is a parallel between Mr. Primrose’s suffering and the Book of Job. This is especially pertinent to the question of why evil exists.