Is Dorothea a feminist?

The final ten chapters or so offer a huge incite into the world of Dorothea. Her character, as the reader has come to learn about her from the earliest parts of the novel, is someone interested in charity projects and helping the weak. It is significant that the first project she is truly involved in comes by way of taking on Lydgate’s debt to Bulstrode. In the beginning of the novel Dorothea was unable to administer such tasks due to her husband wishes. Some would say during these chapters, Dorothea’s feminist nature comes out. However, on second look it seems that her need to employ charity somehow comes from the rest of the men in the novel. For instance, the three major men in her life all work into her particular form of compassion. In Casaubon, Dorothea does not marry the man she will have the most freedom to mold and change (i.e. Sir. James) instead she marries the older more practiced man that she feels can teach her. In the case of Lydgate, she has inherited money from Casaubon and the first act of charity she feels is dutiful is to take over the debts of a man. She is literally taken on the burden of the opposite gender. While it could be argued that this proves her to be an equal or better than Lydgate, it is surely important to note that her charity comes in the form of a check, money that belonged to her old husband. Her ideas to reform her Uncle’s actions were much loftier. In the end, Dorothea throws away her one chance at serving the public good in order to stand behind Will. Not exactly the feminine fervor one would expect from her.