Resumo de Adam Bede - George Eliot

In the village of Hayslope at the close of the eighteenth century, there lived a young carpenter named Adam Bede. Adam was respected by everyone as a good workman and an honest and upright man. Even the young squire, Captain Arthur Donnithorne, knew Adam and liked him. Adam was, in fact, so good a workman that his employer, Mr. Jonathan Burge, the builder, would have welcomed him as his son-in-law and partner. Adam, however, had no eyes for Mary Burge; his only thoughts were of distractingly pretty Hetty Sorrel, niece of Mrs. Poyser, whose husband, Martin, ran Hall Farm. Hetty, however, cared nothing for Adam. She was interested only in Captain Donnithorne. No one in Hayslope thought Hetty would make a good wife for Adam, least of all Adam’s mother, Lisbeth, who would have disapproved of any girl who threatened to take her favorite son away from her. Her feelings of dependence upon Adam were intensified after her husband, Matthias Bede, drowned in Willow Brook while on his way home from the village inn. Adam’s brother Seth had fallen in love with the young Methodist preacher, Dinah Morris. Dinah was another niece of Mrs. Poyser, as unlike her cousin Hetty as Adam was unlike Seth. Hetty was as soft and helpless as a kitten, but Dinah was firm and serious in all things. One evening, while she and Seth were walking home together from the village green, he had proposed marriage. Dinah sadly declined, saying she had dedicated her life to preaching the gospel. When funeral services for Matthias Bede were held on the following Sunday, the thoughts of the congregation were on many events other than the solemn occasion they were attending. Adam’s thoughts of Hetty blended with memories of his father. Hetty’s thoughts were all of Captain Donnithorne, who had promised to make his appearance. She was disappointed, however, for Donnithorne had already departed with his regiment. When Donnithorne returned on leave, the young squire celebrated his twenty-first birthday with a great feast to which nearly all of Hayslope was invited. Adam was singled out as a special guest to sit at Donnithorne’s table, which made Adam’s mother both proud and jealous, since her son seemed to be getting more and more out of her reach. One August night, Adam was returning home from his work when he saw Donnithorne and Hetty Sorrel in close embrace. When Adam’s dog barked, Hetty hurried away. Donnithorne, embarrassed, tried to explain that he had met the girl by chance and had stolen a kiss. Adam called his friend a scoundrel and a coward. They came to blows, and Donnithorne was knocked senseless. Adam, frightened that he might have killed the young squire, revived him and helped him to a nearby summerhouse. There he demanded that Donnithorne write a letter to Hetty telling her that he would not see her again. The next day, Donnithorne sent the letter to Hetty in Adam’s care, thus placing the responsibility for its possible effect on Adam himself. Adam gave Hetty the letter while they were walking the following Sunday. When she read the letter in the privacy of her bedchamber, Hetty was in despair. In November, Adam was offered a partnership in Mr. Burge’s business, and he proposed to Hetty. Mr. and Mrs. Poyser were delighted to find that their niece was to marry the man they so much admired. The wedding had to be delayed, however, until two new rooms could be added to the Bede house. In February, Hetty told her aunt that she was going to visit Dinah Morris at Snowfield. Actually, she was determined to find Donnithorne. When she arrived at Windsor, where he was supposed to be stationed, she found that his regiment had been transferred to Ireland. In complete despair, Hetty roamed about, ending up in a strange village in the house of a widow named Sarah Stone, where her child by Donnithorne was born. Confused and frightened, Hetty wandered on, leaving her baby to die in the woods. Later, tortured byher conscience, she returned to find the child gone. When his grandfather died, Donnithorne returned to Hayslope to discover that Hetty was in prison, charged with the murder of her child. He did everything in his power to free her, and Dinah Morris came to her prison cell and prayed with her to open up her heart and tell the truth. Finally, poor Hetty broke down and confessed everything that had happened since she left Hayslope. She had not intended to kill her baby; in fact, she had not actually killed the child. She had considered taking her own life. Two days later, Donnithorne, filled with shame and remorse, brought a reprieve. Hetty’s sentence was commuted to deportation. A few years later, she died on her way home. Donnithorne went to Spain. Dinah Morris stayed with the Poysers often now. Gradually she and Adam were drawn to each other, but Dinah’s heart was still set on her preaching. She left Hall Farm and went back to Snowfield. Adam Bede found his only satisfaction in toiling at his workbench. Then one day, when his mother again mentioned Dinah and her gentle ways, Adam went to find her.

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