Daughters of the Vicar

“Daughters of the Vicar” is a short story by D.H. Lawrence. It was published in the collection The Prussian Officer and Other Stories in 1914. “Daughters of the Vicar” tells the tale of a socially isolated upper-class family living in a small mining village. The main characters are two sisters who take very different paths when it comes to finding love and marriage.

Mr. Lindley is appointed the vicar of Aldecross, a small town populated by farmers and peasants. He moves there with his wife, Mrs. Lindley, and the two set up their home in a small cottage which they maintain on Mr. Lindley’s meager salary. The people in Aldecross are not welcoming of the Lindleys since they are outsiders, and the Lindleys are not capable of making a connection with the parishioners, who they feel are beneath them because they are members of the lower classes.

Mrs. Lindley has many children over the years, and all are brought up in the style of the aristocracy. However, the family becomes increasingly isolated and withdrawn as the parents pass on to the children their inability to connect with other people in the village. As the two oldest daughters, Mary and Louisa, come of age, they begin to contribute to household expenses. Mary serves as a governess to several children, while Louisa gives piano lessons.



One of Mr. Lindley’s parishioners, Mrs. Durant, comes to him for support and sympathy after her youngest son Alfred leaves home to join the Navy. Mr. Lindley is incapable of offering her any comfort, and so offends her. Mary and Louisa defend Alfred from their father’s insinuations that he was a drunk. Louisa especially thinks about how she will miss Alfred now that he is gone, as she was beginning to develop feelings for him.

When Mr. Lindley becomes ill, the son of an old friend comes to take his position as vicar. Mr. Massy is a thin and sickly man who is devoted to the work of being a vicar but largely incapable of genuine emotion. Mary attaches herself to him, realizing that he is her last chance at getting married and thus avoiding ending up a pauper.

Soon, the two are married. The union is loveless, and though Mary strives to be a good wife she soon finds herself withdrawing from everything outside her family. She moves into a small house on the outskirts of the village and soon retreats from society. After she has a child, Mr. Massy further withdraws his affections to focus his attention entirely upon his new son.



Meanwhile, Louisa comes to resent Mary’s marriage. She believes that her sister has sold herself and settled for a relationship without feeling. The other Lindleys side with Mary, which drives Louisa away. She breaks ties with Mary, and though she still loves her, the sisters no longer speak.

Mary has a second child and decides the whole family should go to visit her parents for Christmas. Louisa and Mary are reunited, and Louisa is shocked by how much Mary has changed. She dislikes that her sister unquestioningly obeys Mr. Massy; however, she is fond of Mary’s children.

Dismayed that she cannot connect with her sister, Louisa leaves home and goes to visit Alfred, who has returned from the Navy. She finds Mrs. Durant collapsed in her house and efficiently cares for her. When Alfred returns home, he is surprised and grateful that she is there, but quickly distracted by his ailing mother.



The next day, Mrs. Durant dies. Louisa is very kind to Alfred afterwards, and at Mary’s bidding, invites him over to the house for dinner. Louisa’s family is cold to Alfred, except for Louisa and Mary. Though the two sisters do not speak of it, Mary supports Louisa’s love.

Finally, Louisa and Alfred admit their feelings to her. Alfred asks for her hand in marriage, but Mr. and Mrs. Lindley do not want to have a peasant as a son-in-law. Mary stands up for her sister and says Louisa ought to wed the person she loves. Eventually, Mr. and Mrs. Lindley consent to the marriage as long as Louisa and Alfred agree to leave the parish so as not to embarrass the Lindleys socially.

Albert and Louisa decide to emigrate to Canada, and the story ends with them planning to elope the next day.



Lawrence intended the story to be an exploration of different types of love, specifically contrasting Mary’s love for her family with Louisa’s love for Alfred. Mary’s love manifests in self-sacrifice in order to take care of her family’s financial situation and meet their expectations. Louisa, meanwhile, expresses her love by taking risks and ultimately bucking convention to marry the man she has real feelings for. Despite their different paths, it is important to note that Mary and Louisa’s bond remains strong throughout.