A subsidiary yet important theme of Daniel Deronda is George Eliot's insistence upon the moral responsibility of the artist. Eliot believes that "If Art does not enlarge man's sympathies, it does nothing morally," and Daniel Deronda is a study of how respective artists in the novel meet or miss that standard. Structurally, the novel is a contrast between the artist who dedicates himself to a
... [Show full abstract] moral aesthetic and the self-absorbed artist who uses art for his own material, egocentric, or immoral ends. Through her portrayal of Klesmer, touchstone for all other artists in the novel, George Eliot also illustrates the restrictions smug Victorian insularity places upon creative genius. And although Klesmer remains the ideal artist, in the strict sense of the word, George Eliot's real portrait of the artist is her characterization of Deronda and Mirah. Although they abandon the world of art and dedicate themselves to their spiritual and historic destiny, they do so with the sensitivity and sensibility of the true artist. They share with George Eliot the desire to bring about moral change and awaken people from their moral stupidity. That they cannot do so in England is a telling comment on the moral condition of Victorian society. (DCF)
