Is Dorothea's nickname metaphorical in "Middlemarch"?

Question

In Middlemarch by George Eliot Dorothea Brook's nickname is Dodo. Or actually to be exact her sister, Celia Brook's nickname for her is Dodo. **Is this an allusion to Dorothea's almost extinct kind?** I am presuming her kind to be the 'Mother Teresa' type; which the book's underlying moral seems to suggest can no longer exist (i.e. good deeds and greater causes are no longer, everyday kindness and little steps are all that can be taken).

Answer 1

It is quite possible that Celia's nickname for Dorothea, which is indeed "Dodo," is meant to suggest that she is an outdated character. Celia certainly maintains that Dorothea is misguided. Perhaps take a look at the various criticisms that Celia offers of her sister. However, I think Eliot's representation of Dorothea as Saint Theresa (note: it is not Mother Theresa) is much subtler than a connection between the Dodo as a symbol as extinction and obsolescence and saintliness would allow. Take a look at the Prelude to get a sense of the narrator's gently mocking position on Saint Theresas.