Caleb Williams

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1794

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Volume 2, Chapters 3-4Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Volume 2, Chapter 3 Summary

Two days pass before Ferdinando confronts Caleb. He says that Caleb “ha[s] said many things in very mysterious ways, and appear[s] to know something more than [Ferdinando] [is] aware of” (194). He says that Caleb should not speak to him about personal matters and must drop all the mystery.

Caleb confesses to reading the letter by Hawkins and leaving it out for Ferdinando to find. Ferdinando asks what Caleb wants from him, saying that he is a miserable man because of his past actions and that he has tried to reform. Upset, Ferdinando asked why Caleb continues to taunt him when he has already punished himself. Caleb is sad to have hurt Ferdinando and begs to be let go since his presence upsets Ferdinando. Ferdinando denies him angrily.

Volume 2, Chapter 4 Summary

Caleb is torn about Ferdinando. His “fluctuating state of mind produce[s] a contention of opposite principles” (198): Sometimes he has confidence in Ferdinando and other times he does not. Caleb notices a change in his own demeanor since all the stress with Ferdinando started. Where he previously would have asked Ferdinando about his innocence, he now recognizes that no matter what Ferdinando might say, he will continue to believe that he is guilty (199-00).

As the days pass, Ferdinando’s condition appears to worsen. He behaves strangely, leaving for days, climbing rocks, sitting silently, staring at nothing, etc. (201).

Volume 2, Chapters 3-4 Analysis

The repercussions of Mr. Hawkins’s letter make themselves felt in this section, building tension between the characters. Although the two men do not mention it directly, the letter reveals the truth of whether or not Hawkins was really the murderer. Letters are another motif in Caleb Williams, working as plot devices to move the story along in a way that would not be possible otherwise.

The two chapters really begin to show the changes that are brewing within both of the main characters: Caleb and Ferdinando. Caleb remarks that there was a time when he would have just asked Ferdinando for the truth and believed whatever answer he received. However, things are different now: Caleb is becoming more self-assured and is seeking answers on his own. Both characters are beginning to succumb to the flaws that make them tragic heroes.