Marriage of Rose and Harry

The marriage of Rose Maylie and Harry Maylie is the novel's culminating romantic resolution, the event that finally overcomes the barrier of Rose's perceived illegitimacy and confirms the moral principle that personal virtue outweighs the accidents of birth. It takes place in the village church that will henceforth be the scene of Harry's clerical labors, and on the same day the couple enters into possession of their new home. The wedding is performed by Harry himself, who has renounced his worldly ambitions and chosen a quiet country life as a clergyman rather than pursue the political career his family connections had promised. Rose, who had earlier refused Harry's proposal because she believed her unknown parentage would blight his prospects and bring disgrace upon his name, is freed from this scruple by the revelation that she is the sister of Oliver's mother, Agnes Fleming, and thus the niece of Mrs. Maylie. The disclosure of her true identity, far from confirming her fears, establishes her as a member of the very family that had already loved and sheltered her. Mrs. Maylie, who had raised Rose from childhood, takes up her abode with the newlyweds, finding in their happiness the fulfillment of her own long years of care. The marriage thus gathers into one household the three generations that the novel's plot has brought together: the old lady, the young couple, and Oliver himself, who is now Rose's nephew and Harry's brother-in-law. The union is not merely a personal happy ending but a social and moral restoration, healing the wounds left by the tragic love of Agnes Fleming and Edwin Leeford and providing a stable, affectionate home for all who have survived the novel's trials.