Book II of Middlemarch takes a different point of view in furthering the plot. It differs not only in person but in gender. Where Book I focused mostly on the inner thoughts of the women, Book II furthers the story from the point of view of the men. Although the identity of the narrator is still unknown, Book II lends a bi-gender nature to the narrator. The language does not change, yet the inner thoughts of the characters lend itself to being more masculine in Book II than in the previous. Where the inner thoughts in Book I focused primarily on the marriageable material of the male characters, the inner thoughts in Book II are focused primarily on the business of the male characters.
This is important because it shows the differences of opinion in the matter of love according to gender. The female characters are more concerned with romance, love, and the devotedness of marriage, while the male characters see these topics as part of their duty yet not something of an important matter, certainly not something to be rushed into on a whim of infatuation. It also shows the difference in opinion as to the relationship between the male and female characters. The women see themselves being devoted wives where their husbands are placed above all else. The men see the women as secondary to their careers.
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