Caleb Williams

William Godwin

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1794

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Volume 2, Chapters 5-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Volume 2, Chapter 5 Summary

Ferdinando is a justice of the peace, and when a peasant comes before him accused of murder, Caleb knows that the mention of murder will provoke a response. Caleb watches as Ferdinando hears the charges and sees his face turn from “red to pale, and from pale to red” before Ferdinando regains his composure (204). According to the defendant, the two men got into a fight, and he killed victim with a final blow: They were enemies, but the defendant had tried everything he could to overcome the rift. While the defendant was out with his sweetheart, the murdered man tried to argue with him. When that didn’t work, he began to take his anger out on the lady until the defendant accepted his challenge to fight (205-06).

Ferdinando has tears rolling down his cheeks after hearing the story but does his best to avoid Caleb’s eye. Ferdinando tries to control himself before rushing out of the room in despair (207). Seeing this, Caleb realizes that he is right; Ferdinando was the murderer (208).

Volume 2, Chapter 6 Summary

One of the chimneys in Ferdinando’s house catches fire, and everyone rushes to move the valuables outside and away from the fire. When Caleb goes to help the servants clear the house, he realizes that this is his chance to finally satisfy his curiosity about the chest he found Ferdinando with. He finds the chest and is trying to pry it open, but Ferdinando rushes into the room. The lid falls down before Caleb can see inside, and Ferdinando grabs a pistol and holds it to Caleb’s head, telling him to get out.

Caleb acknowledges that his actions were impulsive and stupid. Ferdinando later calls him into his room and apologizes for holding a gun to Caleb. He then confesses to the murder: “I watched my opportunity […] followed Tyrrel […] seized a sharp knife and stabbed him in the heart from behind” (214). Ferdinando says he must either make Caleb his confidant or his victim now that he knows the truth. Caleb is shocked, saying he never truly believed that he was right, but says that he will never be “an informer.” Ferdinando explains that Caleb has “sold” himself by pursuing his curiosity and must now remain in the service of Ferdinando forever (215).

Volume 2, Chapters 5-6 Analysis

The accused peasant’s case is extremely similar to Ferdinando’s: the victim was the murderer’s worst enemy, and the killing itself was a misunderstanding. However, unlike Ferdinando, he is not seen as innocent, which reveals the disparities in how the legal system approaches those of different class statuses. The comparison also provides a window into an alternate way that Ferdinando’s trial could have gone.

Ferdinando continues to fall into despair over his own guilt. He runs out of the trial in tears and cannot look Caleb in the eye. He is slowly becoming a shell of the man that he once was—a man who cared about his reputation and would have never made such a scene in public. Caleb is still teetering on the edge of his own downfall. In the trial scene, Caleb actually seems to rise above Ferdinando and hold a position of power. After Ferdinando flees the court in despair, Caleb feels invigorated at the revelation that he was right about the murder. It is not until the end of Chapter 6 that Caleb begins to recognize the consequences of his actions. Not only has Ferdinando escaped justice, but Caleb himself is now effectively a prisoner. His inner turmoil reveals his character growth: he is realizing that his boyish curiosity impacts the real world.