# Mr. Merdle — Little Dorrit character guide

> Mr. Merdle in Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Merdle, the illustrious Merdle

**First appearance:** 0022-xx-moving-in-society

## Snapshot

The illustrious financier whose golden touch hypnotizes all London, though his magnificent carriage rolls on wheels nobody has thought to inspect.

## Who they are

Merdle is the age's idol: a man so trusted that his very dullness reads as profundity, and his name alone floats shares. He moves through dinner parties and boardrooms as a solemn, dyspeptic oracle, while his wife and son's wife wage genteel war on separate floors of the same cramped temple. His vast, vague enterprises are the engine of the novel's financial plot, and everyone from the Barnacles to the Dorrits wants a hand on his coattails.

## Relationships

### [Mrs. Meagles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters/mrs_meagles)

_social_

Mr. Merdle, a wealthy financier, interacts with Mrs. Meagles in high society circles, with underlying financial entanglements.

### [Mrs. Meagles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters/mrs_meagles)

_social_

Mr. Merdle, a wealthy financier, interacts with Mrs. Meagles in high society circles, with underlying financial entanglements.

### [Mrs. Meagles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters/mrs_meagles)

_social_

Mr. Merdle, a wealthy financier, interacts with Mrs. Meagles in high society circles, with underlying financial entanglements.

## In the story

### [Preface to the 1857 Edition](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/preface-to-the-1857-edition)

Dickens defends the extravagant conception of Mr. Merdle as originating after the Railroad-share epoch.

### [Mr. Merdle's Complaint](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxi-mr-merdle-s-complaint)

The host of the grand dinner, appearing fatigued and detached, drinking tea in a corner while Society flatters him. He is the subject of much discussion regarding his wealth and influence.

### [Mrs. Merdle's Complaint](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxxiii-mrs-merdle-s-complaint)

Defends his social role as a benefactor through wealth, but is criticized by his wife for his preoccupied and vulgar manner.

### [In Which a Great Patriotic Conference Is Holden](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xii-in-which-a-great-patriotic-conference-is-holden)

Hosts a special dinner for the Barnacles and other dignitaries, seeking to cast his wealth into the Barnacle political scale and provide for Edmund Sparkler.

### [Getting On](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xvi-getting-on)

Visits Mr. Dorrit to offer his services and advice, displaying his characteristic subdued and hesitant manner while exerting his influence.

### [XVIII: A Castle in the Air](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xviii-a-castle-in-the-air)

Escorts Mr. Dorrit downstairs after the farewell banquet, reinforcing his attentiveness to the wealthy guest.

### [The Storming of the Castle in the Air](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xix-the-storming-of-the-castle-in-the-air)

Mentioned as keeping a glorious state with a court bowing before him.

### [The Evening of a Long Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxiv-the-evening-of-a-long-day)

The illustrious financier visits the Sparklers, borrowing a penknife and appearing detached.

### [XXV: The Chief Butler Resigns the Seals of Office](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/chapters/xxv-the-chief-butler-resigns-the-seals-of-office)

His default and crimes of forgery and robbery are the central topic of the chapter.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters/mr_merdle
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/little_dorrit_se/characters