Little Dorrit · Character

Young John Chivery

The turnkey's son who loves Little Dorrit from the Marshalsea yard, expressing his devotion in cigars, cravats, and hopeless sighs.

supporting

Also known as John Chivery, Young John, Chivery

First appearance: Little Dorrit's Lover

As a supporting figure in Little Dorrit, Young John Chivery is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

The sentimental son of a turnkey, deeply in love with Little Dorrit since childhood; he dreams of a future with her in the Marshalsea and attempts to declare his love, but is met…

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Young John is the son of the Marshalsea's turnkey, a soft-hearted young man who worships Little Dorrit with an ardor that everyone but she seems to notice. He courts her father with cigars and small attentions, hoping to win the daughter through the Father of the Marshalsea's vanity, while his own mother watches the wind and shakes her head. His unrequited love makes him both comic and genuinely touching, and his loyalty to the Dorrits makes him a quiet fixture of their prison world.

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Character Web

39 connections

A slice of how Young John Chivery sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Rivalry
Romantic
Other

Character groups

Circumlocution Office and Society
Inventors, Artists, and Shadows
Minor Characters and Background Figures
Protagonist

+34 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This excerpt represents the story's dramatic climax because it depicts Arthur Clennam’s psychological nadir an…

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Relationships

Arthur Clennam
rivalry · negative
Arthur is a rival for Little Dorrit's affections, though Young John is a gentle, hopeless… How this plays out →
Little Dorrit
romantic · ambivalent
Arthur Clennam
rivalry · negative
Arthur is a rival for Little Dorrit's affections, though Young John is a gentle, hopeless… How this plays out →
Little Dorrit
romantic · ambivalent
Arthur Clennam
rivalry · negative
Arthur is a rival for Little Dorrit's affections, though Young John is a gentle, hopeless… How this plays out →
Little Dorrit
romantic · ambivalent

Arthur Clennam
Arthur is a rival for Little Dorrit's affections, though Young John is a gentle, hopeless admirer who resents Arthur's closeness to her.
Little Dorrit
Young John Chivery is hopelessly in love with Little Dorrit, but she only feels pity and friendship for him.
Arthur Clennam
Arthur is a rival for Little Dorrit's affections, though Young John is a gentle, hopeless admirer who resents Arthur's closeness to her.
Little Dorrit
Young John Chivery is hopelessly in love with Little Dorrit, but she only feels pity and friendship for him.
Arthur Clennam
Arthur is a rival for Little Dorrit's affections, though Young John is a gentle, hopeless admirer who resents Arthur's closeness to her.
Little Dorrit
Young John Chivery is hopelessly in love with Little Dorrit, but she only feels pity and friendship for him.

Relationship notes

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In the story

Young John Chivery appears across 5 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Little Dorrit's Lover
The sentimental son of a turnkey, deeply in love with Little Dorrit since childhood; he dreams of a future with her in the Marshalsea and attempts to declare his love, but is met with her distress.
Conspirators and Others
Invited to dinner at Mr. Rugg's home, he participates in the secret investigations out of love for Miss Dorrit, showing his unselfish devotion.
XVIII: A Castle in the Air
Visits Mr. Dorrit at his hotel to offer cigars and inquire after Little Dorrit, is harshly rebuked but later given a testimonial for the Collegians.
The Pupil of the Marshalsea
The turnkey's son, who has observed Little Dorrit's love for Arthur and confronts him about it, revealing his own magnanimous feelings.
XXIX: A Plea in the Marshalsea
Delivers Little Dorrit's message of love to Clennam and promises to stand by him.

Chapter companion notes

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See Young John Chivery in Little Dorrit's Lover