Wealth and Corruption
The novel explores how the pursuit and possession of money corrupts individuals and relationships, as seen in the Boffins' transformation after inheriting wealth, the greed of characters like Silas Wegg, and the pervasive influence of money on social standing and morality.
Where it surfaces
Book the First: The Cup and the Lip
The inheritance of the Harmon fortune sets the stage for examining how wealth influences characters' actions and relationships.
The Man from Somewhere
The Harmon fortune, amassed through dust contracting, is portrayed as tainted and corrupting, leading to family strife and disinheritance.
The R. Wilfer Family
Bella's mourning for her lost fortune and her disdain for poverty reflect the corrupting influence of wealth and the way it shapes personal relationships and self-worth.
Mr. Boffin in Consultation
Mr. Boffin expresses unease about the burden of the large fortune, suggesting that the pursuit of wealth can be corrupting and unsatisfying.
Mr. and Mrs. Boffin in Consultation
The Boffins discuss how to 'act up to' their fortune, with Mrs. Boffin desiring a grand lifestyle including a carriage and fashionable society, highlighting the transformative and potentially corrupting influence of wealth.
A Marriage Contract
The chapter satirizes the obsession with shares and property, reducing human relationships to financial transactions.
Social Class and Mobility
Dickens examines the rigid class structure of Victorian England and the struggles of characters like the Wilfer family, the Boffins, and John Rokesmith to navigate social hierarchies, often highlighting the hypocrisy and pretensions of the upper classes.
Where it surfaces
Book the First: The Cup and the Lip
The Boffins' rise from servants to wealthy inheritors highlights the possibilities and tensions of class mobility.
The Man from Somewhere
The Veneerings' dinner party exemplifies the precarious social climbing of new money, with guests like Twemlow and Podsnap representing different strata of society.
The R. Wilfer Family
The Wilfer family's poverty and Bella's lament over her lost glimpse of wealth illustrate the precariousness of social mobility and the sting of dashed expectations.
Boffin's Bower
The Boffins' rise from humble beginnings to property owners and their attempt to adopt 'Fashion' highlight themes of social mobility and class identity.
Mr. Wegg Looks After Himself
Wegg's ambition to elevate himself and his concern for respectability reflect the theme of social mobility.
Podsnappery
The Podsnaps' heavy, materialistic display of wealth contrasts with Georgiana's desire to be a chimney-sweep, highlighting the constraints of her social position.
Identity and Disguise
The theme of hidden or mistaken identity is central, with characters like John Harmon assuming the alias John Rokesmith, and others concealing their true natures, reflecting the novel's concern with authenticity versus deception.
Where it surfaces
Another Man
The mystery surrounding John Harmon's death and the presence of Julius Handford hint at hidden identities.
Podsnappery
Georgiana feels trapped in her role as 'Miss Podsnap' and wishes to escape, while Mrs. Lammle's insinuating manner hides a darker purpose.
Two New Servants
John Rokesmith's true identity as John Harmon is hidden, and his role as secretary allows him to observe the Boffins and the dust mounds.
Book the Second: Birds of a Feather
John Rokesmith's hidden identity and the deceptive appearances of characters like Silas Wegg underscore the theme of disguise.
A Riddle Without an Answer
Eugene's self-description as an 'embodied conundrum' reflects his own uncertainty about his identity and motives, a central riddle of the chapter.
In Which an Innocent Elopement Occurs
Rokesmith's secret identity as John Harmon is hinted at through his mysterious behavior and his special interest in Bella, though she remains unaware.
Death and Mortality
Death pervades the narrative, from the opening scene of a body pulled from the Thames to the constant presence of the river as a symbol of mortality, and characters like Betty Higden who seek a dignified death rather than the workhouse.
Where it surfaces
On the Look Out
The chapter opens with a grim depiction of death on the river, as Gaffer Hexam retrieves a corpse and its money, treating death as a source of livelihood.
Another Man
The discovery of John Harmon's body and the inquest highlight the theme of death, with the river as a source of corpses.
Cut Adrift
The shadow of the Harmon murder hangs over the chapter, with suspicions and accusations threatening Gaffer Hexam's life and reputation.
Mr. Wegg Looks After Himself
The shop's collection of bones, skeletons, and preserved specimens underscores the omnipresence of death.
The Sweat of an Honest Man's Brow
The murder confession and Riderhood's pursuit of justice (or reward) center on a death.
XIII: Tracking the Bird of Prey
Eugene's dark humor about burglaries, forgeries, and assassination, along with the ominous discovery of the empty boat, foreshadows violence and mortality.
Love and Marriage
The novel contrasts genuine love, as between Bella Wilfer and John Rokesmith, with mercenary marriages driven by money and social ambition, such as the Lammles' union and Eugene Wrayburn's arranged match.
Where it surfaces
A Marriage Contract
The marriage of Alfred and Sophronia is portrayed as a contract of convenience, devoid of genuine affection, contrasting with Twemlow's wistful memory of lost love.
Cupid Prompted
The chapter satirizes marriage as a social transaction, with the Lammles engineering a match between Georgiana and Fledgeby for their own purposes.
XI: Some Affairs of the Heart
Explores unrequited love (Miss Peecher for Bradley) and passionate love (Lizzie's story of a lady's devotion).
A Solo and a Duet
Harmon's love for Bella is complicated by the mercenary conditions of his father's will, and he resolves to test her feelings.
XV: The Whole Case So Far
Bradley's desperate proposal and Lizzie's rejection highlight the tension between romantic love and social ambition in marriage.
A Happy Return of the Day
The anniversary dinner exposes the strained dynamics of the Wilfer marriage, with Mrs. Wilfer's condescension and Mr. Wilfer's apologetic demeanor.
Charity and Hypocrisy
Dickens critiques the hypocrisy of charitable institutions and individuals, particularly through the workhouse system and the condescending attitudes of the wealthy, while presenting genuine kindness in characters like the Boffins and Betty Higden.
Where it surfaces
On the Look Out
Gaffer Hexam's self-righteous indignation at Riderhood's thievery from the living, while he himself profits from the dead, highlights a twisted sense of morality.
Boffin's Bower
Mr. Boffin's generous hiring of Wegg contrasts with Wegg's manipulative intentions, exploring the hypocrisy in charitable acts.
Cut Adrift
Miss Abbey offers help to Lizzie but ultimately prioritizes the reputation of her establishment over the girl's welfare, showing conditional charity.
Mr. Boffin in Consultation
Mr. Boffin recounts how he and Mrs. Boffin stood as friends to the Harmon children, contrasting their kindness with the old man's harshness.
Mr. and Mrs. Boffin in Consultation
Mrs. Boffin's plan to adopt an orphan is presented as a charitable act, yet the search for a 'suitable' child reveals underlying social prejudices and the complexities of genuine benevolence.
A Marriage Contract
The Veneerings' pretense of deep friendship with the Lammles and their guests exposes the hypocrisy of social climbing.
The River as Symbol
The Thames serves as a powerful symbol of life, death, and renewal, with characters like Gaffer Hexam and Rogue Riderhood making their living from its dead, and the river acting as a site of both tragedy and transformation.
Where it surfaces
On the Look Out
The Thames is portrayed as a murky, life-giving yet death-dealing force, providing sustenance and danger, and reflecting the moral ambiguity of the characters.
The Sweat of an Honest Man's Brow
The Thames is a backdrop for the cottage and Riderhood's waterside journey, symbolizing the murky moral currents.
XIII: Tracking the Bird of Prey
The Thames serves as a central setting for the stakeout, embodying mystery, danger, and the flow of events; the discovery of the adrift boat underscores the river's role in concealment and revelation.
The Bird of Prey Brought Down
The Thames is portrayed as a menacing, predatory force that claims lives and conceals death, reflecting its symbolic role in the novel.
A Respected Friend in a New Aspect
The river is a site of danger and death, as shown by the steamer accident and the drowning, reinforcing its role as a symbol of mortality and uncertainty.
The End of a Long Journey
The Thames is personified as a gentle, comforting presence that offers a merciful death, contrasting with the harshness of society.
Education and Ambition
The novel explores the role of education in social advancement, particularly through Bradley Headstone's self-made status as a schoolmaster and Charley Hexam's ambitious drive, while also showing the limitations and dangers of such striving.
Where it surfaces
Cut Adrift
Lizzie sacrifices to send Charley to school, believing education will give him a better future, despite their father's opposition.
I: Of an Educational Character
The chapter contrasts the flawed, mechanical education at Charley's old school with his ambition to rise socially, and explores how education (or lack thereof) affects class mobility and personal relationships.
Still Educational
Eugene Wrayburn urges Lizzie to accept education, arguing that her refusal perpetuates her father's ignorance and holds her back.
Better to Be Abel Than Cain
Charley Hexam's cold ambition to climb the social ladder through respectability and his rejection of both his sister and Bradley underscore the theme of education and ambition.
