Our Mutual Friend Essay - Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens - eNotes.com Our Mutual Friend Essay - Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens link Link Our Mutual Friend Charles Dickens The following entry presents criticism of Dickens's novel Our Mutual Friend (1864-65). See also Charles Dickens Criticism, Hard Times Criticism, and A Tale of Two Cities Criticism. The last of Dickens's novels to be issued as a twenty-part monthly serial, Our Mutual Friend has long been considered one of the author's darkest works, the product of his declining years when exhaustion and disillusionment were taking over his life and his writing. The novel was not terribly successful at the time of its publication and was unfavorably compared to his earlier, more optimistic works. In addition, the popularity of serialized novels had peaked some twenty years earlier and the form was being replaced by less expensive monthly magazines. Critics today, for the most part, consider the novel in a more favorable light, appreciating the complexity of its numerous characters and multiple plot lines, and praising its unified presentation of the themes of money and predation. Biographical Information Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, to John and Elizabeth Barrow Dickens.

The second of eight children, Dickens spent his childhood on the southern coast of England, where he attended a good school until the age of eleven. The family then moved to London and shortly thereafter his father was sent to debtor's prison. Young Charles went to work in a blacking warehouse and was forced to live on his own in cheap lodgings in a state of near starvation. Although he was soon rescued by his father and sent to school in London, the brief period of abandonment and uncertainty affected his life and his writings for years to come. Dickens did not attend college but was admitted as a reader to the library of the British Museum, where he immersed himself in the study of great literature, particularly Shakespeare. He worked for some time as a clerk, as a shorthand reporter, and eventually as a news reporter for the Morning Chronicle, a position which required him to travel all over the country. Dickens's first success, both critical and popular, was Sketches by Boz (1836), a series of short pieces on life in London.

His first novel, Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club (1837), was published, as were all of his novels, in serial form, and by the time the fourth monthly installment was issued, Dickens was the most popular author in England. Over the next thirty years, he continued to publish successful novels, among them: Oliver Twist (1838), A Christmas Carol In Prose (1843), The Personal History of David Copperfield (1850), Bleak House (1853), Hard Times for These Hard Times (1854), A Tale of Two Cities (1859), and Great Expectations (1861). His writing, once full of hope and optimism, grew increasingly pessimistic as he aged, with images of decay and corruption dominating the later works. Our Mutual Friend was his last completed novel; with its images of dustheaps and death, it is widely considered one of the author's darkest visions. In 1870, while working on The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Dickens suffered an aneurysm in the brain and died the next day. He was buried in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey.

Plot and Major Characters There are numerous plots and subplots in Our Mutual Friend, the main one involving a young man, John Harmon, who returns to England after an absence of many years. Before his death, his wealthy father had made his son's inheritance contingent upon his marriage to Bella Wilfer, a beautiful but mercenary young woman. Shortly after leaving the ship that brought him back to England, Harmon is supposedly murdered; a body found in the Thames is identified as his and he does nothing to correct the error. Assuming first the name of Julius Handford, and then John Rokesmith, Harmon takes a position as secretary to Mr. Boffin—a former employee and now heir of the elder Harmon's estate—in order to assess the character of his bride-to-be while in disguise. Uneasy with their newly-acquired wealth, the Boffins have taken Bella into their home in order to give her the advantages she would have had if she had married Harmon. As Rokesmith, Harmon professes his love for Bella, but believing she is capable of making a far better match, she refuses him and Mr. Boffin discharges him for impudence.

During this time, Boffin has changed from a kindly generous man to a materialistic miser as part of an elaborate charade to teach Bella a lesson about the hazards of greed. The young woman becomes so disturbed by the changes in her benefactor, she returns to her father's house, giving up the material advantages of life with the Boffins. Bella sees the error of her ways and determines to marry for love. When Rokesmith reappears, she agrees to marry him, and their marriage is happy despite their modest means. Eventually the mystery surrounding Rokesmith's true identity is unraveled and his fortune restored, making Bella the wealthy wife she had once dreamed of being. The other major narrative involves Lizzie Hexam, the daughter of a river scavenger, Gaffer Hexam, the very man who discovered the body thought to be Harmon's. At the inquest, Lizzie is noticed by Eugene Wrayburn, a bored, upper-class lawyer. Lizzie's brother, a churlish youth, hates Wrayburn and tries to steer his sister's affections away from the lawyer and towards Bradley Headstone, a severe schoolmaster whose repressed anger surfaces when Lizzie rejects his proposal.

Lizzie escapes the attentions of both men by retreating to a small country village. Returning from a visit to Lizzie, Wrayburn is attacked and thrown into the river by Headstone. Lizzie rescues him, and he is slowly nursed back to life with the help of Jenny Wren, a dolls' dressmaker with whom Lizzie had lived in London. Jenny determines that Wrayburn's wish is to marry Lizzie; she brings a clergyman from London and arranges a bedside ceremony for the pair. Subplots include the attempted blackmail of Mr. Boffin by his employee Silas Wegg, who has been hired to read to the illiterate Boffins. Wegg had taken possession of the Boffin house and dustheap when the Boffins departed for more luxurious quarters. When Wegg finds another of the elder Harmon's wills, this one leaving the fortune to the state, he tries, with the aid of a taxidermist named Mr. Venus, to coerce his employer into sharing the estate. The plot is foiled by Venus's offer to testify against Wegg.

A second case of attempted blackmail involves Rogue Riderhood, a river scavenger who witnesses the attack on Wrayburn and tries to extract money from Headstone in exchange for his silence. As the two argue and struggle, they both fall into the river and drown. The upper classes make up what Dickens called “the social chorus,” a group whose only apparent function is to represent society's views on the events of the main narratives as they unfold. Their lives are empty and their activities are limited to gossiping about the Harmons, the Boffins, and the other characters who lead more active lives. The main members of the social chorus are the Veneerings, a newly-rich couple who hold dinner parties in an attempt to ingratiate themselves with the more established members of London society; the Podsnaps, who are rich, self-satisfied, and rigid; and the Lammles, who married each other for money only to discover that each had been trying to deceive the other and they were both penniless. At the opposite end of the economic spectrum is Betty Higden, a poor woman hounded by her fear of dying in the poorhouse.

She would prefer to starve than to suffer the cruelties and indignities associated with the almshouse, and that's exactly what she does, dying in a field as Lizzie Hexam tries to comfort her. Major Themes The major theme of Our Mutual Friend is money and the hazards associated with its misuse. The well-to-do characters, almost without exception, are negatively portrayed, and the Harmon fortune makes it necessary for its heir to hide his identity in order to assess the character of the Boffins and Bella Wilfer with any accuracy, the implication being that a rich man can never determine who his true friends are. A related theme is predation—several chapter headings refer to birds of prey—wherein the possibility of extracting wealth from another by less than honorable means proves too tempting for such characters as Silas Wegg, Rogue Riderhood, and others. The very opening scene of the novel involves Gaffer Hexam, bent over the edge of his boat like a vulture, looking for bodies in the river—bodies that he then robs before turning them over to the authorities. Many critics have pointed out the emphasis on surfaces and depths throughout the novel.

Hexam and Riderhood plumb the depths of the Thames searching for bodies and whatever other treasures they can find, while the Veneerings are all glossy surface with no depth at all. Masks, disguises, and cases of mistaken identity occur repeatedly within the narrative. John Harmon is taken for dead because a man who resembles him has been murdered by mistake. Harmon then assumes a new identity and lives as John Rokesmith, allowing the community to believe the error. Mr. Boffin pretends to be a miser in order to instruct Bella Wilfer on the perils of materialism and greed. Bradley Headstone disguises himself as Rogue Riderhood so that the attack on Wrayburn will be blamed on the waterman. Both the river and the dustheaps, which forms the basis of the Harmon fortune, are recurring motifs in the work and both are associated with death and decay but, at the same time, they provide a livelihood for some. As critic Richard A.

Lanham puts it, “if the river is the liquid sewer of London, the dust-heap is the dry one, and the two together provide food and drink for the majority of the characters in the novel.” Reading and literacy are also prominent features of Our Mutual Friend. The Boffins' illiteracy provides an employment opportunity for Weggs, who pretends to be an expert in literary matters. Gaffer Hexam's illiteracy means he must memorize the posters and pamphlets of missing persons who have possibly met their deaths in the river. His daughter Lizzie's illiteracy provides the excuse for Wrayburn's involvement with her, as the lawyer offers to provide reading lessons for both Lizzie and Jenny Wren. Overall, the tone of the narrative is grim and bleak; the cumulative effect of the numerous references to corruption, decay, and death is a darkness that becomes oppressive. Although there are humorous instances throughout the novel, most especially those associated with the Veneerings and the Podsnaps, they are satiric in nature rather than comic. Critical Reception Critical response to Our Mutual Friend was long shaped by Henry James's famous 1865 review in the Nation.

James called it “the poorest of Mr Dickens's works,” claiming that the novel was “poor with the poverty not of momentary embarrassment, but of permanent exhaustion.” Most scholars agreed with this assessment and termed the work incoherent and implausible. The reading public, meanwhile, was put off by the novel's relentless pessimism; subscriptions fell off monthly as installments were published. Most modern critics, though, tend to recognize the complexity of the work and to appreciate the multiple plot lines and numerous characters. Some of these characters, such as Gaffer Hexam and Betty Higden, were possibly inspired by real Londoners who had been interviewed by Henry Mayhew for his nonfiction work London Labour and the London Poor. Harland S. Nelson has examined these possible connections by comparing the two texts. Other possible sources of inspiration have been suggested by Lewis Horne, who believes that Homer's hero Odysseus was the model for three of Dickens's characters; and Howard W. Fulweiler, who suggests that Darwin's theories informed Dickens's later fiction, particularly Our Mutual Friend. Concentrating too completely on characters and the weaknesses in their representation has led, according to Philip Hobsbaum, to many negative assessments of Our Mutual Friend.

Critics would be better served, he claims, by concentrating on the novel's central images, particularly dust and the river. Other critics claim the novel is unified by the motifs of reading and literacy, among them Stanley Friedman, who believes that these recurring elements provide character definition and aid in plot development. Michael Greenstein, meanwhile, has studied the many unifying themes and motifs that focus on mutuality. As a whole, late twentieth-century scholars have dismissed the early negative appraisals of Our Mutual Friend and now urge a new appreciation of this complicated novel. More Content: Our Mutual Friend, Charles Dickens (hide) 9780192545107: Our Mutual Friend (Oxford Illustrated Dickens) - AbeBooks - Dickens, Charles: 0192545108 About this title Charles Dickens's last completed novel tells the story of a young man who must marry a stranger in order to win his inheritance. Wanting to learn the lady's nature, John Harmon fakes his own death and takes on a new identity. As the complexities of the deceit are revealed, Dickens gives us his most profoundly cynical, yet brilliantly funny, insight into the corruption of wealth on human nature. 40 illustrations.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title. Review: Our Mutual Friend was the last novel Charles Dickens completed and is, arguably, his darkest and most complex. The basic plot is vintage Dickens: an inheritance up for grabs, a murder, a rocky romance or two, plenty of skullduggery, and a host of unforgettable secondary characters. But in this final outing the author's heroes are more flawed, his villains more sympathetic, and the story as a whole more harrowing and less sentimental. The mood is set in the opening scene in which a riverman, Gaffer Hexam, and his daughter Lizzie troll the Thames searching for drowned men whose pockets Gaffer will rifle before turning the body over to the authorities. On this particular night Gaffer finds a corpse that is later identified as that of John Harmon, who was returning from abroad to claim a large fortune when he was apparently murdered and thrown into the river. Harmon's death is the catalyst for everything else that happens in the novel. It seems the fortune was left to the young man on the condition that he marry a girl he'd never met, Bella Wilfer.

His death, however, brings a new heir onto the scene, Nicodemus Boffin, the kind-hearted but low-born assistant to Harmon's father. Boffin and his wife adopt young Bella, who is determined to marry money, and also hire a mysterious young secretary, John Rokesmith, who takes an uncommon interest in their ward. Not content with just one plot, Dickens throws in a secondary love story featuring the riverman's daughter, Lizzie Hexam; a dissolute young upper-class lawyer, Eugene Wrayburn; and his rival, the headmaster Bradley Headstone. Dark as the novel is, Dickens is careful to leaven it with secondary characters who are as funny as they are menacing--blackmailing Silas Wegg and his accomplice Mr. Venus, the avaricious Lammles, and self-centered Charlie Hexam. Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens's most satisfying novels, and a fitting denouement to his prolific career. --Alix Wilber From the Inside Flap: A satiric masterpiece about the allure and peril of money, Our Mutual Friend revolves around the inheritance of a dust-heap where the rich throw their trash.

When the body of John Harmon, the dust-heap's expected heir, is found in the Thames, fortunes change hands surprisingly, raising to new heights "Noddy" Boffin, a low-born but kindly clerk who becomes "the Golden Dustman." Charles Dickens's last complete novel, Our Mutual Friend encompasses the great themes of his earlier works: the pretensions of the nouveaux riches, the ingenuousness of the aspiring poor, and the unfailing power of wealth to corrupt all who crave it. With its flavorful cast of characters and numerous subplots, Our Mutual Friend is one of Dickens's most complex—and satisfying—novels. "About this title" may belong to another edition of this title. Our Mutual Friend Summary - eNotes.com Our Mutual Friend Summary link Link John Harmon is thought to have been murdered soon after he left the ship upon his return to England to marry Bella Wilfer in compliance with the conditions of his father’s will; a body found by Gaffer Hexam is identified as Harmon’s. Actually, Harmon has not died; fearing for his life and shrinking from the forced marriage, he assumes the name of Julius Handford, then that of John Rokesmith. As Rokesmith, Harmon becomes a secretary to Mr.

Boffin, who inherited the estate of Harmon’s father after young John Harmon was pronounced dead. Before that, Mr. Boffin, who never learned to read, began to employ a street peddler named Wegg to read to him such books as took his fancy. Mr. and Mrs. Boffin enjoy their new wealth and leisure, but they both regret that the son and disinherited daughter of old Harmon did not live to enjoy the fortune that has come to them. They try to find a little orphan whom they can rear, hoping to provide a boy with some of the advantages little John Harmon did not have. The Boffins also bring Bella Wilfer to live with them in their grand new house, wishing to provide her with the kind of life she might have had as John Harmon’s wife. Bella, who is beautiful but mercenary, intends to make a good match. When Harmon, in his role as Rokesmith, declares his love for her, she rejects him with disdain. When, much later, Mr. Boffin hears that Rokesmith had aspired to her hand, a bitter scene ensues in which he charges Rokesmith with impudence and discharges him.

By that time, however, Bella has become wiser, having seen how money and wealth have apparently changed the easygoing Mr. Boffin into an ill-tempered, avaricious miser. She refuses to stay any longer with the Boffins and returns to the modest life of her father’s home. Mr. Boffin begins to have trouble with Wegg, whom he has established in the comfortable house in which the Boffins live. Not satisfied with his good fortune, Wegg has become increasingly avaricious and spends all his time searching the house and the dustheaps in the yard for possible items of value that old Harmon might have secreted when he lived there. In his searches, Wegg finds a will dated after the will from which the Boffins have profited; in the later will, most of... (The entire section is 922 words.) Get Free Access Start your free trial with eNotes for complete access to this resource and thousands more. 30,000+ Study Guides Save time with thousands of teacher-approved book and topic summaries. Get Homework Help Ask real teachers questions on any subject or search 300,000+ answers.

On the Go Access link Link Gaffer Hexam and his daughter, Lizzie, row across the surface of the Thames River in London, looking for corpses. On finding one, Lizzie stops the boat while Gaffer digs first through the pockets, finding several coins, before tying it to the stern. Lizzie does not want to be close to the body, but her father harshly admonishes her for hating the river, which gives her money enough for food and provisions. They are interrupted by another boater, who identifies himself as Gaffer's "pardner," but Gaffer denies this. The "pardner" then hints that Gaffer hastens the deaths of the people whose bodies he retrieves. Done for the night, a relieved Lizzie rows them back to shore, pulling the corpse behind. Mr. and Mrs. Veneering are newlyweds who are newly rich. Their home is new, as are their friends. Twemlow is their oldest acquaintance and regularly appears at all their dinner parties, though he is often confused and overwhelmed by all the new people. At one dinner, a Lady Tippin flirts with all the gentlemen.

Another guest, Mortimer Lightwood, tells the party the story of the Man from Somewhere, who was the son of the rich Dust contractor named Harmon. Mr. Harmon, Senior, had disowned his daughter because she failed to marry the man he had selected for her, marrying instead “Another.” The daughter soon died, as did Another. The son, who was at school in Brussels, was thus the sole heir of the fortune, but only if he married the woman whom Mr. Harmon had selected for him. If he did not, the Harmon fortune would go to an old servant. Mr. Harmon died recently, and the son was returning to claim his inheritance. A message arrives just as Mortimer finishes the story, stating that this son had drowned. Mortimer, along with Eugene Wrayburn, leaves the dinner party and follows the messenger, who is Charley Hexam, the son of Gaffer. Their intention is to examine the body that has been identified by the steward of the ship on which it arrived as John Harmon. A stranger also arrives to see the body, but he is horrified at the sight and cannot. He gives his name as Julius Hanford.

Charley goes home to his sister, Lizzie, and they imagine pictures of their past in the coals of the fire. At the inquest, it is determined that the decayed and disfigured body is that of John Harmon, the victim of murder. Bella Wilfer is the woman whom Mr. Harmon had ordered his son to marry, and she now resents that she must wear mourning clothes for a man she never met. A new lodger arrives, signing his name as John Rokesmith, though he refuses to give references. Bella does not trust him from the start. It is mentioned that John Rokesmith could have been Julius Hanford’s twin. link Link Silas Wegg, an errand runner and street corner salesman, sets up his wares at the corner near Cavendish Square. He believes himself to be in the employ of an imaginary family of an empty house. Nicodemus (Nick, or Noddy) Boffin, the uneducated servant who has inherited the Harmon estate after John Harmon’s presumed drowning, hires Wegg to be his personal reader.

Boffin has bought a set of The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (though he mistakenly refers to it as the Russian Empire) and would like Wegg to come to his new home, Boffin’s Bower (formerly Harmony Jail), to read it to him. Wegg agrees and arrives at Boffin’s Bower to be greeted by Mrs. Boffin. After managing to get fed by the Boffins, Wegg begins reading, stumbling over most of the unfamiliar Roman names. At the Six Jolly Fellowship Porters, Miss Abbey Potterson reigns behind the bar. She tells the customers when it is time for them to go home, much as a mother would. Riderhood, a former partner of Gaffer Hexam, is told by Miss Potterson that he is no longer allowed in the tavern because of his trade of picking the pockets of corpses found in the river. Riderhood resents that Gaffer is still allowed in when he is in the same trade, so he insinuates that Gaffer murders his victims for the purpose of picking their pockets after they are dead. Miss Potterson throws Riderhood out and says that Gaffer Hexam is no longer allowed either.

She sends for Lizzie Hexam and tells her that she has to get away from her father and take no more part in his “trade.” She shares the suspicion that Gaffer is a murderer, but Lizzie swears it is only Riderhood’s revenge for Gaffer's severing their partnership. Lizzie goes home and tells her brother Charley that he must escape and go to school. She gives him money and sends him out the door. When she tells her father where Charley has gone, Gaffer exclaims that he is now disowned. As he speaks, he stabs his knife in the air, which terrifies Lizzie. She begs him not to use his knife, and he is overcome by the fear that he has caused his daughter. On his way home from reading to Mr. Boffin, Silas Wegg stops at Mr. Venus’s shop. Mr. Venus is a taxidermist and an “articulator of human bones.” Mr. Venus has acquired Wegg’s amputated leg, and Wegg is interested in purchasing it, but Mr. Venus doesn’t deal.

He is very sad and confesses to Wegg that he has been refused by the woman he wants to marry because of his profession. link Link Mr. Boffin keeps an appointment with his lawyer, Mr. Lightwood, wanting to create a “tight” will to ensure that all his fortune (estimated at 100,000 pounds) will be left absolutely to Mrs. Boffin. He tells Mr. Lightwood that he is offering a reward of ten thousand pounds to the person who solves the murder of John Harmon, but Mr. Lightwood warns that this large amount may bring out more misinformation from scoundrels than the truth. Mr. Boffin tells of the last time he saw John Harmon, when John was a young boy being sent abroad to school. As he is leaving the lawyer’s office, Eugene Wrayburn enters. Mr. Lightwood introduces the two gentlemen. Outside of the office, a stranger approaches Mr. Boffin, explaining that he had been pointed out to him on the streets and has wished to speak with him. He introduces himself as Rokesmith and mentions that he is lodging with the Wilfers. Mr. Boffin knows Bella Wilfer.

Rokesmith offers his services as a secretary to Mr. Boffin, who is not sure exactly what kind of services a secretary would provide, explaining to Rokesmith that he already has Mr. Wegg as his “literary man.” Mr. Rokesmith suggests that they meet further, to which Mr. Boffin agrees in a week or two. On arriving home, Mr. Boffin is greeted by Mrs. Boffin’s announcement that they must begin to live up to their new position in society. She proposes offering a home to Bella Wilfer, who tragically lost her future husband. She also would like to adopt an orphan boy, rename him John Harmon, and bring him up as a tribute to their late employer’s son. Mr. Boffin agrees to all this, and the Boffins go to the home of the Reverend Mr. Milvey, who promises to find a suitable orphan for them. Mr. and Mrs. Boffin then go to the Wilfer home and make their proposal to Bella. Mrs. Wilfer feels herself superior to the former servants. She calls in Bella to let her decide. Her other daughter, Lavinia, also arrives along with her gentleman friend, George Sampson.

After some acrimonious conversation among the Wilfers, Bella agrees to the Boffins’ proposal. Mr. Boffin asks about their lodger, Mr. Rokesmith, to whom he refers as “Our Mutual Friend.” As they leave, Mr. Rokesmith arrives. He is startled when he hears Mrs. Boffin tell Bella that she will soon be introduced to little John Harmon. She explains her plans for adoption to Rokesmith. Two friends of the Veneerings, Alfred Lammle and Sophronia Akershem, are married, each believing that the other is a person of property. On their honeymoon, they discover that each one had been deceiving the other. After the initial outrage, the Lammles decide to treat the world as they have treated each other and vow to deceive and take advantage of everyone they know. link Link Mr. and Mrs. Podsnap decide that they must have a dinner for their daughter’s eighteenth birthday. Mr. Podsnap, a friend of the Veneerings, has contempt for all countries except England. At the dinner, Podsnap has a conversation with a foreign gentleman in which he constantly corrects the latter’s English pronunciation. Podsnap begs Mr.

Veneering to tell the party about the night they learned of the Harmon murder during a dinner at the Veneering home. Mr. and Mrs. Lammle are also present and decide that they will begin their deception of the world with the Podsnaps. Mrs. Lammle befriends Miss Georgiana Podsnap, who is painfully shy. Georgiana is angered by her mother’s bringing over men to dance with her, which she says that... (The entire section is 431 words.) Get Free Access link Link Riderhood suggests that since they cannot find Gaffer, they should go and apprehend his daughter, Lizzie. Wrayburn contemptuously puts this idea down. He and Lightwood go with Riderhood to drag the boat in and are shocked to discover Gaffer’s body tied behind it. The inspector takes charge of the body, and Lightwood suggests that they go tell Lizzie of her father’s death. He turns to talk to Wrayburn and finds that he has disappeared. He returns home and goes to bed after his long night. When he awakens, he finds that Wrayburn has returned home as well, explaining that he had had enough of the investigation and had gone for a walk. Mr.

Boffin attempts to understand what Mr. Rokesmith meant when he offered to be his... (The entire section is 484 words.) link Link At his new school, Charley Hexam requests permission to visit his sister Lizzie. His schoolmaster, Bradley Headstone, suggests that it would be better to distance himself from his sister as a connection to his unsavory past. When Charley insists, Mr. Headstone declares that he will accompany him. Charley resists, not wanting Mr. Headstone to see Lizzie’s living conditions, as he himself wants to put his past behind him. On the way, they are stopped by Miss Peecher, a teacher at a girls’ school, who is interested in Mr. Headstone. Mr. Headstone is indifferent to her, and he and Charley continue until they come to Lizzie’s lodgings. They are welcomed by Fanny Cleaver (who is called Jenny Wren), a thirteen-year-old girl who has... (The entire section is 433 words.) link Link The Lammles still live in Alfred’s bachelor lodgings, saying to their friends that they are looking for a larger home.

This invites everyone to suggest places, which do not seem to satisfy the Lammles. Mrs. Lammle intensifies her efforts to make friends with Miss Podsnap. Over tea one day, Miss Podsnap says that Mr. Lammle is her idea of the perfect lover, though she assures Mrs. Lammle that she has no romantic notions about her husband. Alfred Lammle arrives and suggests that Miss Podsnap has an admirer in “Fascination” Fledgeby, a lanky, insecure youth who is even more shy than Miss Podsnap. He has arranged for Fledgeby to join Miss Podsnap and the Lammles for dinner and the opera the following day, which horrifies Miss... (The entire section is 437 words.) link Link Mr. Boffin frequently shows up at Boffin’s Bower, which upsets Mr. Wegg, who thinks that he is being watched. Mr. Venus arrives at the Bower with Mr. Wegg’s leg, which Mr. Wegg says is his by law anyway. Mr. Venus is still in low spirits from being disappointed in love when his marriage proposal was rejected. Mr. Wegg shares with Mr.

Venus his resentment at being passed over by Old Mr. Harmon in favor of the Boffins, having spoken to Mr. Harmon on several occasions. The two men discuss the possibility of starting a partnership, searching through the dust around the Bower for articles of any value. They agree to this proposal when Mr. Rokesmith arrives with a message for Mr. Wegg. He tells him that Mr. Boffin does not want Mr.... (The entire section is 455 words.) link Link Miss Peecher questions her pupil, Mary Anne, about Charley Hexam’s sister. Mary Anne tells her where Lizzie lives, and soon Mr. Headstone comes to Miss Peecher’s home. Miss Peecher makes it clear that she knows Mr. Headstone is going to Lizzie’s home, but Mr. Headstone neither confirms nor denies. At Lizzie’s home, Mr. Headstone is quizzed by Jenny Wren until Lizzie arrives. Mr. Headstone tells Lizzie that she should end her relationship with Eugene Wrayburn, but Lizzie does not take his advice. Mr. Headstone says he has something else to tell her, but he cannot bring himself to do so and asks for another interview.

Pleasant Riderhood, the daughter of Gaffer’s former partner, Rogue, is visited by a strange man... (The entire section is 501 words.) link Link Mr. Rokesmith continues to “bury” John Harmon ever deeper, now that Bella Wilfer has rejected him as a poor man, rather than as John Harmon the rich man she has decided she must marry. Mrs. Betty Higden comes to the Boffins’ and tells Rokesmith that she is running away from Sloppy, who thinks that he can live with both the Boffins and her at the same time. She wants to remove herself to make his new life easier. She also complains of a deadness coming over her since Johnny’s death. She wants to borrow money from the Boffins to outfit a sewing basket so that she may travel around the country as a seamstress. While the Boffins regret losing her and would do more for her if she let them, Rokesmith encourages them to allow the...

(The entire section is 453 words.) link Link On a foggy morning, Riah, the Jewish debt collector, goes to the offices of Pubsey and Co., awakening Fascination Fledgeby, even though it is after ten o’clock. He presents his accounts of debts to Fledgeby, who notes that “Queer Street is full of lodgers” (meaning, many people are deeply in debt). Alfred Lammle arrives and shows Fledgeby a note from Podsnap requesting that the Lammles stay away from Georgiana. Lammle and Fledgeby argue, blaming each other for the failure of their plans of having Fledgeby marry Georgiana for her money. After peace is made, Fledgeby warns Lammle never to fall into the hands of Pubsey and Co. as far as unpaid debts are concerned. Lammle is unsettled by this and leaves. Fledgeby muses to himself... (The entire section is 568 words.) link Link Mr. Boffin is finally ready to talk wages with Mr. Rokesmith. He offers his secretary two hundred pounds a year, which Rokesmith views as fair. Mr.

Boffin tells Rokesmith that he “buys” him on a round-the-clock basis. Mrs. Boffin thinks that he has been too strict with Rokesmith. Mr. Boffin tells Bella that her good looks will make money for her, and he urges her to use them to her own advantage. This also bothers Mrs. Boffin, as it does Bella, despite having told herself the same thing. In the following days, Mr. Boffin has Bella buy him books on the lives of misers. She notices that Mr. Boffin is becoming a miser himself. Sophronia Lammle becomes captivated by Bella, now that she has stopped her husband’s machinations of... (The entire section is 466 words.) link Link Betty Higden continues on her journey, though the Boffins receive no news of her. Her life has not been easy, and she struggles to maintain her independence. She travels up along the River Thames, fearful of “falling into the hands of Charity.” One day, sitting on a bench in a village marketplace, she faints. The villagers try to help her, asking her if she has anyone nearby to care for her.

Betty tells them she does and escapes as quickly as she can. Another incident involves her seeing her dead children and grandchildren riding on a canal barge. The canal attendant questions her, believing her to be a vagrant. She shows him the Boffins’ letter, but he cannot read. He talks her into giving him all her money... (The entire section is 532 words.) link Link Headstone watches outside Wrayburn’s lodgings. He suspects that Lizzie may be in Wrayburn’s chambers. The watchman lets him in and he listens at the door, hearing voices but not a woman’s. Leaving, Headstone runs into Riderhood, who is there on business and explains that he is seeking damages from the steamer that ran him down as well as requesting a job as a Lock-keeper. Headstone asks Riderhood when he last saw Lizzie. Riderhood responds that it was the day Gaffer’s body was pulled from the river, which is also the only time he saw her with Wrayburn. Headstone gives Riderhood money and asks him to tell him if he should ever see Lizzie. At breakfast, Mrs. Lammle remarks that the only income they...

(The entire section is 505 words.) link Link Tensions increase between Mr. Boffin and Mr. Rokesmith. After Mrs. Lammle tells him about Rokesmith’s proposal to Bella, Mr. Boffin confronts his secretary, stating that it was sheer insolence on Rokesmith’s part to approach a woman so far above his station. Bella objects to Mr. Boffin’s attack on Mr. Rokesmith for her sake, but Mr. Boffin dismisses her objections. Bella begs Mr. Rokesmith’s forgiveness for the manner of her rejection of his proposal. Mr. Boffin dismisses Rokesmith without letting him resign. Before he leaves, Rokesmith repeats his love for Bella, which has not lessened since her rejection. Mr. Boffins asks him how he can say he loves Bella when he would subject her to a life of poverty instead... (The entire section is 478 words.) link Link Rogue Riderhood is now the lock-keeper of Plashwater Weir-Mill Lock. Eugene Wrayburn comes through the lock, rowing a small boat.

Not long after Wrayburn passes, Bradley Headstone appears, disguised as a bargeman. Riderhood recognizes him, however, and also knows that he is following Wrayburn. Headstone tells Riderhood that he is sure that Wrayburn is going to Lizzie, who evidently must be nearby, and that is why he is following him. After Headstone leaves, Riderhood puts on a red neckerchief. Headstone returns for a few hours of rest before returning to the pursuit. He observes closely the red neckerchief that Riderhood is wearing, as Riderhood intended him to. The next day, Headstone continues his chase... (The entire section is 451 words.) link Link Mr. Wilfer returns home, pretending that he knows nothing of Bella’s whereabouts. Mrs. Wilfer, who has received the letter, tells him that he no longer has a daughter because Bella has married a mendicant (poor beggar). Lavinia resents Bella for having jeopardized her relationship with George Sampson by running off and getting married. While Mrs. Wilfer and her daughter argue, Mr. Wilfer is content to stand to one side and avoid involvement.

He tells his wife that, no matter her disapproval, both Bella and Rokesmith will be welcome in the Wilfer home. A few weeks later, the Rokesmiths come to a very uncomfortable tea. On their walk home, Rokesmith asks Bella if she would rather that he were as rich as Mr.... (The entire section is 485 words.) link Link Jenny Wren, having discovered the hypocrisy of Riah, gets scraps for her doll clothes elsewhere, but she does not tell Lizzie what she has learned. Fledgeby comes to see Jenny since she no longer comes to Pubsey and Co. He asks about Lizzie’s whereabouts, but Jenny will not tell him. He says that Riah has “dark motives” concerning Lizzie that he would like to prevent. Jenny agrees to meet him the following day. The next morning, Jenny waits while Fledgeby meets with Alfred Lammle, who is leaving the country. Mr. Lammle soon comes downstairs and hands Jenny a broken cane for her to return to Fledgeby. Jenny goes up to find Fledgeby writhing on the floor. Besides beating him with the cane,...

(The entire section is 490 words.) link Link Bella gives birth to a baby girl, and John asks her again if she would like to be rich. After a few months, Bella notices that John seems uneasy, but he will not tell her why. He keeps asking her if she would like to be rich, but she always answers that she would not. As they are out walking, they unexpectedly meet Lightwood, who recognizes John as Julius Handford from before he became John Rokesmith. Bella is shocked, knowing that Julius Handford was wanted for questioning in the death of Gaffer Hexam. Lightwood points out that John’s avoidance of him increases the suspicion of his involvement in Gaffer’s murder. At home, John tells Bella, who has asked no questions, that the mystery soon will be over.... (The entire section is 517 words.) Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens - Google Books Our Mutual Friend 1 Review Penguin Classics e-books give you the best possible editions of Charles Dickens's novels, including all the original illustrations, useful and informative introductions, the definitive, accurate text as it was meant to be published, a chronology of Dickens's life and notes that fill in the background to the book.

Our Mutual Friend centres on an inheritance - Old Harmon's profitable dust heaps - and its legatees, young John Harmon, presumed drowned when a body is pulled out of the River Thames, and kindly dustman Mr Boffin, to whom the fortune defaults. With brilliant satire, Dickens portrays a dark, macabre London, inhabited by such disparate characters as Gaffer Hexam, scavenging the river for corpses; enchanting, mercenary Bella Wilfer; the social climbing Veneerings; and the unscrupulous street-trader Silas Wegg. The novel is richly symbolic in its vision of death and renewal in a city dominated by the fetid Thames, and the corrupting power of money. What people are saying - Write a review Review: Our Mutual Friend User Review - Reid - Goodreads Not one of Dickens' best books. His final completed work, it simply does not have the verve for which most of his work is known. Some of the characters are as engaging as any he wrote previous to this ...

Read full review Selected pages in plain clothes stand in line in the hall A fifth retainer proceeding List of Illustrations View all » Common terms and phrases ain’t answer asked better Betty Bird of Prey Boffin Bower Bradley Headstone can’t CHAPTER Charles Dickens Charley cherub child corner cried daughter dear Dickens Dickens’s didn’t dolls door dressmaker Eugene Wrayburn eyes face father feel fire Fledgeby Fledgeby’s Gaffer gentleman Georgiana girl Golden Dustman hand head Hexam Higden hope Inspector John dear John Harmon John Rokesmith Lady Tippins Lammle laughed Lavinia Lavvy legs Lizzie look ma’am man’s manner mean Milvey mind Miss Abbey Miss Bella Miss Jenny Miss Peecher Miss Podsnap Miss Wren never night poor Potterson replied returned Riah Riderhood river round Sampson Secretary seemed Silas sister Sloppy smile Sophronia stood suppose sure tell there’s thing thought to�night took turned Twemlow Veneering Venus walk Wegg What’s Wilfer woman won’t word wouldn’t you’ll you’re About the author (2004) Charles Dickens (1812-70) was a political reporter and journalist whose popularity was established by the phenomenal success of his PICKW

ICK PAPERS.

He held the public imagination over a period of more than thirty years. Adrian Poole is a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. David Perdue's Charles Dickens Page - Characters H-K Haredale, Emma ( Barnaby Rudge ) Daughter of the murdered Reuben and niece of Geoffrey . She eventually marries Edward Chester (top) Haredale, Geoffrey ( Barnaby Rudge ) Brother of the murdered Reuben and uncle of Emma . Suspected of being responsible for the murder of his brother, he spends his life in pursuit of the real killer. A Catholic, his house is burned in the Gordon Riots. He fights a duel with Sir John Chester , kills him, and leaves the country. (top) Haredale, Reuben ( Barnaby Rudge ) Brother of Geoffrey , father of Emma . Murdered before the story begins. (top) Harmon, John ( Our Mutual Friend ) Son of a wealthy dust contractor and heir to his fortune if he agrees to marry Bella Wilfer . He is away from England when his father dies and on the way home he is supposed drowned in a case of mistaken identity. With his supposed death the dust fortune goes to Boffin .

John gets himself hired into the Boffin home as secretary John Rokesmith . Here he meets Bella and, with the help of the Boffins , wins her love as Rokesmith , and marries her. He later reveals his true identity and regains his fortune. (top) Harris, Mrs ( Martin Chuzzlewit ) Imaginary friend of Sairey Gamp who uses Mrs Harris's invented quotes to establish Mrs Gamp's good reputation. (top) Harthouse, James ( Hard Times ) A Parliamentary candidate visiting Coketown, he befriends Tom Gradgrind in an attempt to seduce his sister, Louisa , who is in an unhappy marriage to Bounderby . As a result of the attempted seduction Louisa runs home to her father and refuses to return to Bounderby and is later disowned by him. Harthouse, warned by Sissy , leaves town.

Five and thirty, good-looking, good figure, good teeth, good voice, good breeding, well-dressed, dark hair, bold eyes...who had tried life as a Cornet of Dragoons, and found it a bore; and had afterwards tried it in the train of an English minister abroad, and found it a bore; and had then strolled to Jerusalem, and got bored there; and had then gone yachting about the world, and got bored everywhere. (top) Havisham, Miss ( Great Expectations ) A very rich and grim old woman who lives in seclusion at Satis House. She is the guardian of Estella whom she teaches to break men's hearts to avenge her own being left at the altar by Compeyson years before. She continues to wear her wedding dress and her room contains the yellowing remnants of the wedding day including the mouldy wedding cake. Pip goes to Miss Havisham's to play and meets Estella . Pip believes Miss Havisham is his secret benefactor as he goes to London and becomes a gentleman, finding out later that the convict Magwitch has supplied his "Expectations".

Miss Havisham is injured when Satis House burns, she later dies of her injuries and leaves her fortune to Estella . An immensely rich and grim lady...She was dressed in rich materials,ï¿½satins, and lace, and silks,ï¿½all of white. Her shoes were white. And she had a long white veil dependent from her hair, and she had bridal flowers in her hair, but her hair was white. Some bright jewels sparkled on her neck and on her hands, and some other jewels lay sparkling on the table. Dresses, less splendid than the dress she wore, and half-packed trunks, were scattered about. She had not quite finished dressing, for she had but one shoe on,ï¿½the other was on the table near her hand,ï¿½her veil was but half arranged, her watch and chain were not put on, and some lace for her bosom lay with those trinkets, and with her handkerchief, and gloves, and some flowers, and a Prayer-Book all confusedly heaped about the looking-glass. (top) Hawk, Sir Mulberry ( Nicholas Nickleby ) Business associate of Ralph Nickleby .

Makes advances to Kate Nickleby and is thrashed by Nicholas . When his revenge is opposed by Lord Verisopht they duel and Verisopht is killed. Hawk flees to France. (top) Headstone, Bradley ( Our Mutual Friend ) A school teacher and master of the boys department of a school on the borders of Kent and Surrey. Charlie Hexam becomes Headstone's pupil and Bradley becomes obsessed with Charley's sister Lizzie . Lizzie wants nothing to do with him and he becomes jealous of Eugene Wrayburn who also has eyes for Lizzie . He attempts to murder Wrayburn and believes he has been successful. Rogue Riderhood discovers the supposed murder and attempts to blackmail Headstone. In a later confrontation, Riderhood and Headstone are both drowned. (top) Heathfield, Alfred ( The Battle of Life ) Ward of Dr. Jeddler who loves the doctor's youngest daughter, Marion . Marion runs away that her sister, Grace , may marry Alfred. Alfred becomes a doctor for the poor. (top) Heep, Mr ( David Copperfield ) Deceased father of Uriah Heep , who had the "umble" calling of sexton in life.

Uriah describes him as A partaker of glory at present. (top) Heep, Mrs ( David Copperfield ) Widowed mother of Uriah Heep , she is as "umble" as her son, whom she dotes on. A dead image of Uriah, only short. (top) Heep, Uriah ( David Copperfield ) A hypocritical clerk of Mr. Wickfield's who is continually citing his humbleness. He deviously plots to ruin Wickfield but is later undone by Mr. Micawber . A red-haired person - a youth of fifteen, as I take it now, but looking much older - whose hair was cropped as close as the closest stubble; who had hardly any eyebrows, and no eyelashes, and eyes of a red-brown, so unsheltered and unshaded, that I remember wondering how he went to sleep. He was high-shouldered and bony; dressed in decent black, with a white wisp of a neckcloth; buttoned up to the throat; and had a long, lank, skeleton hand, which particularly attracted my attention, as he stood at the pony's head, rubbing his chin with it, and looking up at us in the chaise.

He had a way of writhing when he wanted to express enthusiasm, which was very ugly. Uriah Heep, wonderfully hideous, is one of Dickens' greatest triumphs in character creation. His description of Heep's writhing and scheming, and his cold, clammy nature, makes one's skin crawl. (top) Hexam, Charlie ( Our Mutual Friend ) Son of Gaffer and brother to Lizzie . Charlie is educated by Bradley Headstone and supports Headstone's advances toward his sister. When Lizzie refuses to marry Headstone Charlie rejects her. (top) Hexam, Lizzie ( Our Mutual Friend ) Daughter of waterman Gaffer Hexam and sister of Charlie . She is opposed to her father's business of combing the Thames looking for drowned bodies but is true to him. When her father drowns she goes to live with Jenny Wren . Lizzie rejects the advances of schoolmaster Bradley Headstone and opposes the attention of Eugene Wrayburn , although she loves him, because they come from different classes of society. She runs away from London to a mill up the river. Wrayburn succeeds in finding her and is followed by Headstone who attempts to murder Wrayburn .

Lizzie rescues Wrayburn and later marries him. (top) Higden, Betty ( Our Mutual Friend ) Old woman who operates a 'minding school', for orphans and other children. She is adamant about earning her keep and staying away from the workhouse. When an orphan in her keep dies she hits the road and earns a living doing needlework. She dies in the arms of Lizzie Hexam who promises not to take her to the workhouse. Dickens uses the character to illustrate the horror many of the truly needy had of the workhouse system. (top) Hominy, Mrs ( Martin Chuzzlewit ) Conceited American literary lady Martin is forced to accompany on the first leg of the trip to Eden. (top) Honeythunder, Luke ( The Mystery of Edwin Drood ) Loud, overbearing philanthropist and guardian of Neville and Helena Landless . (top) Hopkins, Captain ( David Copperfield ) Prisoner at the King's Bench Prison who lives in the room above Mr Micawber . In the last extremity of shabbiness, with large whiskers, and an old, old brown great-coat with no other coat below it.

(top) Hortense ( Bleak House ) Lady Dedlock's French maid. She is dismissed in favor of Rosa and aids lawyer Tulkinghorn in discovering Lady Dedlock's secret. When Tulkinghorn spurns her she murders him. a Frenchwoman of two and thirty, from somewhere in the southern country about Avignon and Marseilles, a large-eyed brown woman with black hair who would be handsome but for a certain feline mouth and general uncomfortable tightness of face, rendering the jaws too eager and the skull too prominent. There is something indefinably keen and wan about her anatomy, and she has a watchful way of looking out of the corners of her eyes without turning her head which could be pleasantly dispensed with, especially when she is in an ill humour and near knives. Hortense is based on Mrs Manning , a murderer whose execution Dickens witnessed in 1849. (top) Howler, Rev Melchisedech ( Dombey and Son ) "Ranting" minister of whom Mrs MacStinger was an adherent. He predicts the end of the world in two year's time. When it doesn't happen he gives the world another two years.

He performs the marriage of Mrs MacStinger to Jack Bunsby . (top) Hubbles, Mr ( Great Expectations ) Friend of the Gargerys , Mr Hubble is the village wheelwright. A tough high-shouldered stooping old man, of a sawdusty fragrance, with his legs extraordinarily wide apart: so that in my short days I always saw some miles of open country between them when I met him coming up the lane. (top) Hubbles, Mrs ( Great Expectations ) Wife of Mr Hubble the village wheelwright and friend of the Gargerys . A little curly sharp-edged person in sky-blue, who held a conventionally juvenile position, because she had married Mr. Hubble - I don't know at what remote period - when she was much younger than he. (top) Jaggers ( Great Expectations ) Lawyer who serves Miss Havisham and Magwitch . It is through Jaggers that Pip receives the benefits of the great expectations that he assumes are from Miss Havisham . Pip later discovers the convict Magwitch has been his benefactor. He was a burly man of an exceedingly dark complexion, with an exceedingly large head and a corresponding large hand.

He took my chin in his large hand and turned up my face to have a look at me by the light of the candle. He was prematurely bald on the top of his head, and had bushy black eyebrows that wouldn't lie down but stood up bristling. His eyes were set very deep in his head, and were disagreeably sharp and suspicious. He had a large watchchain, and strong black dots where his beard and whiskers would have been if he had let them. (top) Janet ( David Copperfield ) Betsey Trotwood's maid. After Betsey's financial ruin Janet goes into the employ of Doctor Strong . She later marries a tavern keeper. A pretty blooming girl of about nineteen or twenty. (top) Jarndyce, John ( Bleak House ) Owner of Bleak House and party in the Chancery suit of Jarndyce and Jarndyce. He adopts Esther Summerson who becomes close friends with John's cousins, Ada Clare and Richard Carstone . John hates the lawsuit which has gone on for so long with no end in sight. Richard , however, becomes consumed with the case hoping it will make him his fortune.

This obsession causes Carstone and Jarndyce to suffer a falling out. Jarndyce falls in love with Esther and proposes marriage, she accepts out of respect for him. Jarndyce later finds that Esther is in love with Woodcourt and releases her from their engagement. A handsome, lively, quick face, full of change and motion; and his hair was a silvered iron-grey. I took him to be nearer sixty than fifty, but he was upright, hearty, and robust. (top) Jarndyce, John ( Bleak House ) Relative of John Jarndyce who becomes so despondent in the Jarndyce and Jarndyce court case that he blew his brains out in a coffee-house in Chancery Lane. (top) Jasper, John ( The Mystery of Edwin Drood ) Uncle of Edwin Drood who has an opium habit. He cares for his nephew but harbors secret feelings for Edwin's fiancee Rosa Bud . Edwin disappears and the story ends prematurely with Dickens death but many believe that it was Jasper who killed Edwin Drood . A dark man of some six-and-twenty, with thick, lustrous, well-arranged black hair and whiskers.

He looks older than he is, as dark men often do. His voice is deep and good, his face and figure are good, his manner is a little sombre. His room is a little sombre, and may have had its influence in forming his manner. (top) Jeddler, Dr. Anthony ( The Battle of Life ) Country doctor whose view of life is altered by the sacrifices made by his youngest daughter, Marion , for her sister, Grace . (top) Jeddler, Grace ( The Battle of Life ) Older daughter of Dr. Jeddler . She is the recipient of the sacrifice of her younger sister Marion , who runs away that Grace may marry her beau Alfred Heathfield . (top) Jeddler, Martha ( The Battle of Life ) Maiden sister of Dr. Jeddler . The doctor's younger daughter, Marion , runs away and secretly lives with Martha. (top) Jellyby, Mrs. ( Bleak House ) Mrs. Jellyby is involved in many causes and charities but neglects her large family. Her eldest daughter, Caddy , marries Prince Turveydrop , the dance instructor. Dickens modeled Mrs Jellyby on Caroline Chisholm .

A lady of very remarkable strength of character who devotes herself entirely to the public. She has devoted herself to an extensive variety of public subjects at various times and is at present (until something else attracts her) devoted to the subject of Africa, with a view to the general cultivation of the coffee berry--AND the natives--and the happy settlement, on the banks of the African rivers, of our superabundant home population...She was a pretty, very diminutive, plump woman of from forty to fifty, with handsome eyes, though they had a curious habit of seeming to look a long way off. As if...they could see nothing nearer than Africa! (top) Jellyby, Caroline (Caddy) ( Bleak House ) Neglected daughter of Mrs Jellyby and her personal secretary ("I'm pen and ink to ma"). Caddy leaves home and marries Prince Turveydrop . A jaded and unhealthy-looking though by no means plain girl at the writing-table, who sat biting the feather of her pen and staring at us. I suppose nobody ever was in such a state of ink.

And from her tumbled hair to her pretty feet, which were disfigured with frayed and broken satin slippers trodden down at heel, she really seemed to have no article of dress upon her, from a pin upwards, that was in its proper condition or its right place. (top) Jellyby, Mr. ( Bleak House ) Unhappy husband of Mrs Jellyby . A mild bald gentleman in spectacles. (top) Jellyby, Peepy ( Bleak House ) Child of Mrs Jellyby for whom Esther takes compassion and describes as one of the dirtiest little unfortunates I ever saw. (top) Jenny ( Bleak House ) Brickmaker's wife, befriended by Esther Summerson after Jenny's child dies. Later exchanges coats with Lady Dedlock , throwing Bucket off in his pursuit of Lady Dedlock as she flees following the revealing of her secret. A woman with a black eye, nursing a poor little gasping baby by the fire. (top) Jingle, Alfred ( Pickwick Papers ) A wandering rascal who befriends Mr. Pickwick and accompanies the group to the Wardle home at Dingley Dell.

He entices Miss Rachel to elope with him and is run down and bought off by Rachel's brother. Pickwick later finds a penitent Jingle in the Fleet Prison, pays his debt, and sends him and his servant, Job Trotter , off to Demerara, an area of Guyana, to turn over a new leaf. (top) Jiniwin, Mrs ( The Old Curiosity Shop ) Mother of Betsy Quilp and mother-in-law to Daniel Quilp . Mrs Jiniwin makes feigned attempts to defy Quilp but is terrified of him. (top) Jinkins, Mr ( Martin Chuzzlewit ) Oldest boarder at Todger's Boarding House. A fish-salesman and book-keeper aged forty. (top) Jo ( Bleak House ) The crossing sweeper. When Jo shows Lady Dedlock the haunts of Captain Hawdon , lawyer Tulkinghorn has Jo kept moving from place to place. He befriends Esther Summerson at Bleak House and communicates smallpox to Charley , and then Esther . Jo later dies at the shooting gallery of George Rouncewell . Don't know that Jo is short for a longer name. Thinks it long enough for HIM.

HE don't find no fault with it. Spell it? No. HE can't spell it. No father, no mother, no friends. Never been to school. What's home? Knows a broom's a broom, and knows it's wicked to tell a lie. Don't recollect who told him about the broom or about the lie, but knows both. Can't exactly say what'll be done to him arter he's dead if he tells a lie to the gentlemen here, but believes it'll be something wery bad to punish him, and serve him right--and so he'll tell the truth. (top) Jobling, Dr. ( Martin Chuzzlewit ) Medical officer for the Anglo-Bengalee Disinterested Loan and Life Assurance Company. Dr Jobling takes the company's money but distances himself from its Board. (top) Jobling, Tony (Weevle) ( Bleak House ) Friend of Guppy who takes Nemo's room at Krook's after Nemo's death. Jobling and Guppy discover the spectacular death of Krook and are temporary celebrities, drinking for free at the Sol's Arms.

His hat presents at the rims a peculiar appearance of a glistening nature, as if it had been a favourite snail-promenade. The same phenomenon is visible on some parts of his coat, and particularly at the seams. He has the faded appearance of a gentleman in embarrassed circumstances; even his light whiskers droop with something of a shabby air. (top) Joe (The Fat Boy) ( Pickwick Papers ) Servant of Mr. Wardle , has an amazing ability to fall asleep anytime, unless he's eating. (top) Joram, Joe ( David Copperfield ) Son of Minnie and Joram and grandson of Mr Omer . (top) Joram, Minnie ( David Copperfield ) Daughter of Minnie and Joram and granddaughter of Mr Omer . A pretty little girl with long, flaxen, curling hair. (top) Joram ( David Copperfield ) Coffin maker in Mr Omer's undertaker business. He later marries Omer's daughter Minnie and takes over the business. A good-looking young fellow.

(top) Joe, Old ( A Christmas Carol ) Fence who buys Scrooge's belongings from Mrs Dilber , the charwoman, and the undertaker's man when Scrooge is shown the future by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come . A grey-haired rascal, nearly seventy years of age; who had screened himself from the cold air without, by a frousy curtaining of miscellaneous tatters, hung upon a line; and smoked his pipe in all the luxury of calm retirement. (top) Kate ( Dombey and Son ) An orphan that Florence Dombey meets at the Skettles's (top) Kedgick, Captain ( Martin Chuzzlewit ) Landlord of the National Hotel where Mark and Martin stay on their way to and from Eden. (top) Kenge ( Bleak House ) Solicitor for John Jarndyce in the firm Kenge and Carboy. Known as 'Conversation Kenge'. A portly, important-looking gentleman, dressed all in black, with a white cravat, large gold watch seals, a pair of gold eye-glasses, and a large seal-ring upon his little finger. (top) Kenwigs ( Nicholas Nickleby ) Neighbors of Newman Noggs .

Nicholas tutors their three daughters. Mrs Kenwigs' uncle, Mr Lillyvick , is a well-to-do collector of water rates and the family hopes to eventually profit from this relation. Their expectations are dashed when Lillyvick marries actress Henrietta Petowker and are revived when she runs away with a retired navy captain. (top) Kidderminster, Master (Cupid) ( Hard Times ) Performer in Sleary's circus troupe. A diminutive boy with an old face...Made up with curls, wreaths, wings, white bismuth, and carmine, this hopeful young person soared into so pleasing a Cupid as to constitute the chief delight of the maternal part of the spectators; but in private, where his characteristics were a precocious cutaway coat and an extremely gruff voice, he became of the Turf, turfy. (top) Kidgerbury, Mrs. ( David Copperfield ) Maid (at intervals) to David and Dora Copperfield. The oldest inhabitant of Kentish Town, I believe, who went out charing, but was too feeble to execute her conceptions of that art.

(top) Kitt, Miss ( David Copperfield ) The "pretty creature in pink, with the little eyes" whom David Copperfield flirts with in an attempt to make Dora Spenlow jealous at her birthday party. (top) Dickens Champions: MK Borro... | News | RGfE Home / News / Dickens Champions: MK Borro... Dickens Champions: MK Borrowers read Our Mutual Friend Our Dickens Champions, the Milton Keynes Borrowers, have finished reading Our Mutual Friend. Here is what they thought: Synopsis Gaffer Hexam and his daughter Lizzie make their living from what they find floating in the River Thames. One evening they find a dead body. The body is identified to be that of John Harmon, who was travelling back to England to claim his inheritance. His father was a rich dust-contractor, who not only bequeathed him a fortune, but also a bride – Bella Wilfer. The father had spotted Bella as a child throwing a tantrum and thought she would make his son an ideal wife and made that a condition in his Will for his son to inherit the money.

On the certification of the John Harmon’s death, rather than a third, all the money goes to Mr and Mrs Boffin, long-serving, loyal workers and protectors of John when he was a child. On moving up in the world they offer to help Bella find a rich husband and also engage Silas Wegg to look after the dust-contractor’s site. Julius Handford makes a mysterious appearance at the discovery of the body and later in the guise of John Rokesmith offers his services as secretary to Mr Boffin. Mr and Mrs Boffin’s solicitor Mortimer Lightwood and his friend Eugene Wrayburn are also at the identification of the body. Eugene takes an interest in Lizzie Hexam. An ex-partner of Gaffer Hexam, Rogue Riderhood, spreads a rumour that Gaffer Hexam murdered John Harmon. Rogue Riderhood eventually goes to the police and gives false evidence to claim the reward, but Gaffer Hexam is found drowned before he can be arrested. Six months pass and Gaffer Hexam’s son, Charlie, is a pupil-teacher to Bradley Headstone.

On a visit to Charlie’s sister Lizzie, Bradley instantly falls in love with her and offers to help with her education, which had suffered because of her father’s strong aversion to learning. However, Eugene Wrayburn in his pursuit of Lizzie has also offered to pay for her education. Eugene and Bradley become bitter rivals. Bella rejects the advances of John Rokesmith, who as well as his duties as secretary to the Boffin’s, is pursuing the events surrounding the discovery of the body of John Harmon, and in disguise convinces Rogue Riderhood to retract his false statement. He sends this to Lizzie to help clear the name of her father. We discover that John Rokesmith is in fact John Harmon, and the body is that of George Radfoot who drugged and robbed him. Silas Wegg spends his spare time searching the dust mounds and finds a will that reduces Mr Boffin’s inheritance, with which he tries to blackmail him. After John Rokesmith is fired because of his presumptuous declaration of love to Bella, she defends him and returns to her parents. John and Bella marry, and live modestly and happily in a small cottage, although Bella is unaware of John’s true identity.

Lizzie moves away fearful of Bradley Headstone’s anger, but her location is discovered by Eugene Wrayburn and he pays her a visit. He is followed by Bradley Headstone, who attacks and nearly kills him. Lizzie finds Eugene, takes care of him and they marry. Bradley’s crime is discovered by Rogue Riderhood and he attempts to blackmail him, but they both drown in a struggle. John Rokesmith’s identity as John Harmon and Julius Handford is revealed to Bella, Mr Boffin’s behaviour turns out to had been an act to test Bella’s character, the will discovered by Silas Wegg turns out to be false, Eugene Wrayburn is recovering slowly and all the good people are happy at last! What we thought Our Mutual Friend is another evocative Dickensian portrayal of Victorian London. We felt that it is the marvellous array of incidental characters that is the main strength of this novel. The depiction of poverty of the Hexams and their associates is particularly strong. The constant fear of the workhouse of Mrs Betty Higden allowed Dickens to have another swipe at the whole social care system.

Dickens also attacked the superficial nature of the upper classes, the political system of voting of MPs, and education by rote. All this in addition to a complex plot! Get involved Read all our Dickens Champions’ blogs from 2012 here !

Question: In which Dickens novel do the characters 'Gaffer Hexam', 'John Harmon', and 'Bradley Headstone'?
Answer: 'OUR MUTUAL FRIEND'