The Pickwick Papers

The Pickwick
Papers
Study Guide by Course Hero
The Pickwick Papers is written in the past tense.

What's Inside
ABOUT THE TITLE
The Pickwick Papers describes the adventures of the members
j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1 of the Pickwick Club, specifically those of the club's founder,
Mr. Pickwick. The club no longer exists, which is why the
d In Context ..................................................................................................... 1 papers are referred to as posthumous in the extended title The
Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.
a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 3
h Characters .................................................................................................. 4
k Plot Summary ............................................................................................. 9 d In Context

c Chapter Summaries .............................................................................. 14
g Quotes ........................................................................................................ 44 Social Class and the Industrial

l Symbols ...................................................................................................... 47
Revolution
m Themes ...................................................................................................... 48
The Industrial Revolution began in the late 18th century, but its
e Suggested Reading ............................................................................. 50 effects continued to grow and impact England decades later.
New technologies, such as coal and steam power, and new
methods of doing business, such as mass production in
factories, changed the world. Workers began to congregate in
j Book Basics urban centers where new jobs were centered. Manufacturing
was largely unregulated, which led to dangerous working
AUTHOR conditions, the mistreatment of workers, child labor, and other
Charles Dickens social issues. Many goods were mass produced for the first
time, and a new wealthy class of factory owners began to
YEARS PUBLISHED grow. There was a new potential for upward mobility—no
1836–37 longer was inherited wealth the only way to grow rich—but that
wealth was often gained by exploiting workers.
GENRE
Comedy, Fiction England had always been a society with very clear class
distinctions, but that was starting to change. In England there
PERSPECTIVE AND NARRATOR
were the nobles and titled individuals (upper-upper class),
The Pickwick Papers is told by a third-person omniscient
wealthy non-noble people (upper class), financially stable
narrator. However, some sections of the book feature first-
people (middle class), working people (lower-middle class), and
person accounts of different characters' stories.
the poor (lower-lower class). Prior to the Industrial Revolution,
TENSE it was extremely difficult to move between classes. As
The Pickwick Papers Study Guide In Context 2
factories grew, it became possible for middle or lower-middle The debtors' prison system was corrupt and unfair. Some
class people to earn enough money to move up in society. This reports describe people being thrown in jail for debts they did
social mobility sometimes set up confusing situations because not incur. A wealthier or more powerful person could declare
it was hard to determine to what class someone belonged. that someone owed them money and have them thrown in jail
for the debt, even without documents or proof. However,
In general people would be judged based on how they spoke, people in debtors' prison had to pay for their own food and
their level of education, their clothes and possessions, and care, and ways to earn money were limited. This often meant
their house (if they had one). But in post-Industrial Revolution that people would languish in debtors' prison for years, unable
England a factory owner might be a very wealthy man with to pay the debt.
fancy clothes and a beautiful home who still spoke in a "lower-
class" accent and had limited education. Mr. Pickwick and his Debtors' prisons were run as the private province of the jailers.
friends are taken in by Alfred Jingle, for example, because Many jailers took bribes and arranged services for people with
Jingle speaks in an "upper-class" manner and loads his the money to pay, as Mr. Pickwick experiences in the novel. A
conversation with references that an upper-class person wealthier person in debtors' prison might arrange for a private
would use. room and high quality meals, but most prisoners did not have
the money for that. They lived in large rooms with many other
Charles Dickens himself was a middle-class person, but he had prisoners crammed together. Sanitation was limited; rats, fleas,
great sympathy for a certain percentage of the lower-class and other pests were common. Disease spread. With limited
people. Dickens clearly divides poor people into "good" and food or fresh air and poor sanitation, many prisoners died of
"bad" ones. The "good" ones deserved help and may be poor disease.
because of bad luck or mistreatment by people in power; the
"bad" ones were out for what they could get, ready to steal or When Charles Dickens was 12, his father was thrown into
be violent if it served their purpose. In The Pickwick Papers, the debtors' prison. The whole family suffered and young Charles
"good" poor far outnumber the bad, but at least some of had to leave school and work in a boot-blacking factory to help
Dickens's characters are aware that the "bad" are out there. pay the bills. When Dickens's father inherited enough money to
pay off the debt, the family was freed, but the experience left a
Dickens had personal experience with the mistreatment of powerful impression on Dickens and gave him insight into the
workers and with the desire of lower class people to obtain sufferings of poor people in England. The Pickwick Papers
middle class status. While The Pickwick Papers does not delves into that experience when Mr. Pickwick himself is
explore the sufferings of workers as explicitly as some of thrown into debtors' prison. While Mr. Pickwick is rich enough
Dickens's other works, it is nevertheless a product of this era not to suffer too greatly, he sees great pain and sorrow. Mr.
and its class distinctions. Dickens saw his novels as a way to Pickwick is luckier than most in the prison, just as Dickens's
encourage social change, and he was more successful than family was lucky to escape after only a few months although
many of his contemporaries at calling attention to the suffering Dickens's father struggled with money management for the
of the poor and industrial workers. rest of his life.
Debtors' Prison Dickens's Experience with the

In the 19th century people who could not pay their bills were Law
thrown into debtors' prison. The debtor would be incarcerated
until the bill was paid off. Often entire families went to jail After his father was released from debtors' prison, young
together. Dickens returned to school briefly before taking a job in a law
firm. Dickens contemplated being a lawyer; it is not clear
By some estimates, more than half the people imprisoned in
whether he gave up that idea because he didn't have the
Victorian England had been arrested for debt. In some cases
money to pursue a legal education or because he got so
debtors were put into separate prisons; in other cases they
disgusted by the legal profession. Dickens used his legal
were put into the regular prison system.
knowledge to become a reporter for the Court of Chancery,
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The Pickwick Papers Study Guide Author Biography 3
eventually building a career as a journalist covering legal cases

and Parliament. Publication of The Pickwick
If Dickens had any ideals about the British legal system, his Papers
time in the Court of Chancery would have been enough to
change them. In Great Britain at that time, there were two The Pickwick Papers was originally envisioned as a series of
types of courts: Common Law and Chancery. This division has sketches about a gentleman's sporting club by well-known
some similarities to the modern American court system of artist Robert Seymour; the virtually unknown Dickens was hired
criminal and civil cases. Common Law courts handled criminal to write loose stories to tie the sketches together. Two things
acts, while Chancery dealt with inheritance or property issues. prevented The Pickwick Papers from becoming just another
In theory Chancery court decisions could set a precedent that serialized story of its day.
would affect other cases, so its cases were of greatest
significance. In reality Chancery was complex, expensive, and First, Robert Seymour committed suicide before finishing his
time-consuming. Dickens himself ended up in Chancery a few sketches for the second installment of The Pickwick Papers.
years after the publication of The Pickwick Papers. He started As a result, the publishers decided to focus more on the story,
the case to protect the copyright of his works and he won, but hiring a different artist to produce a smaller number of
he spent more in court costs than he got in damages. In The sketches for each issue. Even then, The Pickwick Papers did
Pickwick Papers, he introduces a minor character who is not really catch the public's attention until a second
known as "the Chancery prisoner"; he would later use development turned The Pickwick Papers into a huge success.
Chancery as a much more important component of his novel During the fourth installment of the story, Dickens introduced
Bleak House. Sam Weller, who became Mr. Pickwick's servant and a central
character of the story. Sales soared. At its peak, The Pickwick
Even today a complex legal matter can take years to resolve. Papers was selling 40,000 copies per month; it sold more than
That was equally true in Dickens's time. The overall level of 1.6 million copies in Dickens's lifetime, making it his most
education in the Victorian era meant that legal issues could be popular book during his lifetime.
even more confusing to the general public. After all, there were
far more people who could not read or write effectively:
imagine how confused they must have been to receive a
a Author Biography
subpoena or to handle other legal paperwork, such as wills.
Dickens had personal experience with lawyers and clerks who Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England,
may have been as unenthusiastic or downright unethical as the on February 7, 1812, to John and Elizabeth Barrow Dickens and
characters in his novels. Many Dickens novels include lawyers, grew up poor but happy, passing adventurous years exploring
and they are rarely positive or admirable characters: Perker, the English countryside with his seven siblings.
the lawyer in The Pickwick Papers, is one of the better ones,
However, when Dickens was 12, his father, who struggled
and even he has his limitations.
constantly to make ends meet, was sent to debtors' prison
He developed a strong skepticism about lawyers, politicians, because he was unable to pay a bakery bill he had run up. His
and anyone in a position of power who talked about reform. As mother, too poor to maintain a home on her own, had no
Dickens knew well, reforms were slow in coming and people choice but to move herself and the younger children into the
were suffering while the powerful chatted and indulged prison with their father. Young Dickens, old enough to work,
themselves. The Pickwick Papers was Dickens's first attempt was sent to make a living in a boot-blacking factory. So instead
to call attention to the hypocrisy of people in power. of studying or playing with friends, he spent 10 hours a day
pasting labels onto jars in a filthy, rodent-infested factory. He
made a trifling amount each week, which was used to help pay
off his father's debt.
When he turned 15, Dickens pursued work as a clerk in a legal

office. Soon after, he became a newspaper reporter who

The Pickwick Papers Study Guide Characters 4
covered legislative actions and debates in Parliament. This

experience sharpened Dickens's skill as a writer, especially in Sam Weller
regard to writing believable dialogue. Dickens also acquired a
dislike for the law and the government. When Mr. Pickwick first meets Sam, Sam is a servant at an inn.
Mr. Pickwick is impressed with Sam's ready wit and offers him
His experiences in debtors' prison, in a legal office, and a job as his servant. Sam accepts the job because Mr. Pickwick
covering politics gave him strong opinions, particularly about offers a good salary and a set of nice clothes. As time goes on,
the treatment of the lower classes. He began to write short Sam becomes deeply attached to Mr. Pickwick. He even
stories while also working as a court reporter. He was offered arranges to get himself arrested so that he can care for Mr.
the job of writing short captions to accompany the sporting Pickwick in prison. Sam refuses to get married when he
works of a popular illustrator, but the illustrator committed believes his marriage will prevent him from serving Mr.
suicide after the first three installments. Dickens then filled the Pickwick. Mr. Pickwick eventually arranges things so that Sam
space with a serial, written in 20 parts, under the title The can both work for him and marry the girl he loves.
Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club. Dickens not only
described the entertaining experiences of Samuel Pickwick
and his friends, but he offered a startling view of life in debtors' Mr. Jingle
prison. The serial was a tremendous success, and Dickens's
career as a writer was launched. Mr. Pickwick and his friends meet Mr. Jingle at the beginning of
their adventures. Mr. Jingle is described as very tall and thin,
Dickens continued writing and publishing literary classics, most
with a distinctive way of speaking. While Mr. Pickwick and his
in serial form, such as Oliver Twist (1837–39), A Christmas
friends enjoy Mr. Jingle's company, he frequently causes
Carol (1843), Great Expectations (1860–61), David Copperfield
problems. Mr. Jingle is on the lookout for what he can get, as
(1849–50), and Little Dorrit (1855–57) until his death on June 9,
when he persuades Miss Rachael Wardle to run away with him
1870.
so he can get her money. Mr. Pickwick loses track of Mr.
Jingle, but finds him again in prison. Mr. Jingle and Job, his
friend and servant, have been imprisoned. Mr. Pickwick is good
h Characters to Mr. Jingle, which seems to change Mr. Jingle's heart. He is
genuinely grateful to Mr. Pickwick and seems determined to be
an honest man in the future.
Mr. Pickwick
Mr. Pickwick is an elderly man and the founder of the Pickwick
Job Trotter
Club. He is fond of food and drink and collecting interesting
When the Pickwickians first meet Mr. Jingle, Job is not with
facts and stories on his travels. The novel follows his
him. Sam meets Job later when Job tricks him and Mr.
adventures as he travels throughout England. He spends time
Pickwick. Job's trick embarrasses Mr. Pickwick and allows Job
with his closest friends and is frequently accompanied by his
and Mr. Jingle to escape. Job's relationship to Mr. Jingle seems
servant, Sam Weller. Mr. Pickwick is admired as a humanitarian
to be as much friend and accomplice as servant. Nevertheless,
and a scholar, but he seems to be very naïve and easily fooled.
they are inseparable. Job even stays with Mr. Jingle when
He has several embarrassing experiences, but the most
Jingle is imprisoned for debt. Near the end of the book, Mr.
challenging is when his landlady accuses him of breach of
Pickwick arranges for Mr. Jingle to travel to the West Indies.
promise, landing him in prison. Mr. Pickwick survives his time in
Job is offered a position in London, but chooses to travel with
prison and is ultimately vindicated.
Mr. Jingle.

Mr. Winkle
Mr. Winkle dresses, talks, and acts like a sportsman, but every
time he is given a chance to demonstrate his prowess, he fails
miserably. He is terrified when he thinks he will have to duel,
falls off a horse, accidentally shoots Mr. Tupman, and can't
manage to ice skate. In spite of all that, he is able to woo and
win Arabella Allen and they elope. Then they need Mr.
Pickwick's assistance to persuade Arabella's brother and Mr.
Winkle's father to approve of the marriage.
Mr. Tupman
Mr. Tupman is described in an unromantic way: he is a chubby
little man who takes himself more seriously than the rest of the
world does. In spite of this, he does have one great romance in
the book: he woos and almost wins Miss Rachael Wardle. After
Rachael elopes with Mr. Jingle, Mr. Tupman is greatly
disappointed. He never again pursues a serious relationship
with a woman, indulging in safe flirtations to satisfy the
romance in his soul.
Mr. Snodgrass
Mr. Snodgrass is a member of the Pickwickian foursome at the
start of the book. He manages to avoid the embarrassing
entanglements of his friends. However, he falls in love with
Emily Wardle and they pursue a secret relationship. Eventually
their relationship is made public, and Mr. Wardle is persuaded
to allow them to marry.

Character Map
Sam Weller
Street-smart servant; has
a unique way of speaking
Mrs. Bardell
Mr. Tupman
Widow; landlady; unfairly
Older gentleman; Pickwick
sues Pickwick for breach
Club member; romantic
of promise Employer
Landlady Friends
Mr. Pickwick
Older, wealthy gentleman
and philanthropist; Pickwick
Club founder
Mr. Winkle
Job Trotter Friends Young gentleman; Pickwick
Sly servant; con man Club member; supposedly
a sportsman
Predator
Friends
Fellow
con men
Mr. Snodgrass
Mr. Jingle
Young gentleman; Pickwick
Actor; scoundrel; con man
Club member; aspiring poet
Main Character
Other Major Character
Minor Character

Full Character List Mrs. Bardell is Mr. Pickwick's landlady,

a widow with a young son. She sues Mr.
Mrs. Bardell
Pickwick for breach of promise when
she thinks he has proposed to her.
Character Description
Mr. Blotton is a member of the Pickwick

Mr. Samuel Pickwick, the leader of the
Club, but not one of the traveling
Mr. Pickwick Pickwick Club, is a kindly and generous Mr. Blotton
members. During club meetings, he
older man.
repeatedly argues with Mr. Pickwick.
Sam Weller is a lower-class Englishman

The dismal man is an actor who tells
Sam Weller who becomes Mr. Pickwick's loyal Dismal man
the "Stroller's Tale."
servant and protector.
Mr. Dodson is a lawyer in the firm of

A former actor, Mr. Alfred Jingle lives
Dodson and Fogg, which encourages
Mr. Jingle off his wits and tries to make money by
Mr. Dodson Mrs. Bardell to sue Mr. Pickwick. Along
marrying a rich woman.
with his partner, he is known for his
"sharp" and unethical practices.
Job Trotter is Mr. Jingle's servant,
Job Trotter accomplice, and friend; he often wears
The Pickwickians meet him and his wife
livery or a servant's uniform.
Mr. Dowler in Bath. Mr. Dowler is a very jealous
man.
A member of the Pickwick Club, Mr.
Mr. Winkle Nathaniel Winkle claims to be a
Mrs. Dowler is Mr. Dowler's wife. She is
sportsman, but he is not.
Mrs. Dowler falsely accused of eloping with Mr.
Winkle.
Mr. Tupman Tracy Tupman is a romantic who loves
Mr. Fizkin is the Buff candidate for
to flirt with women. Horatio Fizkin
Parliament from Eatanswill.

Mr. Snodgrass Mr. Fogg is a lawyer in the firm of
Augustus Snodgrass loves poetry.
Dodson and Fogg, which encourages
Mr. Fogg Mrs. Bardell to sue Mr. Pickwick. Along
A beautiful friend of the Misses Wardle, with his partner, he is known for his
Arabella falls in love with Mr. Winkle "sharp" and unethical practices.
Arabella Allen
and ultimately elopes with him, to the
great dismay of her brother.
Joe is Mr. Wardle's servant, the "fat
Joe boy" who often falls asleep at strange
Also called "the old lady," she gives times and inappropriate locations.
Arabella's
Arabella a place to stay. Arabella
aunt
elopes from her house.
Maria Lobbs is a beautiful young lady
and the daughter of the wealthy Mr.
Maria Lobbs
Ben is Arabella's brother. When Mr. Lobbs. She catches Nathaniel Pipkin's
Pickwick first meets him, he is a eye.
Benjamin Allen
medical student; later he graduates and
struggles to set up a medical practice.
Maria's father, Mr. Lobbs is known as a
Mr. Lobbs stern man who wants the best for his
Mr. Bantam is the Master of daughter.
Mr. Bantam
Ceremonies of Bath.
Mr. Lowten Mr. Lowten is Perker's law clerk.

Magnus is a man Mr. Pickwick meets Mr. Slurk is editor of the Eatanswill
Mr. Slurk
while traveling; he and Mr. Pickwick get Independent and Mr. Pott's rival.
Mr. Magnus into an argument when Magnus
believes that Mr. Pickwick has a secret
relationship with his fiancée. The salesman who got advice from a
Tom Smart chair; Smart is in a story told to Mr.
Pickwick's friends.
Mary is a pretty housemaid in the
magistrate's house, where she first
Mary meets Sam, whom she later marries. Smauker, Mr. Bantam's servant, invites
John Smauker
She helps Arabella Allen elope with Mr. Sam to attend a servants' party in Bath.
Winkle.
Snubbin is a famous attorney hired by
The middle-aged lady is the wife-to-be Serjeant Mr. Perker to argue Mr. Pickwick's case
of Mr. Magnus, and the victim of Mr. Snubbin in court. He is supposed to be very
Middle-aged persuasive, but Mr. Pickwick still loses.
Pickwick's nighttime wanderings at an
lady
inn when he mistakenly enters her
room. Mr. Stiggins, also referred to as the
shepherd, is a supposedly religious
Mr. Stiggins
Mr. Nupkins is the magistrate of man who develops a close relationship
Mr. Nupkins Ipswich who is responsible for Sam and with Sam's stepmother.
the Pickwickians being arrested.
Lieutenant Lieutenant Tappleton is Dr. Slammer's
Dr. Payne is a friend of Dr. Slammer Tappleton second at the duel.
Dr. Payne
who looks forward to the duel.
A guest at Mr. Wardle's house, Mr.
Mr. Trundle
Perker is a lawyer; he works for Mr. Trundle later marries Bella Wardle.
Mr. Perker Wardle and Mr. Pickwick and is also
involved in the election at Eatanswill. A friend of the Pickwickians, Wardle
Mr. Wardle
lives at Manor Farm in Dingley Dell.
Nathaniel Pipkin is a meek little man who admires
Pipkin Maria Lobbs from afar. Mrs. Wardle is Mr. Wardle's elderly
Mrs. Wardle mother and quite deaf. She is also
Mr. Pott is the editor of the "Blue" paper described as "the old lady."
Mr. Pott
in Eatanswill.
Bella is one of Mr. Wardle's daughters;
Bella Wardle
Mrs. Pott is Mr. Pott's wife. She is she marries Mr. Trundle.
Mrs. Pott falsely accused of having an affair with
Mr. Winkle. One of Mr. Wardle's daughters, Emily
Emily Wardle flirts with (and eventually marries) Mr.
Sawyer is a friend of Ben Allen, a Snodgrass.
medical student and aspiring physician.
Bob Sawyer
Ben wants him to marry his sister, Rachael—also known as "the spinster
Arabella, but she is uninterested. aunt"—is Mr. Wardle's sister. She is
Miss Rachael
wooed by Mr. Tupman but is persuaded
Wardle
Dr. Slammer is insulted by Mr. Jingle at to elope by Mr. Jingle, until her brother
a dance and mistakenly challenges Mr. and the Pickwickians stop it.
Dr. Slammer Winkle to a duel, thinking that Mr.
Winkle was the person who insulted Mr. Weller is a coachman and Sam's
him. Mr. Weller father; he has very original ideas on
marriage, religion, and justice.
Mr. Slumkey is a member of the
Samuel
Eatanswill Blue faction who is running
Slumkey
for Parliament.

The Pickwick Papers Study Guide Plot Summary 9
Mrs. Weller is Sam's stepmother who

develops a preference for religion, Mr.
London and Eatanswill
Stiggins, and rum. She ultimately dies
Mrs. Weller Back at home in London, Mr. Pickwick speaks to his landlady,
after catching an illness from being
outside listening to Mr. Stiggins in bad Mrs. Bardell, about his desire to hire Sam as a servant. Mrs.
weather.
Bardell believes that Mr. Pickwick is proposing to her and
faints in his arms. Mr. Pickwick's friends arrive to find him
Mr. Winkle, senior, is Mr. Winkle's
holding her, a very awkward situation.
Mr. Winkle, father. Mr. Pickwick tries to persuade
senior him to forgive Mr. Winkle and Arabella
for eloping. The Pickwickians visit Eatanswill during election time. At a
party, Mr. Pickwick once again encounters Mr. Jingle, who is
now using an alias. Mr. Jingle flees, but Mr. Pickwick and Sam
follow. Sam meets Job Trotter, Mr. Jingle's servant, who tells
k Plot Summary them he will help them stop Mr. Jingle, but it is a trick. Instead,
Mr. Pickwick is caught in an embarrassing situation and Mr.
Jingle and Job escape.
Travel Begins Mr. Pickwick receives a letter from two lawyers, Dodson and
Fogg, informing him that Mrs. Bardell has sued him for breach
The Pickwick Papers begins at a meeting of the Pickwick Club, of promise because he has not married her. Mr. Pickwick
where the members are honoring the founder, Samuel returns to London and tries unsuccessfully to reason with
Pickwick. Mr. Pickwick intends to travel around the country, Dodson and Fogg. On his way to meet his own lawyer, Mr.
gathering stories and doing research. He will be accompanied Pickwick and Sam bump into Sam's father, a coachman who
by his three close friends: Mr. Tupman, Mr. Snodgrass, and Mr. complains bitterly about his second wife, Sam's stepmother.
Winkle. Mr. Weller also claims to know where to find Mr. Jingle and Job
Trotter.
The Pickwickians meet Mr. Jingle, a supposed actor and con
man. At their first stop, Mr. Jingle insults a local doctor, and the Due to a misunderstanding, the Pickwickians and Sam are
doctor proposes a duel. Because of a mistaken identity, arrested and brought before the magistrate. Luckily, Sam has
however, Mr. Winkle receives the challenge, not Mr. Jingle. learned that Mr. Jingle is staying at the magistrate's house
Fortunately, the angry doctor realizes Mr. Winkle is not the under an assumed name. Mr. Pickwick informs the magistrate,
man who insulted him and the duel is averted. gets himself out of trouble, and prevents Mr. Jingle from
accomplishing his next scheme. At the same time, Sam has a
The Pickwickians are invited to stay with Mr. Wardle at Manor
pleasant meeting with a pretty young housemaid, Mary, who
Farm. While there, Mr. Snodgrass develops an attachment to
works for the magistrate.
one of Wardle's daughters, Emily, and Mr. Tupman begins to
woo Mr. Wardle's sister, Miss Rachael Wardle. Sam visits his stepmother and meets Mr. Stiggins, a religious
man who seems more concerned with acquiring things for
At a cricket match, the Pickwickians encounter Mr. Jingle
himself than providing for the needs of others. Mr. Weller does
again, and Mr. Wardle invites him to visit Manor Farm. Mr.
not like his wife's new friend, and Sam agrees with his father.
Jingle manages to break up Mr. Tupman's romance with Miss
Wardle and persuades Miss Wardle to elope with him instead.
Mr. Pickwick and Mr. Wardle catch up with them at an inn
where Mr. Wardle pays off Mr. Jingle, who then leaves. Also at
Manor Farm, Bristol, and Prison
the inn, Mr. Pickwick meets Sam Weller, who works there and
At Christmas the Pickwickians return to Manor Farm to
who greatly impresses him.
celebrate the holiday and the wedding of Bella Wardle to Mr.
Trundle. Mr. Snodgrass renews his romance with Emily Wardle
and Mr. Winkle makes the acquaintance of a young lady friend

of theirs, Miss Arabella Allen. They also meet Miss Allen's dismantle the Pickwick Club. He buys a house and lives there
brother Ben and his friend Bob Sawyer, both aspiring with Sam, watching over his friends and their new families. Mr.
physicians. Pickwick realizes that Sam is in love with Mary, who now works
for the new Mr. and Mrs. Winkle, and he arranges to hire Mary
Mr. Winkle, Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Tupman, and Sam are as his housekeeper so that Sam and Mary can be wed.
subpoenaed to appear in the trial of Bardell v. Pickwick. The
trial goes badly for Mr. Pickwick, and he is ordered to pay 750
pounds. He refuses, even though he knows he will be sent to
prison for doing so. To pass the time, Mr. Pickwick and his
friends go on a visit to Bath. Mr. Winkle accidentally brings the
wrath of a jealous husband upon himself and he flees to Bristol.
In Bristol Mr. Winkle meets Ben Allen again and learns that
Arabella is nearby, moping over some man—her brother
doesn't know who it could be. Mr. Winkle decides that he must
see Miss Allen again, and he enlists Sam's help. Sam discovers
the pretty housemaid, Mary, now works at a home near where
Miss Allen is staying. Sam, Mary, and Mr. Pickwick all work
together to arrange a meeting between Arabella and Mr.
Winkle. Before Mr. Pickwick can assist any more, however, he
is arrested and sent to debtors' prison.
Mr. Pickwick does not suffer as much as other people in

debtors' prison because, as a wealthy man, he can buy what he
needs. Sam is concerned that Mr. Pickwick will be abused in
prison, so Sam arranges to be arrested for debt and joins Mr.
Pickwick inside.
In the prison they find Mr. Jingle and Job Trotter, both weak
and ill. Mr. Pickwick helps them so they can begin to recover.
Mr. Pickwick insists he will stay in jail indefinitely, but Dodson
and Fogg arrest Mrs. Bardell on the grounds that she owes
them their fees. She is sent to the same prison as Mr. Pickwick.
Mr. Pickwick knows if he pays his fees, she will also be
released, so he does so, arranging the release of himself, Sam,
Mrs. Bardell, and Mr. Jingle and Job.
Mr. Pickwick learns that while he was in prison, Mr. Winkle and
Arabella Allen eloped. They ask his help in breaking the news
to Arabella's brother and to Mr. Winkle's father. Mr. Pickwick
does his best, and although neither family is initially pleased
with the marriage, they both come to accept it.
Mr. Pickwick learns that Mr. Snodgrass and Emily Wardle are
also in love. Mr. Wardle is reluctant to approve the match, but
eventually he does, and there is another wedding at Manor
Farm.
Mr. Pickwick announces he is done with traveling and plans to

Plot Diagram
Climax
7
Falling Action
6
Rising Action
5 8
4
9
3
Resolution
2
1
Introduction
7. Mrs. Bardell is imprisoned.

Introduction
1. The Pickwickians start their journey and meet Mr. Jingle.

Falling Action
8. Pickwick pays his debt and is released from prison.
Rising Action
2. Mr. Jingle elopes with Miss Wardle.

Resolution
3. Pickwick talks with Mrs. Bardell who thinks he is proposing.
9. Pickwick settles down in a house with Sam and Mary.
4. Mr. Pickwick hires Sam as a servant.
5. Pickwick is tried and imprisoned for breach of contract.
6. Sam joins Mr. Pickwick in debtors' prison.
Climax

Timeline of Events
The first journey
The Pickwickians begin first journey and meet Mr. Jingle.
Almost a duel
A case of mistaken identity almost draws Mr. Winkle into

a duel.
Visit with the Wardles
The Pickwickians stay with the Wardles at Manor Farm.
An elopement
Mr. Jingle steals Miss Rachael Wardle from Mr. Tupman

and elopes with her.
Paying off Jingle
Pickwick and Wardle pay Mr. Jingle to leave Rachael;

Pickwick meets Sam.
The misunderstanding
Pickwick speaks to Mrs. Bardell about Sam, but she

thinks he is proposing marriage.
The search for Mr. Jingle
Pickwick and Sam follow Mr. Jingle, but Mr. Jingle and
Job Trotter trick Pickwick.
The accusation
Mrs. Bardell sues Pickwick for breach of promise.
The trial
Pickwick loses his case to Mrs. Bardell but refuses to

pay.
A secret meeting
Pickwick helps Mr. Winkle visit Arabella Allen.
Imprisoned

Pickwick is sent to debtors' prison.
Meeting friends in prison
Pickwick discovers Mr. Jingle and Job Trotter in prison

and helps them.
Sam goes to prison
Sam goes to prison to protect Pickwick.
Mrs. Bardell in prison
Dodson and Fogg have Mrs. Bardell sent to prison for

unpaid lawyers' fees.
Mr. Winkle's surprise
Mr. Winkle and Arabella reveal they have eloped and are
now married.
Freed from prison
Pickwick pays his debt; he, Sam, and Mrs. Bardell are
freed; he helps Mr. Jingle and Job.
Peace in the family
Pickwick assists the newlyweds in patching things up

with Arabella's brother.
Another wedding
Pickwick helps Mr. Snodgrass win the girl of his dreams,

Emily Wardle.
A happy ending
Pickwick and Sam settle down together; Sam and Mary

get married.

The Pickwick Papers Study Guide Chapter Summaries 14
Dickens had to create short, vivid characterizations of the four

c Chapter Summaries men so that readers could remember them over the next 20
months.
Dickens enjoyed giving his characters names that are

Chapter 1 suggestive of their identity. Mr. Pickwick's name, for example,
includes the word wick, as in a candle's wick. This suggests
that Mr. Pickwick is a source of light or goodness. His first
Summary name, Samuel, is that of a Biblical prophet, which seems
appropriate, since his friends treat his pronouncements as if he
The novel is introduced as coming from the annals of the is a source of wisdom. Mr. Tupman's name sounds like "tub" or
Pickwick Club; its goal is to provide further insight into the "tubby," which fits his description. For a poet Mr. Snodgrass is
remarkable Mr. Pickwick. Mr. Pickwick is an older man, bald, a particularly unmelodious name, and Mr. Winkle is a weak and
with glasses; he dresses in a respectable and conventional foolish-sounding name for a man who claims to be an ardent
manner. His friends, who are sitting with him at the meeting, lover of the masculine pursuits of hunting, riding, and so on.
are a more varied bunch. Mr. Tupman is an older man, very Even more obvious is the name of Mr. Blotton, Mr. Pickwick's
plump, but still passionate about romance. Mr. Snodgrass, an antagonist inside the Pickwick Club: "blot on."
aspiring poet, wears a "mysterious" cloak, and Mr. Winkle
wears a shooting coat as if to promote his "sporting" Mr. Pickwick's argument with Mr. Blotton provides additional
reputation. The records are dated in 1827, placing the action of insight into Pickwick's character. Mr. Pickwick is a benevolent
the novel a decade earlier than its publication. The club's man, but he does not dismiss or ignore Blotton: he argues with
papers include an acknowledgement of Mr. Pickwick's him and is prepared to take it further until Mr. Snodgrass and
research, "Speculations on the Source of the Hampstead the Chairman intervene.
Ponds, with Some Observation on the Theory of Tittlebats,"
which they proclaim to be of tremendous scientific value. Mr.
Pickwick and three of his friends are going to travel around the Chapter 2
country and do research.
As Mr. Pickwick speaks, he is interrupted by cheers and also

by an argument from Mr. Blotton, another club member. Mr.
Summary
Pickwick and Mr. Blotton get into an argument, which is
Mr. Pickwick sets off on his travels. Even before leaving
smoothed over through the efforts of Mr. Pickwick's friends.
London, he accidentally upsets a cab driver, who challenges
him to a fight. Mr. Pickwick and his friends are rescued by a tall,
thin young man, whom they later learn is named Mr. Jingle.
Analysis They all take the coach to Rochester together, and the
Pickwickians enjoy Mr. Jingle's company. After dinner, which
Although the book begins with a celebration of Mr. Pickwick's
they share with Jingle, the Pickwickians doze off, except for
great accomplishments, the reader is repeatedly informed that
Mr. Jingle and Mr. Tupman, who decide to attend a ball being
Mr. Pickwick does not appear to be an unusual or
held at the inn. Mr. Jingle doesn't have the proper clothes, so
extraordinary man, but that club members are awed by his
Mr. Tupman lends him a new suit of Mr. Winkle's, which
intellect. In fact, Mr. Pickwick's "awesome" achievements are
features special "P.C." buttons to honor the Pickwick Club. At
silly, rather than profound. Mr. Pickwick is a good man but not a
the ball Mr. Jingle interferes with a local doctor's romance with
great intellectual. The chapter's style is elaborate, even florid;
a widow. He succeeds so well that the doctor challenges him
Dickens treats the pronouncements of this small and not-very-
to a duel, but Mr. Jingle ignores him and leaves.
important club as if they are the proceedings of Parliament.
The tone is deliberately ironic. The next morning a messenger arrives asking for a man who
wears a coat with "P.C." buttons. Since it is Mr. Winkle's coat,
This chapter also introduces four of the main characters.
he receives a challenge. He was drunk and has no memory of

the previous night, but the messenger describes his coat responsible for trying to negotiate a peaceful settlement, but
precisely, so he feels obligated to participate. He swears Mr. also made arrangements for the weapons and for a doctor to
Snodgrass to secrecy and invites him to be his second for the be present at the site of the duel. Mr. Winkle's reluctance to
duel. Mr. Winkle is terrified that he will be shot, but Dr. duel also provides some insight into his character: someone
Slammer, the insulted doctor, realizes that Mr. Winkle was not who is an excellent hunter and sportsman might be less
the man who insulted him. The matter is cleared up and Mr. perturbed at the idea of a duel. Fortunately for Mr. Winkle, Dr.
Winkle and Mr. Snodgrass invite the doctor and his friends to Slammer realizes his mistake and the entire duel scenario ends
dine with the Pickwickians that evening. up being more of a farce than a tragedy. In case the farcical
qualities of the duel weren't obvious enough, in a fight between
someone named Slammer and someone named Mr. Winkle,
Analysis who seems likely to win? Dickens uses the doctor's name to
convey his nature.
Mr. Pickwick and his friends set off on their travels and
immediately run into trouble. Mr. Pickwick may be highly
esteemed by the members of his club, but he is shockingly Chapter 3
naïve for an older man. He realizes that his notetaking has led
the cab driver to believe he is an "informer," but he is unable to
combat the charge or extract himself or his friends from the
angry crowd. This incident also contrasts with the argument in
Summary
the last chapter: Blotton and Mr. Pickwick, while speaking
Mr. Jingle again joins the Pickwickians at dinner and brings a
forcefully, are both willing, even eager, to withdraw their
friend, the aptly named "Dismal Jemmy," who entertains them
statements and end the fight. The cabman and the mob that
with a story. As the story ends, Dr. Slammer and his friends,
supports him won't be satisfied without a physical battle. This
who were invited by Mr. Winkle, arrive. When Mr. Winkle makes
won't be the last time that Mr. Pickwick is surprised by the
the introductions, Dr. Slammer realizes that he has seen Mr.
realities of life outside his sheltered world.
Tupman and Mr. Jingle previously. Mr. Tupman is forced to
This chapter introduces Mr. Jingle, although he is known only acknowledge what happened. Dr. Slammer and his
as "the tall, thin man" for some time. Mr. Jingle is an companions leave, criticizing the Pickwickians for consorting
extraordinary creature: he wears once-elegant clothes that are with lower-class, disreputable persons such as Mr. Jingle. Mr.
now old and dirty, and the clothes were clearly designed for a Pickwick is deeply offended and only the combined efforts of
smaller man. At first Mr. Jingle seems heroic: he rescues the Mr. Jingle and the Pickwickians prevent him from pursuing an
Pickwickians from the mob, after all. A careful reading of that argument (and possibly a duel) with Dr. Slammer, although
incident shows that Mr. Jingle is, in fact, adept at using the Pickwick is careful to contain his belligerence until the men
situation to his advantage. He calls for brandy and water to leave. Mr. Jingle insists that such men are unworthy of Mr.
soothe the Pickwickians' nerves, but he drinks plenty of it Pickwick's attention; Pickwick concedes the point and the
himself and claims he doesn't have the right change to pay. evening ends amicably.
Notice the name "Mr. Jingle"—it sounds harmless and

inoffensive, but it also brings to mind the sound of coins
clinking together. By the time of the incident at the ball, most
Analysis
readers of Dickens's time would be aware that Mr. Jingle is
The Pickwickians learn that Mr. Jingle is an actor, though he
behaving inappropriately.
apparently does not want the fact to be generally known.
Duels come up repeatedly in The Pickwick Papers, but this is Actors, unless they were extremely successful, were on the
the closest any Pickwickian ever gets to fighting. Duels had lower levels of British society. To an extent Dr. Slammer's
been a more common practice in the England of earlier days, criticism is true: Mr. Jingle is not the sort of person that
but by the 1800s they were falling out of favor. Duels usually "quality" people would entertain. This is another example of Mr.
were held to avenge an insult to someone's honor. Each Pickwick's naïveté.
person in the duel had a "second," a friend who was

Mr. Pickwick's reaction to the criticisms of Dr. Slammer and his

friends shows Pickwick's unexpected temper again. While
Analysis
Pickwick is normally a mild-mannered, generous fellow, he has
The mishaps during the field day provide broad, almost
strong reactions to perceived slights against his reputation.
slapstick humor as the Pickwickians literally find themselves
This chapter also includes the first tale collected by Mr. under fire. This is another illustration of how ill equipped they
Pickwick, in this case a story recounted by Mr. Jingle's friend. are to deal with reality: they go to cheer on the military and find
There will be many such tales told over the course of The themselves under attack.
Pickwick Papers. Dickens included these tales for multiple
Throughout The Pickwick Papers, Dickens follows a pattern:
reasons. For one thing they add drama to what could
put the Pickwickians into a difficult situation, and then bring
otherwise be a slower section of the book—The Pickwick
them through into a happy, party-like atmosphere. The Wardles
Papers was originally published as a serial, so readers were
often play a role in the happy parties. All the Wardles are warm,
getting only a few chapters at a time. More importantly,
friendly, and generous, and the women (except old Mrs.
however, the stories often appear as a way to reinforce
Wardle) are attractive and willing to flirt a bit. In less than a
themes and details that matter. This story—about the death of
page, Dickens has paired off many of the gentlemen: Mr.
an impoverished, alcoholic actor—emphasizes the questionable
Snodgrass and the Wardles' friend Mr. Trundle have the two
nature of this friend Mr. Jingle has foisted upon the
daughters, while Mr. Tupman offers manly comfort to Miss
Pickwickians.
Wardle, Mr. Wardle's unmarried sister.
Chapter 4 Chapter 5
Summary Summary
The next day the Pickwickians watch the maneuvers of the
During a walk before breakfast, Pickwick encounters Dismal
local Army units. Mr. Tupman disappears, but Mr. Snodgrass,
Jemmy, who asks and receives permission to send him a tale
Mr. Winkle, and Pickwick are delighted with what they
to be entered in the transactions of the Pickwick Club. Based
see—until they are almost attacked by the drilling soldiers. Mr.
on advice they get at the inn, the Pickwickians decide that
Tupman, meanwhile, has discovered an acquaintance: Mr.
three of them will go to Manor Farm in a four-wheel chaise,
Wardle and his family.
with Mr. Pickwick driving, and Mr. Winkle will ride a horse. They
Mr. Wardle met the Pickwickians in London some time ago. Mr. are assured that the horses are obedient, but Mr. Winkle has
Wardle introduces the men to his two daughters and his sister difficulty even getting on his horse, partially because he tries to
and his friend, Mr. Trundle, who appears to be in love with one mount from the wrong side. They make it onto the open road,
of the daughters. Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Winkle, and Pickwick join but the horses are difficult to manage. Mr. Pickwick drops his
them in the carriage to watch the rest of the military whip and asks Mr. Winkle to get it; Mr. Winkle dismounts to get
maneuvers. The three women are frightened by the sound of the whip but then cannot get back on his horse. In the end the
the guns, and Mr. Trundle and Mr. Snodgrass comfort the two horses bolt and the carriage overturns. They unhitch the horse
daughters, while Mr. Tupman consoles their aunt, Mr. Wardle's from the overturned carriage and try to walk, leading the horse.
sister. They dine together, and Mr. Tupman seems to be
When they approach a farm, they learn they are not quite
making some progress at flirting with Mr. Wardle's sister
halfway to Dingley Dell. They try to leave the horse at a public
Rachael. Mr. Pickwick, on the other hand, is fascinated by the
house, but the wife refuses, believing they have stolen it. It
Wardle's servant, Joe, who falls asleep at a moment's notice.
takes hours to reach Manor Farm, but they eventually arrive.
Mr. Wardle invites the Pickwickians to stay with them at Manor
Mr. Wardle greets them warmly and provides them with
Farm, Dingley Dell. They agree to visit him the next day and
everything they need to recover from their difficult day.
stay for at least a week.

keep up as they play a very competitive game. The other

Analysis attendees play a more lively game, with Bella Wardle partnered
with Mr. Trundle, Emily Wardle partnered with Mr. Snodgrass,
This chapter uses the "challenging/embarrassing circumstance
and Rachael (the "spinster aunt") partnered with Mr. Tupman.
followed by a respite" pattern explored in Chapter 4. In this
The partnered couples flirt with each other, while Mr. Winkle
case the challenging and embarrassing circumstance is the
amuses the company with jokes.
Pickwickians' attempt to travel to the Wardles' farm. Mr.
Winkle, the sportsman, proves himself ill at ease on a horse, After the games Mr. Pickwick asks the clergyman if he has any
and Mr. Pickwick is a terrible driver. When their mishaps force interesting stories about the people and incidents he has
them to approach a public house for help, the people in charge observed over his career, and the clergyman is persuaded to
find it easier to believe that they stole the horse than that they tell the tale of "The Convict's Return." He recounts the story of
are merely incompetent. a family. The father drinks heavily and abuses his wife and
young son. As the son grows up, he becomes a criminal and is
England, at the time Dickens was writing, was a society with
eventually transported (likely to Australia, although the
clear class distinctions. Dickens frequently uses dialect to
clergyman does not specify) as a prisoner. His mother dies
indicate someone's social class. The man and his wife at the
while he is serving his term. Years later, the son returns and is
public house offer an example of Dickens's lower-class dialect,
furious with the father whose mistreatment made their lives so
which includes unusual contractions ("No, t'ant," for example, in
miserable. He accidentally discovers his father, a broken man,
place of "No, it isn't"), dropped letters (nothin' instead of
and threatens him, but he cannot bring himself to harm his own
nothing), and words spelled according to their pronunciation
father. There is no need because the father's shock at seeing
(afeered rather than afraid). This was not uncommon in British
his son again, and the stirrings of his guilty conscience, lead
literature, but unlike some writers, Dickens did not use the
the father to drop dead at his son's feet. The clergyman
dialect to suggest a character was less intelligent. In fact,
concludes the story by saying that the convict worked for him,
when contrasting the Pickwickians with some of these
anonymously, until his own death a few years later.
characters, the lower-class characters often look wiser and
more effective. That is by no means universal: Dickens
certainly includes foolish or unscrupulous characters from the
lower class. However, it is interesting to note that Dickens
Analysis
does not equate education (e.g., being taught to speak
Dickens is famous for his jolly party scenes, and this is one of
properly) with intelligence.
them. Mr. Pickwick is drawn into a game of whist with old Mrs.
When the Pickwickians arrive at Manor Farm, they are Wardle and two others, while the rest of the party plays a
welcomed and cared for in an enthusiastic manner. Dickens game called "Pope Joan." Pope Joan was a family card game,
describes the kitchen, emphasizing the large amounts of food, suitable for playing with large numbers of people or with
the cozy fire, and the ancient clock and gun. Manor Farm is a younger people. Readers might think of this situation as
place of comfort and peace, a place where trouble is so comparable to a "grown-up table" and a "kids' table" at a
unusual that the gun is rusted. holiday meal. Pickwick is seated with the grown-ups, playing
whist, but the other table is having more fun.
Dickens also points out that Mr. Trundle and Bella Wardle play
Chapter 6 as a team, as do Mr. Snodgrass and Emily Wardle, and Mr.
Tupman and Miss Rachael Wardle. In this era playing card
games at a party offered a way for a couple to flirt while under
Summary the supervision of their guardians.
The Wardles host a party and Mr. Pickwick and his companions After the games Mr. Pickwick returns to his passion for
meet many people, including Mr. Wardle's elderly, deaf mother collecting stories and hears a lengthy and serious tale from the
and the local clergyman. Mr. Pickwick is roped into playing local clergyman. Notice that Dickens does not present the
whist with Mrs. Wardle and some others, and he struggles to convict's miserable childhood as an excuse for his criminal

behavior in later years: Sigmund Freud, the psychologist who accidentally shooting Mr. Tupman in the arm, the reader's
first introduced the idea that a person's childhood may shape suspicions are confirmed.
his or her adult life, was not even born at the time The Pickwick
Papers was written. Instead, Dickens blames the young man Mr. Tupman's injury helps advance the storyline between him
for failing to be a comfort to his mother. In spite of that, he and Miss Wardle. She faints when she learns he has been
holds out the consolation that the man was able to turn his life injured. Her reaction proves that she really does care for Mr.
around: the young man did not kill his father, in spite of his Tupman, a point which becomes important in the next few
desire for vengeance, and he served the clergyman well until chapters.
his death.
At the cricket match they again encounter Mr. Jingle. He has
Note that in the first two stories shared in The Pickwick found his way into the tent which is "the best place in the
Papers, drunkenness plays a major role. Dickens's attitude whole field" and he talks knowledgeably about cricket and
toward alcohol is ambiguous: Pickwick and his friends often claims to have played many matches in the West Indies.
enjoy alcoholic beverages and become intoxicated, which Cricket was a popular game in England and young men often
Dickens reports without criticism. At the same time Dickens learned to play if they attended the best schools, so, at this
includes these stories in which drunkenness ruins lives. time, being a good cricket player often meant a person was
Intoxication will play a role in later parts of the novel as well. upper class. Mr. Jingle is careful to state that his cricketing
experience occurred in the West Indies, a suitably remote
location. It would be unlikely for anyone at the Dingley Dell
Chapter 7 cricket match to know who played cricket in the West Indies,
so no one can argue with Mr. Jingle's claims of greatness.
Mr. Pickwick is delighted to see him, but Dickens intends the

Summary reader to be suspicious. How did Mr. Jingle come to be in the
tent? When Mr. Pickwick asks, Mr. Jingle implies that he got
The next morning Mr. Wardle invites Mr. Winkle to go shooting himself invited by being friendly with one team's players. In the
with him; the other three Pickwickians go along to watch. Mr. same way, Mr. Jingle tags along with Mr. Pickwick and gets
Winkle seems uneasy, and when it is his chance to shoot, his himself invited to a celebratory meal and eventually to stay at
gun misfires and he hits nothing. The misfire is corrected and the Wardles' house.
Mr. Winkle shoots again, hitting Mr. Tupman by mistake. Mr.
Tupman is not seriously wounded, but Miss Wardle (the
spinster aunt) goes into hysterics when she learns he has been Chapter 8
injured. Mr. Tupman is left in the care of the three Misses
Wardle, and the other gentlemen leave to watch a cricket
match in a nearby town.
Summary
At the cricket match they discover Mr. Jingle, who seems to
know everyone and to be an expert at everything. They have Back at the Wardles' house, Mr. Tupman has received tender
great fun at the match and listen to many of Mr. Jingle's care from Rachael, Isabella, and Emily and has grown even
stories. The chapter concludes with the men giving speeches more attached to Rachael. When they are alone together in the
in each other's honor, singing songs, and drinking. garden he expresses his love to her. She acknowledges her
feelings for him, and they kiss, but are interrupted by Joe, the
sleepy servant boy. Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Winkle,
Analysis and Mr. Wardle return from the cricket match, bringing Mr.
Jingle with them. All of them are drunk, but Mr. Jingle conceals
One of the first discoveries of this chapter is not a shock: Mr. it better than the others. While Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Snodgrass,
Winkle is no sportsman. His fear about the duel in Chapter 3 Mr. Winkle, and Mr. Wardle are packed off to bed, Mr. Jingle is
and his difficulty with the horse in Chapter 5 were broad hints. an immediate hit with the ladies, which worries Mr. Tupman.
When he goes hunting with Mr. Wardle and ends by

The next day Mr. Jingle overhears Joe telling Mrs. Wardle question of naïveté and more about her insecurities: she finds
(Rachael and Mr. Wardle's mother) that he saw Rachael and it easy to believe that Mr. Tupman is more attracted to her
Mr. Tupman kissing. Mr. Jingle uses what he overheard to young niece than to her.
insinuate himself between Rachael and Mr. Tupman. He tells
Rachael that she and Mr. Tupman were seen, and then claims
that Mr. Tupman only wants her money and really loves one of Chapter 9
Rachael's nieces. Rachael believes him. Mr. Jingle then focuses
on Mr. Tupman. He persuades Mr. Tupman that Rachael wants
him to flirt with her niece Emily to keep their romance a secret.
Summary
Mr. Tupman follows this advice, but to Rachael it seems to
prove that he really prefers her niece, and she turns more and
As everyone sits down to supper, the servants discover that
more to Mr. Jingle.
Mr. Jingle and Rachael have eloped. Mr. Wardle and Mr.
Pickwick set off to find them. They almost catch up to Mr.
Jingle and Rachael's chaise when their own chaise hits a bump
Analysis and tips over. Pickwick and Wardle must walk through the rain
to the next town.
While the others are off at the cricket match, Mr. Tupman
takes his opportunity to profess his love to Rachael, in what
turns out to be a funny, rather than romantic, scene. Dickens
Analysis
has described Mr. Tupman as plump and older; Rachael as a
"spinster aunt" is seen as undesirable, and yet they find
Mr. Jingle's elopement with Rachael drives this chapter, but it
romance together. Mr. Tupman's exuberance, however, leads
also provides insight into the characters. Mr. Tupman and
them into trouble, as Joe, the servant boy, spots them kissing.
Pickwick both display a shocking level of naïveté and even
In this era men and women were rarely left alone together long
cluelessness. Mr. Tupman is outraged that Mr. Jingle has
enough for them to exchange "numerous kisses," as Dickens
betrayed him, but Pickwick is utterly stunned: he apparently
describes. If Mr. Tupman truly intended to marry Rachael, he
had no idea that either Mr. Tupman or Mr. Jingle was wooing
would be expected to get her brother's permission (as he is
Miss Wardle. Mr. Wardle, on the other hand, is not stunned but
her oldest male relative); after being caught kissing, Mr.
infuriated, since he believes his servant, Joe, lied to him (when
Tupman might well be expected to propose to Rachael
Joe reported seeing Mr. Tupman and Miss Wardle kissing). The
whether he wanted to or not.
women of his family unite to stop Mr. Wardle from killing Joe,
so instead Mr. Wardle sets off after his sister.
Had Mr. Wardle been home, Mr. Tupman might have asked his
permission, but Wardle and the others return late at night and
Travel between towns was difficult at this time. Roads were
very drunk, so he has no opportunity. The women do not
not always well-maintained, and turnpikes collected tolls that
realize that Mr. Jingle is just as drunk as the others, which
helped to pay for road maintenance. Horses got tired easily
suggests that Mr. Jingle may be experienced at disguising his
under these conditions, and if a person was traveling long
level of drunkenness.
distances he or she would have to stop to "change horses," or
get new horses to pull the carriage and let the old ones rest.
When Mr. Jingle overhears Joe's report about Mr. Tupman and
Mr. Pickwick is almost overcome by the difficulties and is ready
Rachael, he begins to reveal his true self. Jingle is a mercenary
to give up and go home. Could Mr. Jingle have anticipated this
who cares little for other people's feelings. Dickens states that
and created the difficulties specifically to discourage Mr.
Mr. Jingle pursues Rachael because he thinks he can win her
Pickwick from pursuing them? Mr. Wardle is more realistic and
and because he believes she has money.
determined, however, and the difficulties of travel do not
This is also the first time where naïveté gets someone hurt. Mr. dissuade him from following Mr. Jingle and his sister.
Tupman believes what Mr. Jingle tells him and appreciates Mr.
Jingle's support, while Mr. Jingle is actually ruining Mr.
Tupman's chances with Rachael. For Rachael it is less a

the marriage is a transaction, grounded in legal and financial

Chapter 10 details, not the romantic excursion that Miss Wardle seems to
be seeking.
Summary Sam is aware of the ways of the world in a way that the
Pickwickians are not. When Perker, the lawyer, approaches him
Sam Weller is working at an inn, cleaning boots. He hears from for information, Sam identifies him as "one o' the adwice gratis
a maid that a lady and gentleman came in late at night (Mr. order," meaning someone who seeks information without
Jingle and Miss Rachael Wardle). Mr. Jingle summons him to paying for it. In Sam's mind that is an unfair trade: he earns his
get information about where to obtain a marriage license. living by supplying customers with what they need, whether
that is information or clean boots. He gives Perker responses
Mr. Jingle sets off to get the license, and then three men show that are just on the edge of impertinence. Mr. Pickwick, for
up at the inn: Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Wardle, and Wardle's lawyer, once being a realist, offers Sam money and that produces the
Perker. They offer Sam money to take them to Rachael. result they want.
Rachael has hysterics, but after some negotiation, Mr. Jingle
accepts a check for 120 pounds to leave the lady alone. Mr. It is interesting that Mr. Pickwick and Sam seem to understand
Jingle flees and Mr. Wardle and Mr. Pickwick bring the each other from the beginning. Notice that both of their first
heartbroken Rachael back to Manor Farm. names are Samuel, which suggests a certain kind of kinship.
Pickwick recognizes that Sam wants to be paid, and he smiles
at Sam's curious manner of speaking. Sam, on the other hand,
Analysis appreciates Mr. Pickwick as a real gentleman. In fact, when Mr.
Pickwick gets angry again (due to Mr. Jingle's jibes), it is Sam
Two characters in the book serve as a contrast with Mr. who steps in to soothe him.
Pickwick: Mr. Jingle and Sam Weller. Sam, who is introduced in
This chapter also removes any last doubts the reader may
this chapter, is described as wearing brightly colored but
have had about Mr. Jingle. He not only relinquishes Miss
inexpensive clothes with an "unstudied" or careless air. While
Wardle for money, but he is hard-hearted enough to negotiate
Mr. Jingle tries to pass himself off as richer and having a higher
for a good price. Mr. Jingle doesn't care how much he hurt or
social status than he actually has, Sam knows who he is and
embarrassed Miss Wardle; he only thinks of himself.
does not pretend otherwise. He is matter-of-fact about his
work: his job is to polish shoes, and he follows a system to get
it done. But then he learns that a gentleman and lady (Mr.
Jingle and Miss Wardle) with a private sitting room require their Chapter 11
shoes. Private sitting rooms cost money, so Sam anticipates
that he may be able to earn some extra coins by responding to
their requests. Summary
Mr. Jingle wants to know where to get a marriage license and The next morning Mr. Pickwick learns that Mr. Tupman left
Sam responds with a lengthy story about his father's second Manor Farm and no one knows where he is. They find him in
marriage. Sam's manner of speaking is colorful, and his story the town of Cobham and persuade him to continue traveling
seems almost fantastic. Sam claims that his father remarried with them. Before they leave Dingley Dell, the old clergyman
because someone suggested he get a marriage license, and gives Pickwick a manuscript written by a madman.
that he hadn't even picked out a bride until the lawyer told him
the bride's name must appear on the license. Dickens creates As they head back to the inn, Pickwick discovers a stone, half-
an interesting juxtaposition between Sam's story and the buried in the ground, with an inscription on it. Pickwick buys the
situation with Mr. Jingle and Miss Wardle. Mr. Jingle doesn't stone and brings it back to the inn, convinced that it is a relic of
care about who his bride is as much as he cares about some long-ago civilization. Unable to sleep that night, Pickwick
marrying someone with money. Sam's father and stepmother reads the madman's manuscript, which recounts his descent
may also have married for mercenary reasons. In both cases into madness and the attempted murder of his wife. The next

day the Pickwickians return to town to display Pickwick's great Weller, arrives. They agree on a salary and Sam becomes Mr.
discovery to the club. Mr. Blotton claims the stone is not Pickwick's servant.
ancient and actually travels to Cobham to prove it. He finds
reasonable evidence that the stone is nothing special, but the
club ignores him and places their trust in Pickwick. Analysis
In this chapter Dickens provides a reason for Mrs. Bardell's
Analysis misinterpretation of Pickwick's words while making sure that
the reader does not misunderstand. Pickwick clearly has no
Mr. Tupman's behavior serves as a contrast to that of Mr. intention of proposing to Mrs. Bardell; she only thinks he does
Jingle. Tupman is genuinely disappointed by what happened because she has admired Mr. Pickwick for so long.
with Miss Wardle, but he is enough of a gentleman to leave so
that he does not upset her. His romantic nature shows through, It is significant, however, that Mr. Pickwick uses language
as he leaves a note to his friends that is so somber they worry associated with marriage as he considers hiring Sam as a
about him. When they find Mr. Tupman, though, he does not servant. Sam and Mr. Pickwick will, in fact, care for and support
seem inconsolable, being about to tuck into a large meal. each other and their commitment becomes a lifelong
agreement. In this book so far marriage is a financial
Dickens makes a point of noting how difficult it is for all of transaction, handled like a business deal. Yet Mr. Pickwick's
them to leave Manor Farm, paying particular attention to the hiring of Sam, which is a business deal, seems to have a great
reaction of Emily Wardle and Mr. Snodgrass. But Pickwick deal of the personal in it.
seems unaware of their difficulties: his mind is focused on
finding Mr. Tupman. Dickens also makes it clear that Sam is an upright and
respectable person. His name, Weller, telegraphs that from the
The other incident in this chapter is Mr. Pickwick's discovery of very beginning. Mr. Pickwick also checks with Sam's former
the stone. Once again, Dickens pokes fun at learned societies employer to see if Sam is a good worker and
and people who take themselves too seriously. Mr. Blotton's reliable—apparently Mr. Pickwick is not as naïve about
explanation is the more likely one, but no one believes that Mr. business matters as about personal ones. He is told that Sam
Pickwick can be wrong. In fact, Dickens says that Mr. Pickwick has a "blameless" past and he congratulates himself on a good
was elected as an honorary member of 17 other learned decision. Sam, for his part, is delighted with fancy new clothes
societies on the basis of his "discovery." and what he perceives as an easy job, so both of them are
pleased.
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Summary
Summary
Mr. Pickwick lives in an apartment rented out by a widow
named Mrs. Bardell. He begins a conversation which she totally The Pickwickians visit the town of Eatanswill where the
misunderstands. Mr. Pickwick is planning to hire a servant, but townspeople are holding a closely contested election between
he does not directly state it. Instead he makes vague a Blue candidate and a Buff candidate. Perker, the lawyer who
references to the expenses of two people rather than one, and helped persuade Mr. Jingle to leave Rachael Wardle, is
Mrs. Bardell believes that he is proposing marriage to her. She supporting the Blue side, so the Pickwickians become Blues as
throws herself into his arms and faints, just as Pickwick's well.
friends arrive.
Perker introduces them to Mr. Pott, the editor of the Blue
Mr. Pickwick can't understand Mrs. Bardell's reaction, but he newspaper in town. Pott offers to host Mr. Pickwick and Mr.
dismisses it from his mind as his potential new servant, Sam Winkle at his home, while the other two stay at an inn. Pott's

wife is tired of politics, and Mr. Winkle becomes her companion

as Mr. Pott and Mr. Pickwick become more and more involved
Summary
in the campaign. Many questionable tactics are used, but in the
While Mr. Pickwick involves himself in the election and Mr.
end, the Blue side is victorious.
Winkle entertains Mrs. Potts, Mr. Snodgrass and Mr. Tupman
enjoy themselves at the inn. One night their conversation leads
to a story from an old bagman. The bagman tells of a traveling
Analysis salesman named Tom Smart, who takes shelter from a storm
in a public house (a combination bar and inn) run by a widow.
Once again Dickens uses names to suggest meaning.
The widow seems to be ready to marry a man with black
"Eatanswill" is a combination of the words "eat and swill." Swill
whiskers, and the salesman is jealous because the widow is
has two meanings: it can refer to drinking a large amount of
attractive and obviously has money. As he gets ready for bed,
something, such as alcohol, or it can refer to the leftovers and
a chair in his room begins to speak to him. The chair insists
food waste that may be offered to pigs. In either case Dickens
that it does not want the man with black whiskers to marry the
is less than impressed with the town and its inhabitants.
widow, and it promises to help the salesman win her instead.
This chapter provides another view of married life in the The chair informs him that the man with black whiskers is
example of Mr. and Mrs. Pott in which marriage is not a blissful already married to someone else and tells him where to find a
romantic experience. Mr. Pott's enthusiasm for politics letter that proves it. The salesman finds the letter, shows it to
aggravates Mrs. Pott. She interrupts him frequently. She calls the widow, and ultimately marries her himself.
him "P" and he refers to her with endearments such as "My
life," but neither of them seems very happy. Mrs. Pott develops
an affection for Mr. Winkle and Mr. Pickwick, though, so Analysis
Dickens is suggesting that she is not a mean or difficult-to-
please person. She is simply fed up with her husband. The conversation at the inn reflects the differing perspectives
of married men and single men. Mr. Snodgrass, a single man,
Sam's knowledge of the world and Mr. Pickwick's naïveté are praises women vehemently, while the married men are not
on display again. Sam has gotten into the spirit of the election, persuaded of women's purely virtuous nature.
probably because he is being paid to assist in some of the
tricks and manipulation. However, he points out to Mr. Pickwick The story of Tom Smart features a woman who is appealing
that there are many similarly surprising circumstances in other because she is rich. She is gentle and subservient, and she
elections, and he recounts a story of his father's interference in needs someone to care for her. Here, marriage is primarily a
an election, although Sam insists it was a total accident and financial transaction: the widow and Tom barely know each
not at all intentional. Dickens notes that Sam has "a look of other, but he is ready to propose because of her appealing
inexpressible impudence," so it's clear that Sam is not fooled qualities (including her money). In contrast to some of the
by his parent's protestations of innocence. images of married women and widows presented earlier, this
widow is soft-spoken and cooperative. Note that Dickens is not
Dickens had worked as a reporter in Parliament and was well unusually sexist for his day: these are expectations that
aware of some of the shenanigans that occurred during society of that time had for women.
elections. Neither of the candidates in this Eatanswill election
are particularly impressive, yet both sides argue in favor of Readers should consider Tom Smart's name. Smart can mean
their candidate as if it were a matter of life and death. "intelligent," but it can also refer to "making a good
appearance" or to be "well-dressed." Tom's description and the
description of his gig with red wheels implies that he makes a
Chapter 14 good appearance. That may also have influenced the widow's
willingness to listen to him.

with a rich heiress who is still at boarding school. Job claims to

Chapter 15 be horrified at his master's plan, and he agrees to help Mr.
Pickwick and Sam stop the elopement. Job says that the only
way to stop it is for Mr. Pickwick to wait in the boarding
Summary school's garden at night and prevent their escape. Mr. Pickwick
is uneasy, but Job assures him there is no other option. Sam
The Pickwickians attend a costume party breakfast held by helps Mr. Pickwick climb over the wall late at night, and Mr.
Mrs. Leo Hunter, who prides herself on collecting together Pickwick waits for the elopement. It never happens, and he is
guests "celebrated by their works and talents." At the party Mr. caught by the residents of the boarding school. The entire
Pickwick chats briefly with other guests before being thing was a scheme to embarrass Mr. Pickwick: Job lied about
introduced to a "Mr. Charles Fitz-Marshall," Mr. Jingle under a the elopement.
phony name. Mr. Jingle takes off as soon as he sees Pickwick.
Mr. Pickwick learns where Jingle has been staying and sets off The boarding school teachers believe Pickwick is either a
immediately with Sam. criminal or a madman, but he convinces them to send for Sam.
Sam arrives, bringing with him Mr. Wardle and Mr. Trundle, who
is now engaged to Mr. Wardle's daughter Bella. They convince
Analysis the boarding school teachers not to press charges against Mr.
Pickwick.
Dickens, who was not yet a famous writer, has some fun with
people who earn undeserved attention for their writings. The
hostess of the party believes she is—and should be—famous Analysis
because of her poem, "Ode to an Expiring Frog." As if the title
was not clue enough, the poem is amateurish and poorly Dickens's fun with names pops up again with the name of Mr.
written. Like Mr. Pickwick, the hostess has earned a reputation Jingle's servant and accomplice, Job Trotter. In addition to the
that she may not fully deserve. obvious work-related interpretation of his first name, it also
calls to mind the Book of Job in the Bible. The Biblical Job was
Mr. Jingle reappears dressed as a naval officer using the name a good man who was tested by God and suffered greatly. Job
Mr. Charles Fitz-Marshall. Mr. Jingle is attempting to swindle pretends to be suffering because of Mr. Jingle's dishonesty,
the party's hostess. More significantly, the use of the name though he is no more honest and truthful than his master. His
"Fitz-Marshall" could imply that he is related to nobility, as surname, Trotter, suggests movement and activity, and Job is
some illegitimate sons of noble families used "Fitz" as part of certainly very active on Mr. Jingle's behalf.
their surname. Of course it isn't his real name, but it is not
difficult to envision Mr. Jingle capitalizing on that belief. Mr. Pickwick's disingenuous nature gets him into trouble here,
although it is surprising that Sam also falls victim to Job's
While Mr. Pickwick takes off after Mr. Jingle, Mr. Tupman stays pretense. Sam often seems more like Mr. Pickwick's caretaker
at the party and enjoys himself. This suggests that Mr. than his servant. In fact, the boarding school students suggest
Tupman's passion for Miss Rachael Wardle may not have been that Pickwick is mad and Sam is his attendant—sometimes it
as substantial as he himself believed. must feel that way to Sam, as well.
Mr. Wardle's reappearance happens just at the right time. He is
Chapter 16 worldly wise and pragmatic in all the ways Pickwick is not, and
he is of a higher social status than Sam. Sam, Wardle, and
Wardle's soon-to-be son-in-law are able to get Mr. Pickwick
out of another difficult situation.
Summary
Mr. Pickwick and Sam arrive at the Angel, an inn in Bury St.
Edmunds, where Sam encounters Job Trotter. Job is Mr.
Jingle's servant and he tells Sam that Mr. Jingle plans to elope

Like Nathaniel Pipkin, Mr. Tupman was not as deeply in love as

Chapter 17 he thought. At the same time, the woman, Maria, is not truthful
about her feelings and uses Pipkin to help her see the man she
actually wants.
Summary
After his evening adventures, Mr. Pickwick is laid up with Chapter 18
rheumatism. Sam does his best to amuse his master, resulting
in Mr. Pickwick jotting down "The Parish Clerk—A Tale of True
Love."
Summary
Nathaniel Pipkin, the parish clerk, is a funny-looking little man.
He falls in love with Maria Lobbs, the only daughter of a Back in Eatanswill, Mr. Winkle is still staying with the Potts. One
wealthy man in town. Nathaniel flirts with Maria from a distance morning he comes down to breakfast to find Mr. Pott upset. A
and eventually declares himself to her when she goes out for a poem has been published in the newspaper suggesting that
walk. Maria hints that she is not opposed to marrying him, and Mrs. Pott and Mr. Winkle are having an affair. Pott is ready to
the next day, when her father leaves the house, Maria invites fight Mr. Winkle, but Mrs. Pott intervenes by having hysterics.
Nathaniel to tea. The tea is impressive, but Nathaniel is She threatens to leave him, and Pott retracts his accusation.
disappointed that Maria has invited others, including a cousin They both encourage Mr. Winkle to continue staying with them,
of hers who monopolizes her attention. Maria's father, Mr. but Mr. Winkle excuses himself to join Mr. Pickwick in Bury St.
Lobbs, returns unexpectedly and the men hide. Mr. Lobbs Edmunds. When the Pickwickians reunite, they also rejoin Mr.
discovers Nathaniel and Nathaniel declares his love for Maria, Wardle and Mr. Trundle and congratulate them on Mr.
but no sooner has he spoken than the cousin reveals himself Trundle's upcoming marriage to Bella Wardle.
and declares that he loves Maria and she loves him. Maria and
Mr. Pickwick receives a letter from two attorneys, Dodson and
the cousin are married, but Nathaniel becomes a great favorite
Fogg. They are suing him on behalf of Mrs. Bardell, his
of Mr. Lobbs and spends many evenings there, even serving as
landlady, for breach of promise. Mrs. Bardell believes Mr.
a witness to Maria's wedding.
Pickwick proposed to her and then abandoned her, and she is
seeking 1,500 pounds in damages. Mr. Pickwick dismisses it
until his friends remind him of how they found her fainting in his
Analysis arms. Pickwick realizes his friends may believe he did propose
to Mrs. Bardell. He decides to head to town to clear up the
This chapter focuses primarily on the tale of Nathaniel Pipkin. It
matter, but not before keeping his promise to ride out to a hunt
is not entirely clear whether Sam told Pickwick this tale or
with his friends.
whether Pickwick invented it himself, although the chapter title
suggests that Pickwick invented the story.
A pipkin is a small pot or jug, which hints at this character's Analysis

less-than-impressive exterior. Nathaniel Pipkin struggles to
woo the woman of his dreams because he is unimpressive and The Potts serve as one illustration of Dickens's mixed
impoverished while she is beautiful and the daughter of a rich messages about marriage. Mr. and Mrs. Potts's marriage may
man. When Pipkin goes to her house for tea, he seems at least have been strained before Mr. Winkle's arrival, but now it is in
as impressed with the table full of food and expensive china crisis. They are clearly not well matched: Pott is obsessed with
and silver as with the woman he supposedly loves, and it is his paper and politics, and Mrs. Pott could not care less about
clear by the end of the story that he was not really as in love either one. Once again Mr. Winkle is lucky to escape from an
with her as he believed. awkward situation.
The story appears shortly after Dickens makes it plain that Mr. The Pickwickians have many awkward encounters with
Tupman has moved past his injury at the hands of Mr. Jingle. women. In part this is because of their collective naiveté. Mr.
Winkle doesn't realize that Pott will get jealous; Mr. Tupman

doesn't realize that Mr. Jingle is cutting him out. Mr. Pickwick is him out, but they force him to admit that he had too much
so convinced of his own honorable intentions that he never punch.
stops to think what will happen if he's caught in a girls' school
garden late at night.
Analysis
The Bardell v. Pickwick suit is the ultimate example of this
naiveté. Mr. Pickwick never grasps the reason for Mrs. This chapter continues to explore the question of reputation:
Bardell's reaction. When he speaks to her of the cost of two how it is earned and whether it is deserved. Mr. Winkle
people compared to the cost of one, when he refers to a demonstrates that he does not deserve his reputation as a
companion for her son and a way to reduce her own loneliness, sportsman, while Mr. Tupman acquires a reputation he does
the comments can be, and are, misinterpreted. Mr. Pickwick not merit after a lucky shot.
seems to have never considered marriage for himself under
any circumstance, and if he had, presumably Mrs. Bardell Mr. Pickwick's naiveté and lack of judgment lead him into an
would not be his lady of choice. Still, the fact that he does not embarrassing situation as well. Interestingly, Dickens seems to
even remember the fainting incident implies that he has not consider Mr. Pickwick's drunkenness as different from the
given much thought to his landlady's hopes and opinions. alcoholism seen in some of the stories Pickwick collects. In
those stories drunkenness is a sign of a weak character or as a
The timing of the letter, which arrives while Mr. Pickwick is source of great suffering, while Mr. Pickwick does not suffer
lecturing his companions about their interactions with women, and has an excellent character. This could be because Mr.
brings home the point that while Pickwick is their leader, he is Pickwick is upper class while the drunkards in the stories are
no more knowledgeable about the world than they are. He lower class; it could be a manifestation of Pickwick's sunny
assumes that his friends will recognize his innocence, but in personality.
fact they are not sure. His reputation may not protect him as
well as he thought. In any case Mr. Pickwick's sterling reputation has taken a
beating in the last few chapters. Imagine an older gentleman,
however wealthy, who is caught in a girls' school garden late at
Chapter 19 night and who, a week or two later, is found sleeping and
intoxicated on a stranger's land. Mr. Pickwick is fortunate that
news does not spread quickly or widely in the 1830s, but these
social faux pas will not help his case in court.
Summary
Mr. Wardle takes Mr. Winkle and Mr. Tupman out shooting,
although neither of these gentlemen seem to have any idea of Chapter 20
what he is doing. Mr. Pickwick would like to go as well, but he is
still lame from rheumatism. They arrange for Sam to wheel Mr.
Pickwick along the road in a wheelbarrow so he can still watch Summary
the hunting. Mr. Winkle continues to fire at the wrong time and
place. Mr. Tupman, however, hits a partridge, although Returning to town, Mr. Pickwick calls upon Dodson and Fogg.
unintentionally, but he wins praise for a wonderful shot. While waiting he overhears the clerks describing the lawyers'
unscrupulous practices. When he is able to see Dodson and
They settle down to lunch in a comfortable spot that belongs Fogg, they insult him and refuse to compromise.
to a neighbor. Mr. Pickwick drinks too much alcoholic punch
and dozes off. The party decides to leave him to sleep while Mr. Pickwick decides to go see Perker, the lawyer, but he and
they continue their hunt. After they leave the neighbor Sam stop for a drink first. At the tavern Sam encounters his
discovers Mr. Pickwick and orders his servant to wheel the father. Mr. Weller tells Sam he regrets his second marriage,
intoxicated Pickwick back to town. Mr. Pickwick is left on and Sam counters with his own regret that Job Trotter was
public display and awakens, embarrassed to find a crowd able to fool him. Mr. Weller recognizes his description of the
surrounding him. Mr. Wardle, Sam, and his friends arrive to help two men and offers to show Sam and Pickwick where they are

now. They agree to meet up in a few days. Sam and Mr.

Pickwick search for Perker, but he is gone for the day. Instead, Chapter 21
they find his clerk, Mr. Lowten, who invites them to join him and
his friends for the evening.
Summary
Analysis The group of clerks exchange stories about haunted and
miserable law chambers. An old gentleman sitting near Mr.
This chapter offers Dickens's perspective on lawyers. Dodson Lowten tells a story he calls "The Queer Client." He describes
and Fogg are already questionable characters to Mr. Pickwick, how a young family suffers when the father is thrown into
since they are a party to this baseless lawsuit. What he debtors' prison. The child dies and then the young mother. The
overhears in their office provides no consolation. The clerks husband vows to be revenged on those he holds responsible
describe a man who hurries into the office to pay a debt, only for the deaths. As the story goes on, it becomes clear that both
to be told—falsely—that he is too late and papers have already his father and his wife's father were wealthy, but refused to
been filed against him. After the poor man leaves, Fogg sends help. His father dies, leaving him a fortune, so he is free of
a clerk to file the papers after the fact. They have no sympathy prison, but he still seeks revenge. He allows his brother-in-law
for the poor man; in fact, they claim they are teaching him a to drown and ruins his father-in-law financially. He confronts
valuable lesson. the old man personally to taunt him. Horrified, the father-in-law
dies in a fit. The story concludes with a reburial of the wife and
When Mr. Pickwick meets with the two lawyers, he fares no child in a beautiful graveyard and the disappearance of the
better than that unfortunate client. They seem to be inviting vengeful father.
him to cause more trouble, and only Sam's interference
prevents that. Once again, Mr. Pickwick is clueless about how
the world works. He acts as if all he needed to do was proclaim Analysis
his innocence and the whole problem will vanish. Sam, wiser to
the ways of lawyers, brings him away before he can do any These brief stories that are inserted into The Pickwick Papers
more damage to himself. offer a contrast in style to the rest of the narrative. In this case
"The Queer Client" is a florid melodrama dealing with life-and-
The introduction of Sam's father provides another opportunity
death issues—nothing like the Pickwickians' experiences,
for Dickens to explore the colorful language and attitudes of
which so far have been conventional and often bordering on
lower-class Londoners. Sam was by far the most popular
the silly. "The Queer Client" introduces the subject of debtors'
character in The Pickwick Papers at the time of its publication.
prisons, which become a significant factor later in the book.
The reader learns that Sam and his father have not seen each
other in two years, but Mr. Weller seems far more preoccupied Dickens's original assignment with The Pickwick Papers was to
with the discomfort of his marriage than he is interested in his write amusing stories to accompany sketches. By this time,
son. Mr. Weller asserts that his wife was far more charming as however, the story had become more popular than the
a widow than she is now as a wife; he also claims that marriage sketches and Dickens may have felt he had a little license to
to a widow "as has got a good loud woice" will cure gout begin to address some serious issues. He provides a stark and
because it will eliminate the chance for partying or relaxation. unsparing picture of life in debtors' prison and recounts the
Based on Sam's earlier description, it seems likely the widow man's search for vengeance without comment.
married Mr. Weller for his money and, as those marriages seem
to turn out in The Pickwick Papers, they are now a distant and Mr. Pickwick hears this story just as he himself is entangled by
unhappy couple. Dickens often uses members of the plain- the legal system, an event which will eventually lead him to
speaking lower classes to state a bald fact that the upper debtors' prison as well. It is perhaps unsurprising that the
classes might try to conceal; Mr. Weller states that marriage in benevolent-but-not-always-perceptive Pickwick makes no
general is a mistake. Dickens has now firmly established one connection between these two events in his own mind. By
side of the case against marriage; in later chapters he explores planting this horrific story about debtors' prisons at this point in
the other perspective. the book, Dickens sees to it that the reader will be properly

concerned when Mr. Pickwick's fate becomes clear. Pickwick only finds his way back to his own room because Sam
helps him. Not for the first time, Sam functions like a caretaker,
helping his master back to bed and asking no questions about
Chapter 22 why Mr. Pickwick was wandering through the inn wearing a
nightshirt.
Summary
Chapter 23
Sam and Mr. Weller are waiting for Mr. Pickwick so they can
look for Mr. Jingle in Ipswich. Sam's father announces that his
wife is devoting herself to religion, and more specifically to a Summary
"shepherd," or spiritual leader, whose name is Mr. Stiggins. Mr.
Weller and the shepherd dislike each other, and Mr. Weller The next morning, Mr. Weller takes leave from his son.
states that he has already hit Mr. Stiggins once and would be Afterward, Sam spots Job Trotter, though Job seems to be
happy to do so again. contorting his face in odd ways to prevent recognition. Job
claims that the previous mix-up was all Mr. Jingle's fault; he
On the coach to Ipswich, Mr. Pickwick meets a man named once again asserts that he wants to stop helping Mr. Jingle
Peter Magnus, who is very anxious because he is about to with these shameful schemes. Job says he has found a local
propose marriage. They dine together at the inn, and Pickwick woman he wants to marry and that the two of them will go into
congratulates him. Later, before falling asleep, Mr. Pickwick business together. Sam expresses his skepticism, but he
realizes that he left his watch downstairs. He goes and gets it, learns where Job and Mr. Jingle are staying and makes an
but becomes lost on his way back to his room. He accidentally appointment to meet Job that night.
ends up in a room belonging to a middle-aged lady. Great
embarrassment ensues and Mr. Pickwick has to apologize and
flee. Analysis
Sam's father says a dramatic farewell to him, suggesting they
Analysis could never see each other again. This is partly hyperbole, but
considering that it had been two years since their last contact,
Dickens was a fierce critic of hypocrisy in any form, a trait he Mr. Weller may have a point. And what does he do with his final
apparently shares with Mr. Weller. Dickens was Christian, as moments with his son but advise him to never get married. In
were most people living in England in the 1830s, but his views fact, Mr. Weller recommends that Sam poison himself before
on religion were flexible and he did not, at that time, belong to he ever thinks about marrying.
any particular church. Mr. Weller is vague about the religious
philosophy his wife has embraced, but he is not at all vague During Sam's second encounter with Job Trotter, Job once
about Mr. Stiggins, who seems to be far more interested in again bursts into tears. Men in 19th-century England were
stuffing his face than in preaching. When Mr. Stiggins known to cry in public, but usually for significant events, such
describes Mr. Weller as a "miserable sinner" and a "vessel of as a death in the family or the passing of a beloved public
wrath," Mr. Weller makes no allowances for dramatic figure. Job, on the other hand, turns his tears on and off like
preaching. He knocks Mr. Stiggins down. From his point of the "Chelsea waterworks," as Sam says. Job, like a small child,
view, Stiggins insulted him and he retaliated. uses tears to get out of trouble—or at least to attempt to get
out of trouble.
As for Mr. Pickwick, he once again manages to embarrass
himself in a way few other elderly gentlemen could manage.
Dickens is very clear that Pickwick ends up in the lady's bed
accidentally; there is no hint of attempted seduction. Mr.
Pickwick never seems to have a romantic thought; his only
concern is for embarrassment, of which there is plenty.

Chapter 24 Summary
The Pickwickians are charged with various crimes. The
magistrate, believing them vicious criminals, refuses to listen to
Summary their side of the story—until Sam informs Mr. Pickwick that
Jingle and Job are staying at Mr. Nupkins's house. Mr. Pickwick
Mr. Pickwick coaches a nervous Mr. Magnus on how to
warns the magistrate about Mr. Jingle. Mr. Nupkins is horrified;
propose. Magnus's proposal is accepted and he invites
Mr. Jingle, posing as Captain Fitz-Marshall, has been a favorite
Pickwick to meet his wife-to-be. She is the same lady whose
of his daughter and wife. Mr. Nupkins clears all charges against
room Mr. Pickwick accidentally invaded the night before. Mr.
Pickwick and invites him to wait and confront Mr. Jingle when
Pickwick and the lady are embarrassed, Magnus suspicious.
he returns to the house. Sam is sent to the servants' quarters,
Magnus and Pickwick begin shouting and threatening to fight a
where he meets a pretty servant-girl named Mary. When Job
duel; Mr. Tupman is also present as a witness. The lady is
returns, Sam and the servants confront him. Upstairs, Mr.
horrified and dashes off to the town magistrate to have Mr.
Pickwick and Mr. Jingle face off. Mr. Jingle and Job are forced
Pickwick and Mr. Tupman arrested in order to prevent the duel.
to leave, though they seem untroubled by this fact. Before he
In reality the whole thing would have blown over with no duel,
and Mr. Pickwick also say farewell, Sam steals a kiss from the
but the lady is too terrified to realize that. Mr. Pickwick and Mr.
pretty housemaid, Mary.
Tupman are arrested, by order of the magistrate, Mr. Nupkins.
Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Winkle, and Sam get arrested when they try
to rescue Pickwick and Tupman. In the end they all wind up at
Mr. Nupkins's house—the same house Job Trotter had
Analysis
emerged from that morning.
Dickens has fun with names again: Nupkin sounds suspiciously
like "napkin," and Mr. Nupkin stands up for himself about as
well as a table linen might. His clerk, Jinks, must advise him on
Analysis every step of his job.
Another discussion of dueling, this time featuring a woman who Once again proving that legislators and politicians are mere
is so weak and frightened that she is incapable of mortals, it is Mr. Nupkins's self-interest that gets Mr. Pickwick
understanding masculine things like the nuances of dueling. and his friends out of a difficult situation. Mr. Nupkins, although
Like Tom Smart's widow in Chapter 14, this lady needs a man a magistrate, is no profound thinker. A chubby elderly man
to look after her. Since Magnus expresses himself to be a dressed in expensive clothes is unlikely to be a violent man
conventional man who dislikes unusual things, she is probably planning a duel; Nupkins could have dismissed the charges on
the ideal woman for him. sight, and yet he persists until his own personal reasons give
him cause to change his mind. Imagine a lower-class person,
A good debate could be had over who is more ineffectual, the
such as Sam, brought before the magistrate without a well-
magistrate's men, led by the self-important Mr. Grummer, or
spoken and obviously wealthy person to stand up for him. It is
the Pickwickians. Sam, however, shows himself to be not only
easy to see how miscarriages of justice occurred frequently in
utterly loyal to Mr. Pickwick, but good in a fight. In fact, he is so
Dickens's day.
effective the magistrate's men believe him to be a desperate
criminal. The housemaid Mary will play a larger role in the story, but she
begins as a pleasant diversion for Sam, who is by no means
opposed to a view of a pretty face. Although Sam has flirted
Chapter 25 often, Dickens informs the reader that Mary is "Mr. Weller's
first love." This is the first example of love among the lower
classes, and Sam's continued relationship with Mary plays out
in contrast to other romantic relationships throughout the rest
of the novel.

Once Job reappears, Sam is ready for action. In keeping with can't understand why Mr. Pickwick won't marry her—he's so
Dickens's idea of the lower classes as more direct and blunt, rich, after all, that he could afford to do so. The idea that he
Sam and the magistrate's butler take the law into their own might not want to is never considered. These ladies are, like
hands, while upstairs Mr. Pickwick merely lectures Mr. Jingle. many Dickensian targets, hypocritical: they protest when Mrs.
Sam, in fact, would like to give Mr. Jingle some lower-class Bardell pours drinks for them, but they feel the need to refresh
justice, but Pickwick intervenes. themselves with additional drinks as the conversation
continues.
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Summary
Summary
Mr. Pickwick sends Sam to collect his things from Mrs.
Bardell's. He suggests that Sam might also try to find out Sam goes to visit his father and stepmother. He arrives to find
whether Mrs. Bardell really intends to pursue the suit against his father off working and his stepmother visiting with a
him. Sam finds Mrs. Bardell being visited by two friends, and it clergyman named Mr. Stiggins. Sam has tea with Mr. Stiggins
is clear that the suit will go on. Sam learns that Dodson and and his stepmother and listens to them complaining about his
Fogg are very "sharp" and take cases on speculation, which father, who refuses to donate to any of Mr. Stiggins's
means they will make no money unless they defeat Pickwick in charitable causes. His father returns, and when Mr. Stiggins
court. Mr. Pickwick is disappointed and consults with Mr. and his stepmother are out of hearing, Sam hears his father's
Perker, the lawyer, who assures him that the case will go many complaints about Stiggins.
forward, probably within a few months.
Analysis
Analysis
Sam repeatedly refers to Mrs. Weller as his "mother-in-law." To
Mr. Pickwick puts a lot of trust in Sam to send him into this a modern reader, a "mother-in-law" is the mother of one's
situation. Sam could so easily make things worse, but Pickwick spouse, but in Dickens's time, "mother-in-law" could also refer
knows his servant. Sam, in fact, becomes more popular than to a stepmother, who was not a person's biological mother, but
his master with Mrs. Bardell and her two friends. His linguistic stood in a motherly role by law (because of marriage to the
dexterity is impressive, particularly when the trial comes up person's father).
and Mrs. Bardell begins to sing the praises of Dodson and
Fogg. Sam expresses a desire that the lawyers "had the revard Now the reader has the opportunity to judge religious
I'd give 'em"—a suitably ambiguous response that pleases the hypocrisy without Mr. Weller's interpretations. Mr. Stiggins is
ladies in his company while hinting to the reader of his own certainly well-treated by Sam's stepmother and critical of
opinion about such men. Sam's father. Chiefly, Stiggins objects to Mr. Weller's
reluctance to give money to help poor children in other
Mrs. Bardell acknowledges that Mr. Pickwick has been an countries. When questioned by Sam, Mr. Weller suggests he
excellent tenant, to the last. She describes him as "in every would rather give money to help poor people at home in
respect but one ... a perfect gentleman." She seems unaware England, including himself. Mr. Weller also points out that a
of the contrast between this description and her suit against charitable collection was taken up to pay bills for Mr. Stiggins,
him. You could hardly call a man a perfect gentleman if he was who apparently couldn't be bothered to pay his own bills.
really responsible for a breach of promise.
Acquainted as he was with life in the poorer parts of London,
Mrs. Bardell's friends provide an interesting example of lower- Dickens was understandably offended by religious programs
class womanhood, which Dickens has not yet explored deeply that pleaded with people to help the "savages" and "heathens"
in this novel. They both defend Mrs. Bardell and pity her. They of other countries when many were starving and penniless just

outside the church door. This is a topic Dickens would return bowl of brandy. Throughout all of this, no one is seriously
to in later novels, notably in the figure of the hypocritical Mrs. embarrassed, injured, or insulted.
Jellyby in Bleak House.
For most modern readers, Dickens's connection to Christmas
Mr. Weller also once again asserts the suffering of marriage, is well-established. A Christmas Carol, which would come years
claiming that he has no ability to stop Stiggins's visits to his later, is the primary reason for that, but Dickens wrote many
house. As with Mr. and Mrs. Pott in Chapter 13, the wife rules delightful descriptions of Christmas throughout his career. He
the family through manipulation and emotional tyranny, and the describes some traditions that were well-established and had
husband, ostensibly the head of the household, suffers been popular for years, such as the mistletoe or "kissing
because of it. wreath." That was likely to be one of the main Christmas
decorations in an 1830s British home; Christmas trees were
unknown. In fact, Christmas trees, a German tradition, were not
Chapter 28 used in England until the 1840s, when Queen Victoria's
consort, the German Prince Albert, popularized them as a form
of holiday decoration.
Summary
The four Pickwickians travel to Dingley Dell to celebrate Chapter 29
Christmas and Bella Wardle's marriage to Mr. Trundle. Emily,
her sister, is one of the bridesmaids, much to the delight of Mr.
Snodgrass. The other bridesmaid, a beautiful young lady with Summary
black eyes named Arabella Allen, catches the attention of Mr.
Winkle. Mr. Pickwick beams happily at everyone, gives Bella a Sitting around the Christmas fire, Mr. Wardle tells the story of
beautiful watch as a wedding present, and proposes a the ill-tempered sexton Gabriel Grub, who is digging a grave
wonderful toast. one Christmas Eve, after having struck and scared a group of
children, when he is accosted by a group of goblins who tease
After the wedding comes Christmas, celebrated merrily by all. and kick him. In between their tortures, they show him scenes
There is a lot of kissing under the mistletoe: Mr. Winkle and of human happiness. Grub wakes the next morning beside the
Arabella Allen, Mr. Snodgrass and Emily, Sam and various newly dug grave and is a changed man from that day forward.
female servants, and even Mr. Pickwick is trapped under the He leaves the village to seek his fortune elsewhere, but returns
mistletoe and kissed repeatedly by the young ladies. The night after many years, a poor but contented old man, and tells his
ends with Christmas games and stories by the fire. story to the clergyman.
Analysis Analysis
In this chapter the Pickwickians manage to interact with The tale about Gabriel Grub (considered a second part of
women without any crises or embarrassments. Manor Farm Chapter 28 in some editions) is the first of many Christmas
seems to be almost a home away from home, and Mr. Pickwick ghost stories Dickens would go on to tell. The most famous of
is at his best, soothing the old lady, proposing a toast to the these is A Christmas Carol. Telling ghost stories at
bride, dancing at the Christmas party, and even kissing under Christmastime is connected to much older pagan traditions
the mistletoe without stepping on literal or figurative toes. In centered on the winter solstice, which marked the darkest day
fact, Arabella Allen, who has just met him, proclaims him a dear of the year.
and encourages the other young women to kiss him. Mr.
Pickwick is a good sport, playing games that many elderly Like Ebenezer Scrooge, Gabriel Grub is a bitter man who
gentlemen would see as beneath them, like blind man's bluff requires supernatural intervention (and a good scare) in order
(an old-fashioned version of tag where "It" is blindfolded) and to be able to see that his unhappiness is his own fault. The
snap-dragon, which involved pulling flaming raisins out of a goblins show him that even the very poorest members of

society are able to find happiness and joy through the beauty
of nature and the affection of friends and family.
Summary
Mr. Pickwick and his friends are served with subpoenas by
Dodson and Fogg. Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Winkle, Mr. Tupman, and
Chapter 30 Sam are summoned as witnesses for the plaintiff, Mrs. Bardell.
Mr. Pickwick meets with his lawyer, Perker, who reassures
Pickwick that they will be represented by Serjeant Snubbin, a
Summary lawyer known for his persuasiveness in court. Mr. Pickwick
arranges to meet with Serjeant Snubbin and his supporting
Two new people arrive at Manor Farm: Arabella Allen's brother, attorney, but no one is able to guarantee Pickwick that he will
Ben, and his friend, Bob Sawyer. Both are medical students be able to win his case. Mr. Pickwick announces his
(Sam Weller insists on referring to them as "sawbones"). Their determination never to pay the damages if the case goes
arrival puts a damper on the flirtation between Arabella and Mr. against him.
Winkle. The party decides to go ice-skating. Mr. Winkle is a
terrible skater, and Mr. Pickwick calls him a "humbug." Pickwick
tries "sliding" on the ice, but it cracks underneath him and he Analysis
falls in. He is rescued and recovers at the farm before they all
head back to London. The subpoenas against Mr. Pickwick's friends are a reminder
of his questionable situation. Even if they are his friends, they
are obligated to testify that they found Mrs. Bardell in
Analysis Pickwick's arms, which will outweigh his protestations of
innocence.
Although the Christmas celebrations continue, Mr. Pickwick is
back to his usual reality, as he falls through the ice when he Dickens offers some new perspective on lawyers in this
tries skating. Perhaps Dickens wanted the Christmas party to chapter. Perker, Mr. Pickwick's lawyer, seems to be a good
stand on its own without Mr. Pickwick's foolishness, or perhaps enough person, in spite of his choice of career, but his
he wanted Mr. Pickwick to be "at home" only inside the persuasive abilities pale before the greatness of Serjeant
confines of the farmhouse itself. Snubbin. The title "serjeant" refers to a serjeant-at-law, the
highest class of lawyers that existed at this time. In fact,
In this chapter Mr. Pickwick labels Mr. Winkle "a humbug." That Dickens dedicated the book to a Serjeant Talfourd, who was
is the same word used against Pickwick himself by Mr. Blotton working on issues of copyright law.
in the first chapter and seems to be the Pickwickian epithet of
choice. The real question seems to be: why did it take Mr. Dickens is at it again with the names, though, as Mr. Pickwick
Pickwick so long to apply this term to Mr. Winkle? Mr. Winkle meets Serjeant Snubbin, who distinctly "snubs" Pickwick. The
has demonstrated his incompetence repeatedly. Mr. Pickwick illustrious Serjeant Snubbin cannot be bothered even to
was willing to give Mr. Winkle many opportunities to redeem remember what cases he is handling, leaving all the details to
himself before targeting him with what Pickwick believes is a his assistant, Mr. Phunky (a name suggesting "flunky") while he,
withering criticism. Of course "humbug" is a very mild insult, but the great Serjeant Snubbin, devotes himself to a case that has
Mr. Pickwick takes it seriously, as does Mr. Winkle. no impact on anyone any more.
Chapter 31 Chapter 32

Once the valentine is mailed, Mr. Weller brings up the trial. He

Summary thinks Mr. Pickwick needs an alibi to escape conviction. Sam
tries to explain why that won't work, but his father remains
Bob Sawyer, one of the medical students the Pickwickians met
unconvinced.
at Manor Farm, hosts a party for friends and invites Mr.
Pickwick as well. Unfortunately, Sawyer is behind on his rent Mr. Weller invites Sam to come along to a temperance meeting
and his landlady is furious that he is throwing a party. She where Mr. Stiggins is due to speak. Mrs. Weller is ill and unable
contrives to make things difficult, threatening the entire party to attend. Mr. Weller arranges a little surprise for Mr. Stiggins:
with the police when they get too noisy. The party breaks up two of Mr. Weller's friends have promised to get him drunk and
and the guests, some of them very drunk, depart. One of the then deliver him to the meeting. When Stiggins appears, he is
intoxicated ones, Ben Allen, confides in Mr. Winkle that he thoroughly drunk. Mr. Stiggins starts a fistfight with another
intends for his sister Arabella to marry Bob Sawyer, and he will speaker, and chaos ensues. Mr. Weller makes sure to get in a
kill any other gentleman who wishes to marry her. few hits on Mr. Stiggins before Sam pulls him away.
Analysis Analysis
Although Dickens usually sided with the poorer people of Sam's valentine, like Sam himself, is inimitable, but there is no
London, he has no real sympathy for Sawyer's landlady, who is doubt that he has a true affection for Mary, even though he
presented as a harridan ready to attack anyone—her husband, saw her only briefly. He assures Mr. Weller he has no intention
her tenant, her servant—who displeases her. Bob Sawyer of getting married, but he is still taking the trouble to write a
makes a valiant attempt to behave like a man of the world, but letter to a girl he has seen only once. Mr. Weller makes his
his limited finances and ferocious landlady put a damper on the opinion known, and yet Sam still writes. Unlikely as it may be,
party. Sam seems to be in love. It is unclear at this point whether
Mary returns his affection or not.
It is an odd location for Mr. Pickwick, as the guests are
primarily medical students and he is a great deal older than any The Temperance Meeting is another opportunity for Dickens
of them. Dickens also illustrates the callous nature of medical to skewer the hypocritical Mr. Stiggins. Temperance
students, as most of the party's conversation involves the associations wanted to ban all alcohol or greatly restrict the
students' description of the cases they have handled. They sale of it. Many upper-class people claimed that alcohol was to
appear to have little sympathy for their patients, caring only for blame for the struggles of the poor, but for many poor people
an interesting or amusing case. their only opportunity for fun was a drink at the local pub with
their friends.
Chapter 33 Since the reader's first introduction to Mr. Stiggins occurs

while he drinks a rum concoction with Mrs. Weller, he seems an
unlikely speaker for such a meeting. Although Mr. Weller is
even less likely to be an attendee, he thinks it will be worth it to
Summary attend this particular meeting to see what happens when Mr.
Stiggins arrives drunk. Even Mr. Weller cannot anticipate that
The day before Pickwick v. Bardell comes to court, Sam's
the inebriated Mr. Stiggins will accuse another preacher of
father summons him. Sam heads off to meet his father, but is
being drunk and start a fistfight, though he certainly takes
struck by a Valentine's Day display. He decides to send a
advantage of the ensuing melee.
valentine letter to Mary, the pretty housemaid at the
magistrate's house (from Chapter 25). His father joins him and,
although his father disapproves of him sending a valentine,
Sam reads it aloud and his father gives him advice on how to
phrase things. Sam, claiming that no one signs valentines with
their own name, signs the note, "Your love-sick Pickwick."

Sam is the only one who manages the cross-examination

Chapter 34 process easily. As usual, he is unflustered by anything that
occurs around him and he indulges in his typically colorful
descriptions. After only a brief examination, Mrs. Bardell's
Summary lawyers dismiss him because of his "impenetrable stupidity,"
but Sam, Dickens tells readers, achieved exactly what he set
The Bardell v. Pickwick trial commences. Mrs. Bardell's lawyers out to do.
describe Mr. Pickwick as a schemer and deceiver who
intentionally set out to ruin Mrs. Bardell's life. They submit two
letters into the record, claiming they are evidence of Mr. Chapter 35
Pickwick's relationship with Mrs. Bardell. The letters are totally
innocuous, but the lawyers present another interpretation,
claiming they are in fact coded messages.
Summary
Under examination, Mr. Pickwick's friends are forced to admit
they found him holding Mrs. Bardell in his arms. Mr. Winkle The trial over, Mr. Pickwick proposes to visit the city of Bath
unthinkingly volunteers Pickwick's mix-up at the inn, when he with his friends. On the coach to Bath, the Pickwickians meet
ended up in the room of Mr. Magnus's affianced bride. Finally, Mr. Dowler and his wife, and once in Bath, Mr. Dowler
Sam is called and proves to be too clever for the prosecuting introduces them to the Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Bantam. The
attorney. He not only avoids doing any damage to Mr. Pickwick, Master of Ceremonies, or M.C., is an important figure in Bath,
but he actually finds a way to point out Dodson and Fogg's and the Pickwickians treat him with the appropriate level of
ulterior motive for this case. respect. They purchase tickets from him for the evening's ball.
The tickets are not ready, so Mr. Pickwick sends Sam to fetch
After 15 minutes of deliberation, the jury finds Pickwick guilty them at the M.C.'s house. Sam has a brief chat with one of the
and orders him to pay 750 pounds. Mr. Pickwick refuses, M.C.'s tall, bewigged, and powdered servants, who seems
declaring that "not one farthing of costs or damages do you intrigued by Sam. That night, the Pickwickians enjoy the ball,
ever get from me, if I spend the rest of my existence in a although Pickwick has a difficult time keeping up with the
debtor's prison." As Mr. Pickwick and his friends leave the sharp group of female card players he is seated with.
court, Sam's father appears, looking very serious and
demanding to know why there was no alibi.
Analysis
Analysis Bath was a very important city in the 1700s, though by the time
of The Pickwick Papers it was no longer as fashionable as it
The majesty of the British courtroom is not on display in this once had been. The traditions of Bath—the Master of
chapter. The lawyers for Mrs. Bardell, Serjeant Buzfuz and Mr. Ceremonies, the Assembly Rooms, and the Pump Room—were
Skimpin, use exaggeration and outright lies to paint a picture of established in an earlier, more formal time, but people were still
her suffering and Mr. Pickwick's villainy. Their interpretation of expected to follow them.
Mr. Pickwick's letters to Mrs. Bardell is ludicrous, yet it is
accepted by the jury. They claim that no man would write Bath has mineral springs and many people gathered in the
about such mundane details, but as the reader knows by now, Pump Room to "drink the waters," which were believed to have
Pickwick is precisely the sort of man who would write about healing or restorative powers. The Master of Ceremonies, who
chops for dinner and a warming pan for his bed. When they coordinated many Bath events, kept a register where guests
examine Mr. Pickwick's friends they suggest the friends may were supposed to sign in. This register was often at the Pump
have agreed to tell a false story to protect him. Much of what Room, since new visitors would pay a call there. Dickens's
they do would be unacceptable in a modern courtroom, but Master of Ceremonies is named Bantam, a term for a small, but
Serjeant Snubbin makes minimal effort to object on Pickwick's aggressive male rooster.
behalf.

who will attend. Although Sam is unimpressed by the company,

Chapter 36 he is a great success and enjoys himself thoroughly.
The next morning, Mr. Pickwick tells Sam what happened with
Summary Mr. Winkle, who has now disappeared. Pickwick sends Sam to
find Mr. Winkle, telling Sam he can knock Mr. Winkle down and
Mr. Pickwick rents a house for himself and his friends, inviting bring him back unconscious if necessary, a suggestion which
Mr. and Mrs. Dowler to stay with them. One night, Pickwick delights Sam.
finds a manuscript titled "The True Legend of the Prince
Bladud," which contains various stories about the founding of
Bath. That same night, Mrs. Dowler is out at a party and Mr. Analysis
Dowler falls asleep waiting for her. When no one lets her in,
Mrs. Dowler orders the coachman to bang on the door, which Servants were members of the lower class, but the servants
awakens Mr. Winkle. Mr. Winkle answers the door in his attending this party seem to have absorbed some of their
nightshirt, but allows the door to slam shut behind him. Mr. employers' lofty manners. The servants see themselves as
Dowler awakens and thinks Mr. Winkle and his wife are running quite superior to other people; they are dismissive of the
off together. Mr. Winkle hides from Dowler and plans to flee in greengrocer who is their host. They have their own snobberies
the morning. and standards they hold themselves to, but Sam, being Sam,
treats everyone equally.
These servants seem to be very concerned about their lower-

Analysis class status. One of them claims that he only became a servant
because women find it hard to resist a man in a uniform. In
In case the reader thought the Pickwickians had settled into a
contrast, Sam seems perfectly satisfied with his state. He
pattern of normal interactions with women, Dickens brings
would never claim to be Mr. Pickwick's equal, but he also does
back their silly misadventures with a vengeance. Once again,
not seem embarrassed by his position. He greatly enjoys
Mr. Winkle is the man under suspicion who is guilty of nothing.
deflating the pompous attitudes of his fellow servants, but he
Winkle the sportsman faces most of the jealous men in this does it in such a way that the servants cannot entirely tell if he
book: Dr. Slammer (Chapter 2), Mr. Pott (Chapter 13), and now is joking or serious.
Mr. Dowler. This is unexpected, since these jealous men often
suggest duels and a sportsman might be expected to be a
good shot. Of course, as the reader knows, Mr. Winkle is a Chapter 38
terrible shot and no true sportsman; he is also a coward. All the
better for him, since by the 1830s a man might have to flee the
country if he killed someone in a duel. In fact, dueling as a Summary
practice would be outlawed in England by the 1850s.
Mr. Winkle escapes to Bristol where he unexpectedly
encounters the two medical students, Bob Sawyer and Ben
Chapter 37 Allen. Sawyer is now practicing medicine in Bristol, but failing
to make much money. Ben Allen, on the other hand, is angry
with his sister, Arabella, who has refused Bob Sawyer because
Summary she is in love with someone else. Allen has brought Arabella to
stay with an aunt nearby. Mr. Winkle returns to the inn, where
John Smauker, the dignified servant to the Master of he encounters Mr. Dowler. Dowler believes Mr. Winkle is
Ceremonies, Mr. Bantam, invites Sam to attend a servants' planning to challenge him to a duel, and he apologizes. Mr.
party. He sees this as a great honor and cautions Sam not to Winkle plays along and Dowler is satisfied. Sam also finds Mr.
expect to be treated as an equal by some of the lofty servants Winkle and insists he return to Mr. Pickwick. After much
explanation, Mr. Winkle convinces Sam to allow him to stay in

Bristol to find Arabella Allen. all work together so that Mr. Winkle can have a private
conversation with Arabella in the garden, late that night,
although Mr. Pickwick unintentionally complicates matters by
Analysis bringing along a lantern.
In this chapter Dickens revisits the idea of reputation. In this

case Mr. Winkle earns a reputation he does not deserve, Analysis
courtesy of Mr. Dowler. Mr. Winkle and Dowler find each other
by accident, and Mr. Winkle realizes that Dowler is just as big a Sam and Mary's reunion, far-fetched as it may seem, provides
coward as he is. Dowler, however, does not seem to recognize ample evidence of their attachment to each other. Sam kisses
this trait in Mr. Winkle, and he is grovelingly apologetic. Just as her multiple times and pays her many pretty compliments. Sam
Mr. Tupman got a sportsman's reputation when he shot a bird is a heroic figure to Dickens and he is clear that Sam's regard
by accident, so Mr. Winkle now gets treated with the utmost for Mary is honorable, even though to a modern reader it can
respect by Dowler, who seems to believe Mr. Winkle is a fierce- seem contrived.
tempered and violent man.
Mr. Winkle's interview with Arabella is nearly a catastrophe
Sam, of course, is not afraid of or impressed by Mr. Winkle. He owing to the good-natured but ineffectual machinations of Mr.
rouses Mr. Winkle out of bed and scolds him thoroughly for Pickwick and his lantern. Pickwick's presence there is
being a source of worry to Mr. Pickwick. Sam says Mr. Winkle understandable; he wishes to serve as a chaperone. In this era
is worse than Dodson and Fogg, and it's difficult to imagine an unmarried upper-class woman was never supposed to be
that there is any worse insult in Sam's mind. For the first time, alone with an unmarried man. Usually she would be
Sam directly states his protectiveness, saying, "I won't have chaperoned by an older woman or a married woman, but in this
him put upon by nobody, and that's all about it." This is beyond case Mr. Pickwick serves the purpose. As a much older friend,
the typical servant-master relationship; Sam has recognized almost a father figure to both of them, he would be seen by
Pickwick's kind heart and generous nature and has determined society as ensuring the meeting's respectability. However, he is
to be Pickwick's protector. so inept at handling his lantern that he almost gets them all
caught.
The famous novel Don Quixote, which was published 200
years before The Pickwick Papers, introduced the world to the
idealistic would-be knight, Don Quixote, and his servant,
Sancho Panza. Quixote is quite literally mad, and it falls to
Chapter 40
Panza to keep his master from getting killed, attacked, or
otherwise ruined. More than one analysis has compared Sam
Weller to Sancho Panza, as Sam, too, works hard to defend his
Summary
beloved master who sees the world as he wishes it to be,
Upon returning to London, Mr. Pickwick is arrested by a
rather than how it is.
sheriff's officer, Namby, and his assistant, Smouch, despite
Sam's attempts to block them. Pickwick says he is ready to go
Chapter 39 to prison immediately, but he must wait until he can appear in

court. That happens late in the day, and he is committed to the
Fleet Prison until he pays the damages and costs of Bardell v.
Pickwick, which he asserts he will never do. For his first night,
Summary Mr. Pickwick rents a bed from one of the turnkeys.
The next day brings Mr. Pickwick to Bristol to stay with Mr.
Winkle. While searching for Arabella, Sam unexpectedly finds Analysis
Mary, the pretty housemaid he met at the magistrate's house.
She now works in a house near Bristol, and Arabella Allen is This is the moment that could have broken Mr. Pickwick's
staying at the house next to hers. Sam, Mary, and Mr. Pickwick

resolve. It is one thing for him to say he was willing to go to turnkey's attitude and seems to hope that Pickwick will be so
prison; it is another thing to actually go there. Yet Pickwick is disturbed that he will choose to pay the debt immediately.
strangely calm and resolved, almost eager to go. It seems clear Instead, Mr. Pickwick suggests to Sam that some people enjoy
that in spite of the stories he has heard, he really has no idea being locked up. Sam perfectly captures the situation by
what prison will be like. pointing out that for the ones who don't care, "it's a reg'lar
holiday to them—all porter and skittles." For those who do
Once he gets there, he is quickly exposed to the corrupt care—"them as vould pay if they could, and gets low by being
nature of debtors' prisons, where anything was available as boxed up"—there are few places more dreadful that debtors'
long as a prisoner could afford it. Mr. Pickwick has no prison.
compunction about paying for a private room for the night. It is
a startling inconsistency in his character: he refuses to pay the
damages in Bardell v. Pickwick because he does not believe
Dodson and Fogg deserve to make money—an understandable
Chapter 42
perspective—yet he is willing to pay a turnkey, a jail worker, for
the privilege of sleeping in his bed. Why does the turnkey
deserve that money? Perhaps Mr. Pickwick is simply too tired
Summary
to be philosophical at this point.
Mr. Pickwick is assigned to a room with three other prisoners,
but discovers he can pay for a private room. He arranges to
Chapter 41 rent a room from another prisoner. Pickwick asks whether

there is anyone who can run errands outside, and he is told a
man on the "poor side" runs errands while trying to care for a
friend. On the poor side, Mr. Pickwick discovers Mr. Jingle,
Summary wearing rags and clearly starving; the man who runs errands is
Job Trotter. Mr. Pickwick gives them money to alleviate some
The turnkey leads Mr. Pickwick to his bed in debtors' prison. of their misery. Mr. Pickwick sends Sam away, saying he should
Pickwick seems less concerned with his own situation and work for one of the other Pickwickians. Sam argues, but
more curious about the others in prison. Mr. Pickwick Pickwick is adamant; Sam leaves the prison, but without
convinces Sam to handle some tasks outside while he goes to agreeing to Pickwick's plan.
bed. Lonely and depressed by the sights and sounds around
him, Pickwick retires to his expensive but dirty bed and falls
asleep. Later he is awakened by people dancing and drinking in Analysis
his room. They don't pay much attention to him until they
realize he has money. Then they persuade him to buy them When he first enters the prison, Mr. Pickwick thinks the
sherry and cigars. prisoners don't suffer all that much. On his first full day,
however, he changes his mind. The prisoner from whom he
rents his room tearfully describes himself as a dead man. On
Analysis the poor side of the prison, prisoners who cannot afford to pay
for their meals and rooms are crammed together, many in a
Now that he is imprisoned, Mr. Pickwick is about to encounter single room: young, old, sick, or well. Dickens describes a man
some hard truths he has heretofore overlooked. His first hallucinating about riding a horse and a young child trying
experience of that comes as he enters the prison and sees desperately to get a response from her ill grandfather; in the
small underground chambers, which he assumes are for next paragraph he describes a prisoner's wife who is watering
storing coal. He is greatly shocked to hear that people live in a plant that will never grow again. These images presented in
those dark, airless places. After the turnkey leaves them, Mr. parallel convey the absolute hopelessness of the surroundings.
Pickwick peers into some of the other rooms, and Dickens
offers brief but vivid vignettes of life in a debtors' jail. Dickens intentionally creates this miserable atmosphere before
Mr. Pickwick sees Mr. Jingle. Pickwick—and the reader—do not
Sam is horrified and disgusted for his master; he resents the

trust Mr. Jingle, but Dickens wants the reader to see just how be too. It is hard to imagine a servant or friend making a similar
low Jingle has been brought by two months in prison. Mr. decision; debtors' prisons were notoriously corrupt. If anything
Jingle remains proud and attempts to speak in his old cavalier went wrong, Sam could end up imprisoned for life. While he
manner, but he can't keep it up and soon breaks down in tears. never says so, Sam loves Pickwick and is willing to take that
Dickens notes that what really persuades Mr. Pickwick of risk to care for him.
Jingle's plight is the way Jingle looks at a small piece of meat
that Job is carrying. That single moment—the sort of thing
Dickens may have observed when his own father was Chapter 44
imprisoned—expresses what Mr. Jingle has gone through in
very few words.
Summary
Chapter 43 Mr. Pickwick wants to pay Sam's bill, but Sam refuses and
distracts Pickwick with a story about a man who eats a large
number of crumpets, against his doctor's advice, and then
Summary blows his brains out because he didn't want to be told what to
do. Sam does allow Pickwick to rent him a room from a cobbler
Sam goes to find his father, who is at a pub near the Insolvent who is imprisoned. Mr. Tupman, Mr. Winkle, and Mr. Snodgrass
Court, where a friend's case is to be heard that day. Mr. Weller come to visit Mr. Pickwick and are shocked to hear that Sam is
tells Sam that his wife and Mr. Stiggins are suffering from their a prisoner. Mr. Winkle seems to be particularly upset as he was
constant intake of rum. Sam informs Mr. Weller of Mr. counting on Sam to help him with something. Mr. Pickwick
Pickwick's decision to remain in prison, and they both agree it hears that his "landlord"—the poor prisoner whose room he
won't work out well. Sam borrows 25 pounds from his father, rents—is dying. Pickwick and Sam attend his death in the
and his father arranges to have Sam imprisoned for not paying prison infirmary.
the debt. Sam is arrested and taken to the same prison where
Mr. Pickwick is incarcerated. Sam tells his employer that he
has been arrested and therefore he will be there as long as Analysis
Pickwick is.
Sam and Mr. Pickwick argue, but Sam wins his point and gets
to stay. Their debate leads Pickwick to sound more like his old
Analysis self, as does the visit from the other Pickwickians. Mr. Pickwick
can't understand what is bothering Mr. Winkle, but the reader
The discussion between Sam and Mr. Weller is the first time may be able to infer that Mr. Winkle intends to do something
the reader hears a frank assessment of Mr. Pickwick. They about Arabella Allen.
agree that he cannot survive in prison on his own. Mr. Weller
uses a cooking metaphor, describing Pickwick as "rayther raw" The tone of this chapter has shifted back to "normal" for
going in, but likely to be "done so ex-ceedin' brown" that he will Pickwick, but Dickens ensures that the prisoners' suffering is
be like a "roast pigeon." Dickens's choice of a pigeon is not forgotten. He uses the cobbler's story and the death of the
deliberate: roast pigeon was a meal the Wellers would be Chancery prisoner to illustrate the cruelty of England's laws
familiar with, but more pertinently, a pigeon was a plump bird, about debt. The cobbler's story of an inheritance eaten up by
rather easy to catch. debt fascinated Dickens so much he later reused it in Bleak
House. The death of the Chancery prisoner (Pickwick's
Mr. Weller has no useful suggestions to help Mr. Pickwick, but landlord) demonstrates the inhumanity of the system. The
Sam does. His solution is a tribute to his ingenuity, but it is also prisoner was told six months ago he would die if he didn't get
a sign of just how strongly he feels about his master. He into better air, yet nothing was done to help him. The Court of
disagrees violently with Mr. Pickwick's refusal to pay the Chancery was a higher court (similar to the Supreme Court or
money, but if Pickwick is going to be imprisoned, then Sam will a circuit court in the United States) that usually dealt with

estates, inheritance, or larger or more complex matters that eyes up "till the whites—or rather the yellows—were alone
might result in laws that would affect the whole nation. The visible." Yellow eyeballs can be a sign of jaundice, a serious
problems of a single prisoner were swallowed up by this medical condition that indicates liver disease. Considering how
massive case, and he died without ever finding a resolution. His much Stiggins drinks, it is not surprising that he would be ill, but
death creates a somber ending to what started as a rather it is important to remember that Mrs. Weller drinks along with
cheerful chapter. him. Mr. Weller continues to have his doubts about Stiggins's
advice, at one point calling Stiggins's words "moonshine,"
meaning "foolish ideas." Mr. Weller says if he can't find better
Chapter 45 advice than Stiggins's, he is likely to remain in the dark—a play
on words, since Stiggins has just called him a "benighted man."
After they leave, Sam gets another surprise when Mr. Pickwick
Summary shows him Mr. Jingle and Job in prison. Pickwick's help has
produced some improvement in the two men: they have more
Sam receives a jailhouse visit from his father, his stepmother,
clothes, and they are cleaner and somewhat less skeletal. But
and Mr. Stiggins. His stepmother and Stiggins don't know who
Mr. Jingle is very weak, and Pickwick—a man old enough to be
Sam owes money to, which amuses Sam and his father. The
his father, or even his grandfather—has to help him to stand.
stepmother and Stiggins both expect Sam to be ashamed of
his imprisonment, but Sam is unaffected. Sam's reaction is perhaps more understandable than Mr.
Pickwick's—he looks skeptical and disbelieves Job's
Shortly after the Weller family visit, Mr. Pickwick brings Sam to
protestations (not without reason) until Job pulls up a coat
see Mr. Jingle and Job Trotter. Pickwick and Mr. Jingle walk off
sleeve to reveal how skinny he has become. In that moment
together, although Mr. Jingle is so weak that he must hold Mr.
Sam shows he can be just as generous as his master, dragging
Pickwick's arm to keep on his feet. Sam mistrusts Job until he
Job into the bar and arranging for him to drink a large beer. At
sees how thin his old nemesis has grown. He buys Job a large
a time when clean water was hard to come by, many British
beer and offers him food, but Job explains that Mr. Pickwick
people drank alcohol at every meal, and beer, with its grain and
has been helping them. Mr. Pickwick and Mr. Jingle return from
hops, provided nourishment. Job honors Mr. Pickwick as their
their walk and Jingle appears to be crying. Pickwick is so
savior, but Sam responds in a most interesting way: he warns
saddened by everything he has seen that he vows to stay in his
Job off, saying, "No vun serves him but me." Then Sam
own room from now on. He sticks to this plan for the next three
provides a memorable description of Pickwick: an "angel in
months, leaving his room only for short walks at night, when
tights and gaiters ... he's a reg'lar thorough-bred angel for all
the prison is quieter.
that; and let me see the man as wenturs to tell me he knows a
better vun." Sam will not leave off protecting his master, even
in the presence of someone who owes his life to Mr. Pickwick's
Analysis intervention.
As the story begins to wind down, Dickens takes the

opportunity to get a little revenge on one of the hypocrites
populating this tale: Mr. Stiggins. Sam and his father enjoy
Chapter 46
making Stiggins look ridiculous. Mr. Weller has ensured that
Mr. Stiggins's trip to the prison was as uncomfortable as
possible, and Sam takes his usual approach of saying things in Summary
such an expressionless way as to make it impossible for
Stiggins to take offense. One thing Mr. Stiggins will take, Mrs. Bardell is enjoying tea at Hampstead Heath, a large park
however, is a drink, and he and Sam's stepmother begin in the north of London, with her son and a group of friends
drinking and crying. Mr. Weller suggests they have "somethin' when a man from Dodson and Fogg's office arrives. Mrs.
wrong" in their insides because they cry so often. A far more Bardell had signed a document guaranteeing payment for
telling detail is when Dickens describes Stiggins as turning his Dodson and Fogg's services. Since Mr. Pickwick has refused to

pay, they are having Mrs. Bardell arrested for nonpayment. She Pickwick instructs Perker to help Jingle settle his affairs so
is sent to the same prison where Pickwick and Sam are that he, too, can be released. Then Mr. Pickwick pays his bill
incarcerated. When Sam hears this, he sends Job to find the and is set free.
lawyer, Mr. Perker.
Analysis
Analysis
To understand this chapter, it is important to know something
In case the reader held any doubts about the ethics of Dodson about the Victorian era in Great Britain. The Victorian era was
and Fogg, Dickens has them take a final shocking step: forcing named after Queen Victoria, who took the throne in 1837. While
Mrs. Bardell—and her young son—into debtors' prison. They technically The Pickwick Papers is set in pre-Victorian times, it
persuaded Mrs. Bardell to sign a legal document called a demonstrates many of the beliefs and characteristics of
cognovit. By signing Mrs. Bardell gave them permission to hold Victorian England. The idea of "separate spheres" was
her responsible if Pickwick did not pay. She says they assured prevalent in the early Victorian years. Under this philosophy,
her it was merely a formality, but they are holding her to it, and men's natures suited them to deal with the "real world."
now she is in jail. It is technically a legal move, but hardly an Women, on the other hand, were nobler, purer beings than men
ethical one. While cognovits are still legal in some parts of the and therefore should not be sullied by the world. By that logic,
world today, most U.S. states forbid their usage. Once again, Mr. Pickwick could face the rigors of prison life, but it was
Dodson and Fogg have the law on their side, but they do not improper to ask Mrs. Bardell to do the same, a proposition with
have justice on their side. which Pickwick, no doubt, would agree. Moreover, since Mrs.
Bardell is the sole support of a child, there would be strong
Sam may not be a lawyer, but he knows Mrs. Bardell's reason to argue for her release simply to protect her child from
presence is good for Pickwick. He can anticipate, just as illness or starvation in prison.
Perker does in the next chapter, how this might be used to get
Mr. Pickwick free once and for all. As Mr. Pickwick deals with questions about one lady, another
lady intrudes: Arabella Winkle, formerly Arabella Allen. She and
her new husband offer Pickwick another reason to pay his
Chapter 47 debt: they need his help.
To a modern reader, such a fuss over getting married may

seem silly, but in the 1830s, eloping was a scandalous thing to
Summary do. Women were expected to have their family's permission to
wed, and marrying without permission could lead to both
Perker's office is closed for the day, but with the help of his
families cutting off all contact and financial support for the
clerk, Job finds Perker at home. Perker is delighted to hear
newly married couple. Since they had been raised in
about Mrs. Bardell. The next morning he visits Mr. Pickwick and
comparatively wealthy families, neither Arabella nor Mr. Winkle
points out that if Pickwick does not pay his debt, Mrs. Bardell
would have any training that equipped them to hold a job. They
will continue to be imprisoned. Perker shares a letter from Mrs.
need their families' forgiveness just to survive in the world.
Bardell, in which she protests that Dodson and Fogg were the
instigators of the trial and that she holds Mr. Pickwick to be
totally innocent of the charges brought against him.
Chapter 48
Before Mr. Pickwick can reply, Sam announces that there is a
lady outside. It is Arabella Allen, who is now Mrs. Winkle. Mr.
Winkle and Arabella eloped, accompanied by Mary, Sam's Summary
pretty housemaid friend. The Winkles ask for Mr. Pickwick's
help in persuading Mrs. Winkle's brother and Mr. Winkle's Arabella's aunt, with whom she had been staying, goes to Bob
father to forgive them for eloping. Of course Pickwick will have Sawyer's office to inform him and Ben, Arabella's brother,
to be out of prison to do that. Before he leaves prison, Mr. about the elopement. Sam and Mr. Pickwick arrive shortly after

the announcement. Ben Allen blames them, but Mr. Pickwick's and the lady is nowhere to be found: she was a ghost.
explanation is persuasive enough that eventually—and with the
assistance of a lot of alcohol—Ben, Bob, and Arabella's aunt all
accept the marriage. Allen and Sawyer invite Mr. Pickwick to Analysis
stay with them, but he pleads fatigue and retires to his inn,
where he meets a one-eyed bagman (a traveling salesman) Dickens worked hard to keep his audience engaged
who tells him a story. throughout the many issues of The Pickwick Papers, and these
inset tales were one of his favorite tricks. In this case he uses a
ghost story—a device he would use again in the future—to
Analysis explore how a man can find his heroic side when a beautiful
lady needs him. Coming as it does between Mr. Pickwick's two
Now that Mr. Pickwick is free, Dickens returns to the broad "breaking the news" conversations, it seems that Dickens's
comedy style of earlier chapters. The dialogue between Bob romantic side is coming to the fore. Dickens—and
Sawyer, Ben Allen, and Arabella's aunt is difficult to follow. The Pickwick—both respect the choice that Mr. Winkle and Arabella
aunt tries to break the news to Sawyer first, but he thinks she have made, choosing love over societal expectations. The man
is asking for medical advice. When he realizes what she is in the story also confounds expectation by remaining faithful to
saying, he shouts out the news to Ben, who immediately the beautiful ghost he rescued. But just in case the tone is
attacks the aunt's servant. Mr. Pickwick and Sam enter at this getting too romantic, Dickens ends the chapter with a bad joke
point and more confusion ensues. After the melancholy and about mail ghosts and "dead letters." This is The Pickwick
muted tone of the prison chapters, Dickens has taken the plot Papers, after all, and not a grand romance.
in a totally different direction.
Dickens also shows that Pickwick is not totally unaffected by

his time in prison. He pleads fatigue as a reason to leave
Chapter 50
Sawyer and Allen, but his true reason, Dickens reveals, is fear
of Arabella's aunt, who was looking affectionately at him. Mrs.
Bardell comes to Mr. Pickwick's mind, and he is determined to
Summary
flee rather than face another misunderstanding. Perhaps he
Mr. Pickwick sets out to meet with Mr. Winkle's father and
has found wisdom at last.
plead the newlyweds' case. Ben Allen and Bob Sawyer come
along, but they spend most of the trip drinking. By the time
Chapter 49 they arrive at Mr. Winkle's house, they are very inebriated.
Pickwick does his best to be persuasive, but Mr. Winkle, senior,
is unresponsive. He is offended by Pickwick's drunken
companions and expresses his opinion that the marriage was a
Summary poor choice for his son because Arabella did not have a lot of
money. He describes himself as a "man of business" who looks
This chapter recounts a ghost story about the bagman's uncle, at the marriage as a business decision, and not a good one.
who was walking late one night and dozes off near a deserted
coach yard. He awakens to find it full of activity. He is told he
must ride the coach and is forced inside, along with two Analysis
gentlemen and a young lady. The lady whispers a plea for help,
so the uncle challenges the men to a duel. He kills one of the Throughout the book Dickens presents two views of marriage:
men, and the lady kills the other. The lady is so beautiful that the practical marriage for money or reputation, which does not
the uncle falls in love with her and promises that he will never seem to work, and the romantic marriage, which does. Mr.
marry another. At the sound of pursuers, the two of them run Winkle and Arabella's marriage, and the romantic ghost story
away, but at that moment the uncle wakes up. He is sitting on of the previous chapter, celebrate marriage for love. This
an old abandoned coach in the yard where he'd fallen asleep, chapter returns the reader to reality with a thud, as there is no

romance in Mr. Winkle, senior, or in a couple of embarrassingly another member of the group—along with lawyers and
intoxicated relatives. politicians—who talk but never resolve anything.
In this era, people, particularly women, were encouraged to

make "good" marriages. Traditionally, the man brought wealth
to the family, either inherited or through hard work, while the
Chapter 52
woman supervised the household which consumed the wealth.
Mr. Winkle's reaction may suggest that he views his son as less
of a provider than a consumer, an idea that no reader would
Summary
dispute at this point, since he has seemed laughably ineffectual
Back in London Sam receives a letter from his father. His
throughout the book. In fact, it's surprising that he was able to
stepmother has died. Sam visits his father and learns that his
elope with Arabella without Sam's help.
stepmother left her money to Mr. Weller and to Sam. Mr.
Stiggins arrives, ostensibly to mourn her passing, but also to
Chapter 51 ask if she left him any money. Finally able to respond the way
he always wanted to, Mr. Weller throws a drink in Stiggins's
face, kicks him down the stairs, and dunks him in a horse
trough.
Summary
Mr. Pickwick, Sam, Sawyer, and Ben Allen stop at an inn on a Analysis
cold, wet night. There they find Mr. Pott, the newspaper editor
from Eatanswill. Mrs. Pott has left him because of his ongoing Dickens has hinted at the possibility of Sam's stepmother
obsession with politics. Pott is darkly amused to hear that Mr. being ill more than once in the novel, but her death brings
Winkle is now married. The editor of the opposing Eatanswill unexpected results. Mr. Weller, who has done nothing but
paper, Mr. Slurk, also arrives at the inn and ends up in a fight complain about his wife through the entire novel, is somber
with Pott. Sam breaks up the fight and the two editors are after her passing. He says he misses her. This may also be
forced to express their hatred in print while the Pickwick group because she repented of her excessive religious behavior on
takes the road toward London. her deathbed.
That repentance is significant. In Victorian-era literature, the

Analysis deathbed is a sacred place. Good people die in their beds; bad
people die on the streets or in other places. By having her die
Always ready to take on ridiculousness and hypocrisy, Dickens of natural causes and in her own bed, Dickens is saying that
tackles newspaper editors in this chapter. He revives the Buff Mrs. Weller is, in fact, a good person. The dying words of a
versus Blue lunacy from many chapters ago and demonstrates good person were equally important in Victorian literature.
Pott's cluelessness about anything other than politics when he These words were seen almost as a message from "the other
explains how his critic "crammed" Chinese metaphysics by side." And Mrs. Weller's final message? Being kind to her
reading an encyclopedia. The word crammed is interesting, husband should have been more important than the religious
since it brings to mind an unprepared student trying to get meetings and charity events she hosted. Dickens sneaks in a
ready for a test. little message for his audience, and puts it into a dying
woman's mouth to be sure they pay attention.
As a journalist who was just starting to become known for his
fiction, Dickens had experience with newspaper editors, and he
was probably quite amused by envisioning them in a fistfight.
Pott and Slurk are more effective at attacking each other with
Chapter 53
words than with fists. As the reader imagines the two of them
reading each other's papers and snorting in derision, it is easy
to see how, to the average person, journalists appear to be

Summary Chapter 54
Mr. Pickwick tells Arabella about his interaction with Mr.
Winkle's father. She is saddened that her new husband might
be cast off by his father, but Pickwick reassures her that he will
Summary
help them out. He sets off for Perker's law office to arrange it.
Mr. Wardle arrives at Perker the lawyer's office seeking advice.
At the law office he encounters Mr. Jingle and Job Trotter.
He has just learned that his daughter Emily is in love with
Pickwick has arranged for Mr. Jingle to take a position in the
Pickwick's friend Mr. Snodgrass. Meanwhile, at the hotel, Emily
West Indies. Perker offered Job a position in his office, but he
secretly meets with Mr. Snodgrass, chaperoned by Arabella
chooses to go with his friend. They both swear that they will
Winkle and her maid Mary (Sam's ladylove). Mr. Wardle arrives
pay back the money Mr. Pickwick has spent on them. Before
unexpectedly and Mr. Snodgrass has to hide in Mr. Wardle's
Pickwick leaves the office, Dodson and Fogg arrive to receive
room to avoid discovery. But Joe spots him in there, and Mr.
their fee payment from Perker. Pickwick relieves his mind by
Snodgrass has to come out and explain himself. After much
repeatedly calling them "rascally, pettifogging robbers."
arguing and complaining, Mr. Wardle seems to be growing
accustomed to the idea of the wedding.
Analysis
Friendship is the focus of this chapter. Mr. Pickwick's
Analysis
friendship with Mr. Winkle could save Mr. Winkle and Arabella
Dickens manages to squeeze in one more ridiculous series of
from a difficult future. Since they eloped, their families are
events before bringing the story to its happy conclusion. Mr.
under no obligation to take them in or help them financially.
Snodgrass's unexpected need to hide and the series of events
Arabella has a small inheritance, but not enough to support
that follow, not to mention the ludicrous behavior of Joe the
them, particularly if they have multiple children, which many
servant boy, provide some comic relief after the more serious
families did in the 1830s. Mr. Pickwick reassures Arabella that
tone of the last chapter.
he will help them if Mr. Winkle, senior, remains adamant.
Proving he is a man of his word, he sets off for his lawyer's at Mr. Wardle's reaction to Emily and Mr. Snodgrass's secret
once. romance offers a contrast to Ben Allen's handling of Arabella.
Both men, by Victorian standards, have the right to be irritated
At the lawyer's office Dickens features more examples of
by these marriages they did not plan: as a father and an older
friendship. First is Job's friendship for Mr. Jingle. Although he
brother, they would have been allowed to dispose of the
has been offered a good position in London, Job feels that Mr.
women in whatever way they thought best. But Ben Allen was
Jingle needs him and he takes a less promising position to stay
more inclined to do that, actually taking Arabella away and
with him. Mr. Lowten, the clerk, laughs at him, saying that every
threatening to kill any man she loved. Mr. Wardle, while he
man must look out for himself first, but Pickwick is touched.
blusters and argues, never does anything to Emily or Mr.
Job has made himself responsible for Mr. Jingle in much the
Snodgrass. In fact, after Mr. Snodgrass's long proclamation of
same way Sam feels responsible for Mr. Pickwick. Pickwick's
love in this chapter, Mr. Wardle's first reaction is "Why ...
new friendship with Mr. Jingle is also demonstrated, as Lowten
couldn't you say all this to me in the first instance?" While
makes it clear that Mr. Jingle and Job's new positions are due
neither pair of lovers really suffered all that much, Emily and
to Pickwick's long-standing business relationships. Mr.
Mr. Snodgrass seem to have suffered needlessly.
Pickwick's generosity with those two is so remarkable that
even his lawyer, Mr. Perker, makes a genuinely emotional
speech honoring it, a very unlawyerly thing to do.
Chapter 55

complete.
Summary
Sam and his father meet with Mr. Pell, the lawyer from the
Insolvent Court whom we encountered in Chapter 43, to wrap
Analysis
up the affairs of the late Mrs. Weller. This simple will requires,
For once Mr. Pickwick figures something out on his own: he is
under Pell's management, several trips to Doctors' Commons,
able to recognize the romance between Sam and Mary. When
a civil law court which dealt with probate issues, as well as
Mr. Weller visits, Pickwick makes a great effort to convince him
visits to and notices from other offices. By the time Mr. Weller
that Sam should get married. The two of them have finally
and Sam receive the property, the one-page will has turned
settled the question, only to have Sam refuse.
into a "mass of papers."
Sam's refusal is beautiful, almost poetic, and unlike his usual
joking manner of speech. Dickens notes his voice is low and
Analysis husky. He insists that he cannot get married because Mr.
Pickwick needs him, and he concludes by saying:
For the first time in the novel, a lawyer does precisely what his
client wants. Mr. Pell takes Mrs. Weller's will through probate,
obtains the money for his client, and helps his client manage vages or no vages, notice or no
the money. As Mr. Weller and Sam are not well-versed in notice, board or not board, lodgin'
probate law or financial investment, there are a number of
humorous misunderstandings along the way, but the humor or no lodgin', Sam Veller, as you
does not conceal the fundamental fact that Dickens still didn't
took from the old inn in the
trust lawyers. As the narrator comments toward the end of the
chapter, the Weller will "was by very many degrees the best Borough, sticks by you, come what
professional job [Mr. Pell] had ever had, and one on which he
may, and let ev'rythin' and
boarded, lodged, and washed, for six months afterwards." Even
a good lawyer with a smart client (in this case, Sam and his ev'rybody do their wery fiercest,
father) manages to find a way to make so much money off one
small case that he could live off it for six months.
nothin' shall ever perwent it!
This is, in effect, a declaration of love. It is very like Ruth's

Chapter 56 declaration to her mother-in-law Naomi in the Bible:
And Ruth said, Intreat me not to

Summary leave thee, or to return from
Sam and his father visit Mr. Pickwick. They ask him to handle following after thee: for whither
Mr. Weller's money for him. Mr. Pickwick agrees, then changes
the subject to a topic that is important to him: Sam's thou goest, I will go; and where
relationship with Mary. Pickwick is determined to help Sam get thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy
married. Sam refuses, because he will not leave Mr. Pickwick to
fend for himself. He tells Pickwick that he has told Mary his people shall be my people, and thy
intentions, and she has declared that she is willing to wait to
God my God:
marry until he is ready. As they argue, a gentleman is shown in
to visit Mrs. Winkle. It is Mr. Winkle, senior, who has decided to Where thou diest, will I die, and
see who his son married. He is pleased with Arabella and
forgives his son for eloping, making Pickwick's happiness
there will I be buried: the Lord do

The Pickwick Papers Study Guide Quotes 44
so to me, and more also, if ought

g Quotes
but death part thee and me.
At the end of the book, Mr. Pickwick, the "angel in tights and
"Great men are seldom over
gaiters," has found his own form of true love: friendship and scrupulous in the arrangement of
companionship with Sam Weller.
their attire."
Chapter 57 — Narrator, Chapter 2
The narrator is discussing Mr. Pickwick's preparation for his

Summary travels. This reiterates the idea that Pickwick is a "great man,"
which was established in Chapter 1, although Dickens is being
In the final chapter, Mr. Pickwick dissolves the Pickwick Club facetious. Dickens establishes early on that Pickwick is a kind,
and settles down in a new house near London. Mr. Snodgrass but in no way brilliant, man. However, the members of the
and Emily get married. The Winkles and the Snodgrasses enjoy Pickwick Club treat him as a genius, so his less-than-
married life, and Mr. Tupman lives near them and enjoys flirting scrupulous attire seems appropriate.
with elderly ladies. Sam remains faithful to Mr. Pickwick;
eventually he and Mary get married and work together, caring
for Pickwick. Mr. Weller retires and lives off the money Mr. "Most people are when they've
Pickwick has invested for him. Mr. Jingle and Job remain far
away, but they both become "worthy members of society." Mr. little to do and less to get."
Pickwick serves as godfather to many of his friends' children;
he is deeply respected in the neighborhood and adored by — Mr. Jingle, Chapter 2
Sam and Mary.
Mr. Jingle attempts to ingratiate himself with Mr. Pickwick by
Analysis claiming to be a philosopher or "observer of human nature." He

comments that people can be "observers of human nature"
when they don't have much to do or to get. This applies to Mr.
In the final chapter, Dickens arranges everything for a happy
Pickwick, who is wealthy and retired. Mr. Jingle may intend for
ending. All three loving couples are married, but Sam has also
Pickwick to believe that he also is a wealthy man of leisure, or
found a way to remain with Mr. Pickwick. Pickwick himself
he may honestly see himself as someone with little to do,
retires from travel and ends the Pickwick Club, which gives the
because he doesn't have a job, and less to get, because he has
reader some cause to hope that he will no longer embroil
no money.
himself in foolish escapades. The kindly old gentleman is
settled with people who look up to him and appreciate his
goodness.
"Man is but mortal; and there is a
The Pickwick Papers starts out with Mr. Pickwick as a rather
pompous and foolish old man. As the book continues, and point beyond which human
particularly after his time in prison, Mr. Pickwick becomes courage cannot extend."
kinder and less foolish. Instead of being too silly for the real
world, he is too gentle and good, and as such, he is rewarded
— Narrator, Chapter 4
with a happy life.
This refers to Mr. Pickwick and his friends as they face the

regiment's charge during the bivouac and field day. Dickens Sam intervenes when Mr. Pickwick becomes angry at Dodson
repeatedly refers to Mr. Pickwick as godlike, angel-like, or and Fogg. In his usually picturesque way, Sam warns Pickwick
superior to the ordinary man, but here he admits that Pickwick not to give Dodson and Fogg any more evidence to use against
and his friends are mere mortals and were frightened. him in court cases.
"'It wasn't the wine,' murmured Mr. "I took a good deal o' pains with
Snodgrass, in a broken voice. 'It his eddication, sir; let him run in
was the salmon.' (Somehow or the streets when he was wery
other, it never is the wine, in these young, and shift for his-self. It's the
cases.)" only way to make a boy sharp, sir."
— Mr. Snodgrass, Chapter 8 — Mr. Weller, Chapter 20
When the men return home drunk after the cricket match, the When Mr. Pickwick first meets Mr. Weller, Sam's father
Wardle ladies are horrified. In an attempt to present himself in anxiously inquires whether Sam is a satisfactory servant. Upon
a better light, Mr. Snodgrass suggests food poisoning, rather hearing that he is, Mr. Weller takes credit for Sam's success,
than drunkenness, is to blame. As the narrator points out, this citing his own unorthodox parenting technique. Although his
is a polite fiction that is often attempted but rarely believed. parenting approach may have been questionable, it did have
the result of making Sam very street-smart and careful, which
is part of what makes him so valuable to Pickwick.
"It's always best on these
occasions to do what the mob do." "Dumb as a drum vith a hole in it."
— Mr. Pickwick, Chapter 13
— Sam Weller, Chapter 25
This exchange happens during the election at Eatanswill.

When Mr. Pickwick, Sam, and the other Pickwickians are
Dickens shows his opinion of the political process by referring
arrested by the Magistrate, Sam argues with everyone, trying
to the rowdy election crowd as a "mob." Mr. Pickwick's advice
to defend his master. Pickwick orders him to be quiet. This is
to go along with the mob suggests a certain level of cowardice,
Sam's response.
or at least a strong sense of self-preservation.
"She never went out herself, and ...

"Battledore and shuttlecock's a
was apt to consider it an act of
wery good game, vhen you ain't
domestic treason, if anybody else
the shuttlecock and two lawyers
took the liberty of doing what she
the battledores, in which case it
couldn't."
gets too excitin' to be pleasant."
— Sam Weller, Chapter 20

Mrs. Wardle, the old deaf lady who is Mr. Wardle's mother, is
die of starvation and nakedness."
rather cranky and unhappy when the Pickwickians visit at
Christmas. She doesn't approve of the Pickwickians' travels,
and she is particularly unhappy about the imminent wedding of
her granddaughter to Mr. Trundle.
This is one of Dickens's most direct statements against
debtors' prisons in the book, made as Mr. Pickwick visits the
"When a man bleeds inwardly, it is "poor side" of the debtors' prison for the first time. Dickens
follows this quote with the sentence: "This is no fiction," in case
a dangerous thing for himself; but readers think he is inventing or embellishing the truth of the
when he laughs inwardly, it bodes prison.
no good to other people."

"I never heerd ... or read of in
story-books, nor see in picters,
When Mr. Pickwick insists that he be introduced to the great any angel in tights and gaiters ...
Serjeant Snubbin, who will argue his case in court, he
but ... he's a reg'lar thoroughbred
witnesses Perker and the clerk laughing together about getting
more out of their clients. The clerk is the one who "laughs angel for all that."
inwardly," and it is an example of the inherent mistrust Dickens
has for lawyers and their subordinates. — Sam Weller, Chapter 45
When Sam learns that Mr. Pickwick has been helping Mr. Jingle
"Never mind the character, and and Job in prison, he is struck once again by how good
stick to the alleybi." Pickwick is.
— Mr. Weller, Chapter 33

"What was over couldn't be begun,
Sam's father offers his advice on Mr. Pickwick's trial, and he and what couldn't be cured must
recommends focusing on the alibi. This argument, of course,
be endured."
does not apply in a civil matter, such as Bardell v. Pickwick, but
Mr. Weller is convinced it could help Mr. Pickwick avoid a
judgement against him. — Narrator, Chapter 48
Mr. Pickwick breaks the news of Arabella's elopement and

"We still leave unblotted the leaves marriage to her brother. Arabella's aunt comes unexpectedly
to his aid, telling Ben Allen to make the best of it.
of our statute book ... the just and
wholesome law which declares
that the sturdy felon shall be fed "You'll find that as you get vider,
and clothed, and that the you'll get viser. Vidth and visdom,
penniless debtor shall be left to Sammy, alvays grows together."

The Pickwick Papers Study Guide Symbols 47
— Mr. Weller, Chapter 56

street's lined vith 'em. Blessed if I
Sam suggests that his father is getting plump in his old age;
don't think that ven a man's wery
this is Mr. Weller's retort. poor, he rushes out of his lodgings,
and eats oysters in reg'lar
desperation.'
l Symbols
In fact, oysters were considered a "poor man's food" because
they were easy to store in tubs and they would "keep" a long
Food time. Compare that to Mr. Pickwick who, in Chapter 2, dines on
fresh-caught sole. Dickens points out that in prison Mr. Jingle
and Job—before Pickwick helps them—are planning to eat "a
small piece of raw loin of mutton" (Chapter 42). Mutton is the
Food is very important in The Pickwick Papers. It represents
meat of an older sheep; it has a strong flavor and is very tough
abundance, comfort, and happiness. Dickens spends a lot of
unless cooked properly. After Pickwick's help, Job tells Sam
time describing the meals eaten by the Pickwickians. Several
they will eat "half a leg of mutton, baked ... with the potatoes
characters—Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Tupman, and Mr. Weller, not to
under it, to save boiling" (Chapter 45). They are still eating
mention Joe the servant boy—are described as being
inexpensive food, but there is much more of it and it will be
overweight. At the time, people would see that as a sign of
prepared in a more appetizing way. In contrast, Mr. Pickwick's
prosperity rather than a health issue, and Dickens provides
meal in Chapter 51, when he travels with Bob Sawyer and Ben
meals to match. Even the description of Manor Farm when
Allen, is described by Sam as "pair of fowls, Sir, and a weal
they first arrive (Chapter 5) emphasizes the food stored in the
cutlet; French beans, 'taturs, tart, and tidiness."
kitchen. During the Bardell v. Pickwick trial, one of the letters
Mr. Pickwick has written to Mrs. Bardell focuses on food,
specifically "chops and tomata sauce." The prosecuting
attorney claims he couldn't possibly have written a letter to Clothes
Mrs. Bardell merely to ask for chops and tomata sauce, but
given the importance of food in this book, the reader finds it
quite plausible.
Clothes in The Pickwick Papers function as a symbol of a
Lacking in food, or eating only poor quality food, also functions character's identity. Interestingly, the focus is far more on
symbolically in the book. As Sam points out in Chapter 22: men's clothes than on women's. In Chapter 2 the narrator
states that "Great men are seldom over-scrupulous in the
arrangement of their attire." Mr. Pickwick is one of these men
'It's a wery remarkable who is not "over-scrupulous;" in fact he is so often described
circumstance, Sir,' said Sam, 'that as wearing gaiters that when he leaves them off to dance at
Christmastime, his friends are shocked (Chapter 28).
poverty and oysters always seem
More unusual or outlandish clothes make a statement about
to go together ... The poorer a
the character as well. In Chapter 1 Dickens provides
place is, the greater call there descriptions of some of Mr. Pickwick's friends more elaborate
clothing choices, such as Mr. Snodgrass's cape and Mr.
seems to be for oysters. Look, Winkle's hunting coat. These clothes, which draw attention to
here, Sir; here's a oyster stall to their owners, seem to be a youthful manifestation of self-
doubt; Dickens makes sure to note in Chapter 57 that Mr.
every half-dozen houses—the Winkle, once married and settled, "exchanged his old costume

The Pickwick Papers Study Guide Themes 48
for the ordinary dress of Englishmen." In Chapter 15 Pickwick was a journalist covering Parliament for years. As a result of
and Mr. Tupman almost come to blows when Pickwick ridicules these experiences, he grew suspicious, even contemptuous, of
Mr. Tupman's idea of appearing in a costume at the costume lawyers and politicians. In The Pickwick Papers, lawyers and
party breakfast. politicians are, for the most part, watching out for themselves
rather than serving the public.
Lack of the proper clothes also makes a statement about a
character. When the Pickwickians first meet Mr. Jingle in Politicians make a relatively brief appearance in The Pickwick
Chapter 2, Dickens slips in a comment that his clothes do not Papers, surfacing during the ridiculous election in Eatanswill.
fit properly and his only luggage is a "brown paper parcel, Many of the people involved treat the election with intense
which presented most suspicious indications of containing one seriousness, and yet no real discussion of issues takes place.
shirt and a handkerchief." In Chapter 3 Mr. Jingle borrows Mr. Sam joyfully describes election antics designed to prevent
Winkle's beautiful new suit to attend the party, which only gets voters from having their say, including drugging them with
Mr. Winkle into trouble because the distinctive suit is how Dr. laudanum. In the end the "right" candidate wins, but he is the
Slammer identifies the man who insulted him. Later, when Mr. right candidate only because he is the one supported by the
Pickwick finds Mr. Jingle in prison, Dickens describes him as "in Pickwickians' social circle. His exact beliefs on anything are
tattered garments, and without a coat; his common calico shirt never made clear.
yellow and in rags" (Chapter 42). Mr. Jingle confesses that he
and Job have pawned coats, extra shirts, a silk umbrella, and Lawyers play a much larger role in the book, particularly
even boots, just to get enough money to live. Perker, Mr. Pickwick's lawyer, and the unethical team of
Dodson and Fogg. All the lawyers portrayed in The Pickwick
Dickens is most specific about Sam's attire. When Mr. Pickwick Papers behave in an unsympathetic manner, all of them lie to
first meets Sam, he has upgraded his coarse clothes for new, their clients, and all of them want to make as much money as
higher quality clothes due to his employment with Pickwick. possible. Perker has his clerk lie to a client, claiming Perker is
During the trial Sam insists that the main reason he remembers out of town. Then, a moment later, the clerk ushers Mr.
his first day of employment with Mr. Pickwick was because "I Pickwick in to see him. The reason? The client is bothering
had a reg'lar new fit out o' clothes that mornin', gen'l'men of the them about his case. Perker can't understand why Mr. Pickwick
jury ... and that was a wery partickler and uncommon won't just pay the damages and move on past the Bardell case.
circumstance vith me in those days" (Chapter 34). Sam is Later, when Pickwick wants to use his money to help Mr.
proud of his new clothes, and in fact servants' clothes were a Jingle, Perker is dubious at best.
reflection of their employer. When Sam attends the servants'
party in Chapter 37, one of the servants confides in him that Dodson and Fogg, too, are presented in an offensive way. They
"we know, Mr. Weller—we, who are men of the world—that a do everything they can legally do to win cases and get money
good uniform must work its way with the women, sooner or for themselves. Their case against Pickwick is largely
later. In fact, that's the only thing, between you and I, that fabricated, but they know how to present it and they win. When
makes the service worth entering into." Even among the they do not get their money from Mr. Pickwick, they jail Mrs.
servants, clothes make the man. Bardell, insisting that she pay them. They regularly entice
Pickwick to insult them, salivating over the opportunity to sue
him for slander or assault or anything else that occurs to them.
m Themes
Worst of all, neither lawyers nor politicians do anything about
the horrors of debtors' prison. Debtors' prisons, as Dickens
knew from personal experience, were a scam. Wealthier
prisoners, like Mr. Pickwick, can pay the guards to obtain
Law and Politics anything they want, including private rooms, alcohol, and fancy
meals. However, the majority of the prisoners, who were only in
prison because they couldn't pay a bill, were crammed into
filthy rooms, half-starved, and mistreated whenever the guards
Many of society's problems, as Dickens saw it, revolved around
felt like it. The election at Eatanswill has a lighthearted tone,
law and politics. He had worked in a law office as a youth and

The Pickwick Papers Study Guide Themes 49
but when the reader considers that the ridiculous Blue Dickens often featured debtors' prisons in his work, notably in
candidate might be able to change conditions in these prisons David Copperfield (1850) and Little Dorrit (1857).
if he could take the time away from insulting his Buff
counterpart, the true injustice strikes home.
Marriage and Love

Suffering of the Poor
Much of this novel focuses on love and marriage, which do not
always, in this society, go together. Dickens seems to argue
Every Dickens novel addresses the suffering of the poor in that marital problems occur when people marry for societal
some way. Dickens was greatly affected by his father's reasons, such as money or respect, but when people marry for
imprisonment for debt. In The Pickwick Papers, Dickens love, happiness ensues.
complains about a system that allows people to be ensnared
and to suffer in a system they could never escape. Some unmarried people in the book wish to be married to
obtain financial stability, or wealth. Mr. Jingle pursues several
The Pickwick Papers is full of stories of good people who women and elopes with Miss Rachael Wardle because she has
cannot escape from poverty or debtors' prison. When Mr. money of her own. Mr. Weller's second wife married him for the
Pickwick and Sam are in prison, they both rent rooms from money he inherited from his first wife. She keeps tight control
residents (the Chancery prisoner and the cobbler) who have of the money during her life, but Sam and Mr. Weller inherit it
suffered for years. The cobbler inherited money but spent so after her death. That fact provides some consolation to the
much in legal fees that he ended up in debt; the Chancery now-twice-widowed Mr. Weller.
prisoner dies in debtors' prison. Dickens would revisit the
themes of Chancery and legal fees again, most famously in Marriage can also boost a character's social standing. Miss
Bleak House (1953). Many of the stories that Mr. Pickwick Rachael Wardle doesn't accept the advances of Mr. Tupman
collects through the novel describe immense suffering and then Mr. Jingle because she needs financial support.
because of poverty. Rather, she wants the improved social status that being
married would bring her. Mrs. Bardell is overwhelmed when she
At the same time, Dickens shows that there are people living in believes Pickwick is proposing to her, partially because her
poverty who do not care at all, such as some of the inhabitants status as Mrs. Pickwick would be greatly improved. This may
Mr. Pickwick meets in debtors' prison. Other poor people turn also be why it never occurs to Pickwick that she could think he
to unethical methods of escape the privations of poverty, was proposing. As his social inferior, there would be no reason
apparently willing to go to any extreme to avoid it. Mr. Jingle's for him to propose to her unless he was madly in love with her.
escapades are a constant effort to stay ahead of his bills;
when he fails, he ends up in prison and would have died there, Dickens argues that marriages for societal reasons do not
if not for Pickwick. Mr. Pickwick hears stories of poor men who work out. Mr. Weller warns Sam and anyone else who will listen
turn to drink or beat their wives. Dickens implies that these about the perils of marriage, particularly marriage to a widow.
unfortunates might have made better choices if they were not When Mr. Pott hears that Mr. Winkle has married, he is
trapped in their impoverished state. sardonically pleased. Married men in the book—Mr. Pott, for
example, and Mr. Hunter (whose wife is the poetess and
Mr. Pickwick himself is a wealthy man; this keeps him insulated hostess of the costume party breakfast)—often are made to
from some of the traumatic experiences of Dickens's other look foolish by their wives. Mr. Weller suffers greatly when his
characters. He and Sam both experience the evils of poverty wife becomes enamored with "the shepherd" and religion.
as observers, which perhaps makes it easier for the reader to
relate to them. In fact, Dickens was responsible for bringing Not every marriage is negative, however. There are several
attention to the horrors of debtors' prison. The prison he and happy weddings: Mr. Trundle and Bella Wardle, Mr. Winkle and
his family suffered in, Marshalsea, was closed in the 1840s, Arabella Allen, Mr. Snodgrass and Emily Wardle, Sam and
only a few years after The Pickwick Papers was published. Mary. None of these marriages take place for societal reasons;

The Pickwick Papers Study Guide Suggested Reading 50
no one benefits financially or socially. In fact, the Winkles'

marriage threatens their social standing, since for a time it
looks as if their families will cut them off. Since he himself was
newly married during the writing of The Pickwick Papers, he
may have felt personally invested in this theme.
e Suggested Reading
Dickens, Charles. The Selected Letters of Charles Dickens.
Edited by Jenny Hartley. Oxford UP, 2015.
Dickens Hawksley, Lucinda. Charles Dickens: The Dickens

Bicentenary, 1812–2012. Insight, 2011.
Douglas-Fairhurst, Robert. Becoming Dickens: The Invention of

a Novelist. Belknap, 2011.
Engel, Elliot. Pickwick Papers: An Annotated Bibliography.

Garland, 1990.
Martyris, Nina. "The Sam Weller Bump." The Paris Review, 10

May 2015.
Tomalin, Claire. Charles Dickens: A Life. Penguin, 2012.

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The Pickwick

The Pickwick Papers is written in the past tense.

k Plot Summary ............................................................................................. 9 d In Context

g Quotes ........................................................................................................ 44 Social Class and the Industrial

Debtors' Prison Dickens's Experience with the

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eventually building a career as a journalist covering legal cases

When he turned 15, Dickens pursued work as a clerk in a legal

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covered legislative actions and debates in Parliament. This

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Other Major Character

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Full Character List Mrs. Bardell is Mr. Pickwick's landlady,

Mr. Blotton is a member of the Pickwick

Sam Weller is a lower-​class Englishman

Mr. Dodson is a lawyer in the firm of

A member of the Pickwick Club, Mr.

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Mrs. Weller is Sam's stepmother who

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Mr. Pickwick does not suffer as much as other people in

Mr. Pickwick announces he is done with traveling and plans to

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7. Mrs. Bardell is imprisoned.

1. The Pickwickians start their journey and meet Mr. Jingle.

8. Pickwick pays his debt and is released from prison.

2. Mr. Jingle elopes with Miss Wardle.

5. Pickwick is tried and imprisoned for breach of contract.

6. Sam joins Mr. Pickwick in debtors' prison.

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The first journey

The Pickwickians begin first journey and meet Mr. Jingle.

A case of mistaken identity almost draws Mr. Winkle into

Visit with the Wardles

The Pickwickians stay with the Wardles at Manor Farm.

Mr. Jingle steals Miss Rachael Wardle from Mr. Tupman

Paying off Jingle

Pickwick and Wardle pay Mr. Jingle to leave Rachael;

Pickwick speaks to Mrs. Bardell about Sam, but she

The search for Mr. Jingle

Mrs. Bardell sues Pickwick for breach of promise.

Pickwick loses his case to Mrs. Bardell but refuses to

Pickwick helps Mr. Winkle visit Arabella Allen.

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Pickwick is sent to debtors' prison.

Meeting friends in prison

Pickwick discovers Mr. Jingle and Job Trotter in prison

Sam goes to prison

Sam goes to prison to protect Pickwick.

Mrs. Bardell in prison

Dodson and Fogg have Mrs. Bardell sent to prison for

Mr. Winkle's surprise

Freed from prison

Peace in the family

Pickwick assists the newlyweds in patching things up

Pickwick helps Mr. Snodgrass win the girl of his dreams,

Pickwick and Sam settle down together; Sam and Mary

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Dickens had to create short, vivid characterizations of the four

Dickens enjoyed giving his characters names that are

As Mr. Pickwick speaks, he is interrupted by cheers and also

Sam Weller is a lower-class Englishman