Little Dorrit in Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)

Jul 14, 2010 Franky rated it it was amazing

Shelves: classics, amazing, favorites, victorian

It’s easy to see why Charles Dickens would write a novel like Little Dorrit. His father spent fourteen years in the Marshalsea prison for debt and much like the lead character, Amy Dorrit, Charles spent time going to the prison to visit and care for his father. Like many Dickens novels, Little Dorrit explores poverty, wealth, society, and the separation of classes, but it has a darker feel to it than many of his other works. Of all his writings, I found the plot of Little Dorrit to be the most i It’s easy to see why Charles Dickens would write a novel like Little Dorrit. His father spent fourteen years in the Marshalsea prison for debt and much like the lead character, Amy Dorrit, Charles spent time going to the prison to visit and care for his father. Like many Dickens novels, Little Dorrit explores poverty, wealth, society, and the separation of classes, but it has a darker feel to it than many of his other works. Of all his writings, I found the plot of Little Dorrit to be the most interesting and engaging, despite the novel’s length.

The theme of imprisonment is at the forefront of Little Dorrit. There are the physical prisons in life, but there are also the prisons we create for ourselves. William Dorrit, Amy’s father, is one character who experiences such a prison. Being enclosed in the walls of the Marshalsea is stifling to him; however, it isn’t until he has newly found wealth and is released from the Marshalsea that he experiences true imprisonment. Blinded by ambition to be thought of a highly genteel and respectable, he goes to such lengths to prove that he isn’t “common” that he loses sight of what is important. Wealth and freedom have such a debilitating effect on Mr. Dorrit that he not only loses touch with old friends at the Marshalsea (Arthur Clennam, John Chivery), but also familial bonding (he doesn’t want Amy to care for him, or speak of old times at the Marshalsea). William Dorrit creates a façade of his identity, forgets his past, and this leads to his delusion. Mrs. Clennam, Arthur’s mother, is another character who has a physical confinement within the walls of the house of Clennam, but also refuses to divulge to Arthur any information about family secrets, thereby distancing herself from the one person who wants to help her.

The concept of wealth is also investigated, but the line between wealth and poverty is eschewed, not always being as obvious as one would expect. Physical wealth and money have detrimental effects, often leading to character’s downfalls (Merdle, William Dorrit, Fanny Dorrit, and Rigaud). Characters who are in debt aren’t necessarily “poor”; Amy Dorrit and Arthur Clennam, the protagonists, are clear examples of spiritual wealth being vastly superior to monetary gain, as they are happier when all is lost financially.

Dickens brings in an assortment of odd, eccentric characters from various stations in life and with a variety of personalities. Here is a brief description of some of the more interesting ones:
--Amy Dorrit, the “child of the Marshalsea” who cares for her father and is not affected by the family’s new found wealth, forms a bond with Arthur
--Arthur Clennam, emerges as the main protagonist, selfless and caring to the Dorrit family, wants to discover the secrets behind the House of Clennam
--Mrs. Clennam, Arthur’s mother, cold, icy personality, reclusive, hides family secret
--William Dorrit, Amy’s father,“tragic hero”, cannot shut out his sense of entitlement to being part of “upper class and elite”
--Mr. Panks, debt collector and probably the most humorous character in novel, helps Arthur on his quest to find the truth behind the Dorrits, the Clennams, and the villain Rigaud
-- Rigaud, villain, liar, thief, murderer, tries to blackmail Mrs. Clennam in order to get a sum of money
--Mrs. General, a so-called expert on “Society”, who is as delusional as Mr. Dorrit
--Mr. Merdle, highly regarded member of Society whose apparent wealth and power literally control the fates and wealth of many.

Little Dorrit, while it takes awhile to get into, is one of the more rewarding novels I’ve read. The plot, though quite intricate and complex, was highly entertaining and worked well with the serial format Dickens uses. Although much of the novel deals with death, poverty and prisons, Dickens as usual finds a way to add some comic relief, and ultimately this is an uplifting story with morals about what being “rich” is. Some readers may be put off by the vast amount of characters, the several subplots, and the lengthy descriptions of the Circumvention Office (you could probably skip these), but, if you can get to the plot at hand, it is a fun read. Little Dorrit doesn’t get the fanfare that other novels like Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, or A Christmas Carol get, but it probably should.

Highly recommended!
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