Episodes XIII-XIV, Chapters 34-39

[Jonathan]

Chapter 34 - Begins with the long-awaited, much anticipated trial Bardell v. Pickwick; the jury is sworn in, including the irreverent chemist; one after another the witnesses for the plaintiff are called: Mrs. Cluppins, Nathaniel Winkle, Tracy Tupman, Augustus Snodgrass, Susannah Sanders, and then Sam Weller; the defense rests after admitting that Mr. Pickwick is a gentleman of considerable independent property; jury finds in favor of the plaintiff and fines Pickwick 750#; in spite of his wealth, Pickwick vows he would rather spend the rest of his life behind bars than to give Messrs. Dodson and Fogg one red cent.

[Jonathan]

Chapter 35 - After the trial, the Pickwick Club decides to take their hilarious show on the road to Bath; during the journey, they meet Mr. and Mrs. Dowler; Dowler introduces the illustrious gentleman to Angelo Cyrus Bantam, Esquire; the Club attends a ball in Bath.

[Jonathan]

Chapter 36 - Pickwick reads The Legend of Prince Bladud, which gives us a mythological account of the inception of Bath; leaving its readers to understand that Bath is a meeting place for both the Old and the Young who have been forsaken by Cupid.

Mrs. Dowler and Mr. Winkle arrive back late to the house Pickwick is letting and find they are both locked out; Mr. Dowler is enraged to hear that the two were found together in his wife's sedan-chair and vows to cut Mr. Winkle's throat.

[Jonathan]

Chapter 37 - Again, Weller headlines his own chapter, in which he is invited to a dinner party of footman. As Mr. Winkle is on the run from the wrath of Dowler, Pickwick commissions Sam to find him and bring him back.

[Jonathan]

Chapter 38 - Mr. Winkle flees towards Clifton, gets lost, and stops at a Surgery to inquire as to his whereabouts; he encounters renews acquaintance with Dr. Bob Sawyer and his friend Ben Allen; after learning of their unscrupulous advertising methods, Winkle also learns that his beloved Arabella is still as free as a bird and apparently in love with some unknown man, who he hopes is himself.

Upon his return to the Bush, where he was staying, Winkle is alarmed to find Mr. Dowler. Instead of cutting the sportsman's throat, he offers him his hand in friendship and suggests it was all a misunderstanding.

After Winkle falls asleep, the ambitious Weller tries to kick down his door; Winkle explains that he wants to stay in Bristol to find Arabella; the two reach an agreement and Weller locks him in his room for the night, resolving not to lose sight of him until Pickwick gives an answer to their letter.

[Jonathan]

Chapter 39 - Pickwick responds in person rather than in letter; with the illustrious gentleman's reluctant approval, Sam undertakes to locate Arabella; during his search, he stumbles upon a lost pearl of his own, the pretty housemaid Mary, to whom he had sent his Valentine letter; after exchanging pleasantries and whatnot, Sam learns from Mary that the sought after maiden is staying next door to her; Sam finds Arabella on her nightly walk and makes plans to return with Winkle; Pickwick accompanies them to Arabella's place, and is the first to approach her; after Pickwick falls down, Winkle steps up and professes his love to Arabella; the three return safely, after escaping the scientific gentleman who was nosing into their doings.

[Jonathan]

During the trial, I think Sam Weller became the shining star of this work. After he outwitted the clever attorney, and shocked the courtroom with his harmless, but irreverent personality, I believe that he stole the show. I like how he answers the judge as to how to spell his last name: "That depends upon the taste and fancy of the speller, my Lord."

I am particularly struck by his queer manner of speaking, where he ends each one of his remarks with a simile. "Oh quite enough to get, Sir, as the soldier said ven they ordered him three hundred and fifty lashes."

He is such a loyal dufus that I don't see how anyone could not be amused by him. Nothing phased him. When the judge tried to intimidate him, he was "perfectly calm and serene". Out of all of Pickwick's acquaintances, Sam was the only one who did not turn evidence against the poor misjudged man (I mean "the illustrious gentleman", of course).

Of course, when the learned Serjeant Buzfuz finally realized that he was outsmarted and made a fool of no matter what he tried, he just bashed the poor faithful servant's "impenetrable stupidity".

My take on Sam's turn in the witness box was that he had purposely put up an impenetrable wall, sure, it was probably constructed with stupidity, but it served its purpose and he was the first witness to baffle and stifle Buzfuz.

[Jonathan]

At first, we lacked a plot. Mrs. Bardell's frivolous lawsuit provided that for us. As soon as she contrived this allegation the characters now had a much needed problem to solve.

Up until now, we have lacked a theme. Loyalty in friendship and servitude is, at this point, becoming the theme of this novel. This is not a romance. At least, the dominant focus is not on the relationships that are made or fail to be made by the Pickwick Club and the single women they encounter. These relationships supply some interesting subplots, but they are not the primary reason to read this book. At this point, the book begins to focus on the relationship between Pickwick and his servant, and I think the dominant focus of the author is on the devotion Sam is beginning to show for his fearless leader. This is a good book!