The Haunted Man - Part Three

[Peter]

Mary Lou wrote: "Wait a minute.... so the suicidal man stole Redlaw's girl, then dumped her and married Redlaw's sister? I'm so confused....."

Yeeeesss. I think. Now I’m getting more confused and feeling rather sheepish that what I assumed is, in fact, wrong.

A fine way to begin 2018. Or perhaps, it’s weirdly reassuring to see that I haven’t changed that much from last year. :-))

[Milena]

Peter wrote: "My logic was that since the student was Redlaw’s nephew the mystery woman who died had to be Redlaw’s sister. The unannounced down on his heals man was the person who married Redlaw’s sister, but this marriage occurred after he had first stolen the heart of the woman Redlaw had wanted to marry himself.

Oh my! Now I am getting confused and doubting myself. "

Poor Redlaw, I’m sorry for him, but I can’t stop laughing while reading these comments.
When I was reading this part of the story, I got confused after the pretzel-like situation and I gave up getting the exact picture. Peter’s explanation is good, and now it’s clear why Dickens, when wrote about forgiving Langford, didn’t mean to invite him to the final Christmas dinner, but to remove him to some distant place :-D

[~ Cheryl ~]

...and special thanks to Kim for sharing the
"Lord, keep my memory green!" poem, as well as the one called
"The Five Christmas Spirits"

I've already printed them out to tuck them into my hard copy of Dickens' collected Christmas stories.

[Vanessa]

Peter wrote: "Mary Lou wrote: "Wait a minute.... so the suicidal man stole Redlaw's girl, then dumped her and married Redlaw's sister? I'm so confused....."

After puzzling through this, I don't think Longford married Redlaw's sister. The key point in Part One (which we missed) was Redlaw's statement that his young, hopeful "pictures of the future" (as the Phantom goads him) were a "delusion." Both Redlaw and his sister expected/hoped that Longford would marry her, but instead he ran off with Redlaw's love. This makes it all the more poignant that his sister afterwards was "doubly devoted" to Redlaw, and that she died (presumably of a broken heart). So there was a double betrayal, to both Redlaw and his sister, and Redlaw felt to blame for bringing him into their lives.

This also makes sense of the student talking about his mother revering Redlaw's name, as Mrs. Longford probably soon realized that Redlaw was a far better man than her husband. Perhaps because of the lasting impression of A Christmas Carol we were predisposed to see a neglected nephew. But since Redlaw is at heart a compassionate man, I don't think he would abandon a nephew, and if his sister had a son with Longford, Redlaw surely would have known about the boy.

If Longford had first married R's sister, then abandoned her for Redlaw's fiancee, that would have been bigamy -- pretty scandalous for Victorian readers. But Redlaw suggests his friend "passing between me and the centre of my system of hopes and struggles, won her to himself, and shattered my frail universe." He must be referring to his own love interest here, since why would Redlaw be shattered by his friend marrying his sister at this point in their lives, when he was a dear friend?

Considering how significant these events are to the story -- the explanation to Redlaw's haunting -- I'm wondering how many read this story before its publication. It's so confusing to know when he speaks of his romantic love vs. his sister. A confusing note to begin the new year, indeed -- may it be a happy one :)

[Vanessa]

Tristram wrote: "Vanessa,

I really appreciate your trying to work out all those puzzles about the characters' antecedents and relationships because I have to confess they passed above my head. Maybe, this was beca..."

I'm not sure I would have understood it, without the illustration commentary that Kim posted, Tristram. When I read that Redlaw was rejected by a fiancee in his youth (message 10), I thought, really? How did I miss that? But even the commentators seem to have jumped to conclusions, since the Phantom/Redlaw says (in Part One) he was too poor in his youth to bind his love to his fortune, "by any thread of promise or entreaty." So I don't think they were engaged, although he hoped for the future. I'm afraid I haven't read all the commentary -- maybe there are a few other insights into this muddle.

[Peter]

Vanessa wrote: "Tristram wrote: "Vanessa,

I really appreciate your trying to work out all those puzzles about the characters' antecedents and relationships because I have to confess they passed above my head. May..."

Hi Vanessa

You are certainly applying a close and very logical reading to The Haunted Man. Thank you.

I wonder if Dickens’s original readers successfully puzzled their way through The Haunted Man and, if they did, how much it added to or distracted from the heart of the story? As to what is the heart of the story... Is The Haunted Man really that much of a Christmas story, or just a story that is set at Christmas? It does follow the template of ACC, but THM seems very far from ACC. The psychological depth of THM is interesting, but again, does that help or hinder the story’s success?

Puzzles for sure.

[Mary Lou]

Vanessa wrote: "Peter wrote: "Mary Lou wrote: "Wait a minute.... so the suicidal man stole Redlaw's girl, then dumped her and married Redlaw's sister? I'm so confused....."

After puzzling through this, I don't th..."

Your post, and my further confusion (though your theory makes good sense) just proves that this novella was in desperate need of more careful attention from both the author and the editors. Sheesh!

[Kim]

~ Cheryl ~ wrote: "...and special thanks to Kim for sharing the
"Lord, keep my memory green!" poem, as well as the one called
"The Five Christmas Spirits"

I've already printed them out to tuck them into my hard cop..."

Thank you so much Cheryl. I'm glad you enjoyed them.

[Bionic Jean]

I do think that many of Dickens writings can be appreciated by non-Christians, or those of other faiths, notwithstanding his own clear Christian faith. Both this one and "A Christmas Carol", to which it feels so clearly related, have that "universal spirituality" someone mentioned (sorry I forget who first said it!)

Often I will say to people who are perhaps Jewish, or Muslim or Hindu, that the Christmas books are not overtly Christian in their detail, despite the name, but spiritual in a broader sense.

I'm so sorry to have lagged behind a little in my comments, as I said before, but appreciate everyone's insights very much :)