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Little Dorrit
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Buddy Read of Little Dorrit mid-Sept onwards with Janelle, Bridget, Lori and others
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Antoinette
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Nov 09, 2021 09:39AM
One question: did I miss anything in regards to Blandois? Who reported him missing?
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Yes, I know there are posters up about him, but I was just wondering who reported him missing? He doesn’t seem to have any real friendships to speak of.
Antionette, Jean mentioned the poster or police handbill. Flora presented it to Dorrit in which it set forth that a foreign gentleman of the name of Blandois, last from Venice, had unaccountably disappeared on such a night in such a part of the city of London; that he was known to have entered such a house, at such an hour; that he was stated by the inmates of that house to have left it, about so many minutes before midnight; and that he had never been beheld since.
So could this imply that Mrs. Clennam or Flintwinch reported something?
Flora also says: <...in traveling back you will have the kindness to look for this foreign gentleman along all the roads...for he must be somewhere and why doesn't he come forward and say he's there and clear all the parties up?
What could she mean and who could she be talking about? What's to clear up?
Lori, I thought that somehow Mrs. Clennam and Flintwich were implicated. Are they looking for him or has someone else raised the alarm?
Looking back in the chapter, here is one possible reason that Dorrit decided to investigate:he thought it behoved his importance to pursue some direct inquiry into the Blandois disappearance, and be in a condition to carry back to Mr. Henry Gowan the result of his own personal investigation.
So he considers it his personal duty to find out for Gowan?
Good question, Antionette. They were very vague at answering the questions Dorrit was asking about Blandois. It made me wonder if they were holding something back. I'm not sure if they are looking for him or not.
I think this chapter is meant to be mysterious and Dickens is starting to draw all his threads together. The Clennam house was the last place Blandois was seen so they are under suspicion. The men keeping watch outside could be police … I'm not too sure.Dorrit was feeling all important because Flora went to him for help, that’s why he went to investigate. Yes it’s out of character but He knows the name Clennam, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d been to that house before, a long time ago (before the Marshalsea) maybe something to do with his debts. It was significant that his name wasn’t mentioned.
Who reported Blandois missing? Because Flora is involved Id say her father or Pancks did…. I’m guessing here.
I agree that Dorrit saw this as a way to increase his standing when he returns to Italy, but I don’t think he really thought the whole thing through. Of course he hasn’t shown the ability to think anything through carefully or he probably wouldn’t have become involved.I thought the men outside were probably police and that Mrs Clennam and Flintwinch were under suspicion since Blandois was last seen at their house. The whole thing is odd but it seems to be building to our learning who Blandois is and what he is doing.
Flora’s role is confusing partly because it’s impossible to comprehend what she is talking about. Only the information on the posted bill is at all meaningful. But she does seem to have kept fond feelings for Amy.
I wonder if Flora decided to ask for Mr. Dorrit's help because she is worried about her own father's involvement with Mr. Blandois? This is totally a guess based on her saying (as Lori pointed out above) why doesn't he come forward and say he's there and clear all the parties up. Her father does loan money out at high interest rates, and maybe Blandois is in debt to him.
Also wanted to thank Lori for taking over the lead while I was out of town. Especially since she had to cover this really confusing chapter!
Bridget - that’s a really interesting perspective and definitely food for thought.
Excellent idea about Mr. Casby Bridget. I was thinking about whether he could be involved somehow. Hope you had a lovely weekend!
Mr. Dorrit thinks of stopping by the Marshalsea just to see the gates again on his way home from the Clennam and Co. visit; but he can't bring himself to do it.He has a last supper at the Merdle home. He is filled with pride at how well Fanny is doing in her new role as Mrs. Sparkler, and he wishes Amy could be the same. He tries to get Fanny to say something nice about Mrs. General, but Fanny pointedly refuses.
He leaves the Merdles house and finds John Chivery, with a bundle of cigars, waiting for him on the steps to his hotel. The cigars are for Mr. Dorrit, however Mr. Dorrit is humiliated by John Chivery's appearance and turns on him once they are alone:
"Now sir", said Mr. Dorrit, turning round upon him and seizing him by the collar when they were safely alone "What do you mean by this!"
Mr. Dorrit gets control of himself, but poor John Chivery horrified and shocked. John wants to leave, but Mr. Dorrit feels ashamed by his behavior and insists he sit in a chair so the two can talk.
John is working at his mother's shop (hence the cigars) and he is also now working at The Lock like his father. John never recovers from Mr. Dorrit's initial violent reaction. Mr. Dorrit gives John 100 pounds to take back and distribute at the Marshalsea as he sees fit.
The next morning Mr. Dorrit is on the road to Dover. At each stop he is fleeced or taken advantage of in some way. Mr. Dorrit seems paranoid by the "red jacket postilions" he sees along the way and he stays in the "snug corner" of his carriage.
Once he reaches France again Mr. Dorrit's spirit is much improved and he falls into fantasizing about his life
Having now quite recovered his equanimity, Mr. Dorrit, in his snug corner, fell to castle-building
He spends three days alone in Paris. While he is there he goes to a jeweller to buy a "little gift for a lady". The jeweler asks is it a "love gift" or a nuptial gift. Mr. Dorrit decides to take one of each.
He is quite happy now as he strolls back to his hotel
"he carried his head high; having plainly got up his castle, now, to a much loftier altitude than the two square towers of Notre Dame"
He is so happy that as he travels on he doesn't see any of the dirt or grime or filth along the road. He is quite protected by his castle now "no fortified town that they passed in all their journey was as strong, not a Cathedral summit as high, as Mr. Dorrit's castle"
It appears to me that London was far to "real" and threatening for Mr. Dorrit. Its filled with ghosts and shadows of his old life. The trip to Clennam and Co., the visit from John Chivery, are too jarring. He must retreat into his fantasy world to survive, or go mad. He may be destined to live permanently on the continent where few know about his past. Wherever he lives, marriage to Mrs. General seems to be part of the castle building plan.
This Mr. Dorrit was an even more difficult man to read about…the way he accosted John Chivery. He is so worried by his shame for the past that he is barely living in the present. In England, he’s only happy when he’s dreaming. Mr. Merdle still seemed very passive when he said farewell to Dorrit and I noticed that nothing was said about any investment. I wonder if that was done offstage.
And poor Amy! It does appear that Mrs. General is destined to become the next Mrs. Dorrit….of course if he does lose his money, it won’t happen.
And Dorrit is like a child, isn’t he. Everyone in his path is taking advantage of him.
Mr. Dorrit is a bit childlike. He's very emotional and unstable. He's leading a double life "The Father of the Mashalsea" won't completely go away, and its making it difficult for him to be the William Dorrit, the wealthy gentleman.In the original thread, Jean posted an excellent background on the "red jacketed postilions" and the bandits on the Dover Road. I thought Mr. Dorrit was being paranoid, but after reading this I realize the threats on that road were real.
A Little More about the Dover Road
Sue - I was left wondering if he’d made the investment too. As you say, it may have happened ‘off stage’.Thanks for the link to the Dover Road information, Bridget.
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Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"
(last edited Nov 10, 2021 08:53AM)
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That was quite an interesting read on the Dover road. Thanks for that Jean and Bridget for the link. Wonderful summary!Dorrit's castle in the air is so dreamy and it sounds very, very unrealistic. The term I remember from Little Women and the girls would dream about their castles in the air and one day achieving them. I wonder how achievable Dorrit's dreams are for him. The double life he is living will likely put a damper on them.
I keep wondering about his time in the Marshalsea - wouldn't people who knew him in his previous life also know that he was in debtor's prison? It was a big deal when they left the prison so it seems like a possibility that people would have known about Dorrit's new found wealth. So the secrecy is something I don't quite understand - but this may be my modern mind not getting it. I'm guessing the wealthy folks - aristocracy - wouldn't have kept up with who was in and out of the Marshalsea.
I wondered about that too, Lori. Surely it would have been a big story at the time that someone in the Marshalsea came into a fortune? I can’t imagine that the Dorrits had much anonymity, even abroad.
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Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"
(last edited Nov 10, 2021 11:29AM)
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Nobody who was anybody abroad would be interested in a debtors' prison - even in their own country. It was partly this fear of being found out which had horrified Mr. Dorrit so much when Young John Chivery turned up. He pretended he was an old servant ... it is all a great secret. Amy "lets him down" because she will insist on doing things for herself, rather than languidly sitting back and letting others wait on her.
I understand how being abroad is better for him to keep the secret and that is why they set out pretty soon. He paid his debt so the Barnacles (someone in that office) knows how much his debt was and that he is now a rich man. We still don't know what the amount was. Hmmm...no riches to rags to riches story to be proclaimed for the Dorrit's then. If he gets his way, it seems as though he's safer abroad than in England so Amy may never return home. He will always be in fear if he returns to England that someone from the Marshalsea will recognize him (as has already happened with John Chivery) and we know that people like Flora know about his past and he never knew her. Seems like a situation that could go wrong for him at any time.
So he can never let Mrs. General return to England with him I imagine. Oh such a marriage would be a disaster. She would make mincemeat of Mr. Dorrit.
Spoiler Alert….I clicked on the link for Dover Road and it took me to the end of a discussion where I learned major upcoming spoilers. I don’t know why that happened. Maybe something to do with the iPad and app vs the website. Be careful.
Sue, that’s really strange. I’m not sure where it took you either. I was sent to Jean’s post about the Dover road and the red jackets. I’m sorry that happened.
I’ve noticed before that the links don’t take me directly to the correct post and that I have to scroll back for it. This time I immediately saw a couple of facts that I didn’t want to know any more about so I didn’t scroll at all. For me, the link seems to be taking me to the end of the sequence of comments, which is 50.
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Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"
(last edited Nov 10, 2021 02:55PM)
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Oh that's so disappointing Sue, and must be as you surmise. I tested it before I thanked Bridget - and again just now - and it is correct. It links to the exact comment, as Lori found. So it's clear the time of the original comment (Nov 10, 2020 03:51AM) must have been copied in the address bar exactly.
I assume that an app does not have this function, only a computer. Therefore it will link to the top of a page, which could be several posts adrift.* Another thing to be careful of if you have to use an app, is spoilers, which can come out in full if you use the reply function. I made a thread about this here, when it happened once to someone in a group read. I'm sorry you learned something you didn't want to :(
*edit - just realised you had worked this out already! I do recommend using the website if you can to avoid these problems. All the GR functions work much better!
I’m not sure how far in the future my spoiler was but we are in the waning days of the book. I can use the website on the iPad but it’s more cumbersome than the app. I don’t know why this particular feature has this issue since other links do take me to the specific place. But I’m not concerned. I’m enjoying this book so much. Who knew Little Dorrit would be among my favorite of Dickens books.
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I don't use apps (I have to enlarge the font anyway) but have been told they vary, so I'm glad that at least you have one that includes most features.
Now that I’ve had the cataract surgery done, I can read everything better. Maybe someday I will get a laptop. That would be easier than using my PC. Til then my iPad is doing quite well except for occasional hiccups.
Sue wrote: "Now that I’ve had the cataract surgery done, I can read everything better. Maybe someday I will get a laptop. That would be easier than using my PC. Til then my iPad is doing quite well except for ..."Was cataract surgery nerve-wracking, while you waited for the actual surgery? How is the recovery phase coming along? I may need cataract surgery in the future.
“Mr Dorrit was ashamed. He went back to the window, and leaned his forehead against the glass for some time. When he turned, he had his handkerchief in his hand, and he had been wiping his eyes with it, and he looked tired and ill.”This quote stood out to me, after John has left Mr Dorrit, he looked ‘tired and ill’. I know we were wondering about Mr Merdles health yesterday, but perhaps Mr Dorrit with all his pretences and paranoia is also making himself ill.
I’ve feared this for some time with this fear he has of being found out about his past. That quotation sounds like he’s heading that direction. The shame he feels for his behavior makes me wonder how much longer he can keep this up.
And marrying Mrs. General isn’t for love. She would marry him for money. I’m still not sure why he considers her a good match for him.
I've wondered that as well Lori. Why Mrs. General?? Maybe its her adherence to all the "norms" of society that makes him feel comfortable. Maybe he thinks her varnish will rub off on him and hide the Marshalsea taint he worries about all the time.Janelle, that's a great quote about Mr. Dorrit's health. For some reason, it also gives me the impression he is lonely. I also liked this one from right after John Chivery leaves:
After remaining alone for an hour, Mr. Dorrit rang for the Courier, who found him with his chair on the hearth-rug, sitting with his back toward him and his face to the fire
An hour is a long time to be sitting alone staring into a fire. Just seemed so sad and lonely to me.
Chapter 19 picks up where we left off, Mr. Dorrit is arriving in Rome late in the evening, four hours after sunset. Right away a dark and gloomy scene is set:The carriage dipped down again into a hollow of the black dry sea, and for a long time there was nothing visible save its petrified swell and the gloomy sky
Mr. Dorrit is filled once again with paranoid, delusional thoughts and works on building his castle still. At one point he thinks he is being robbed, but is was nothing worse than a funeral procession which came mechanically chaunting by.
He finally reaches his own home, and no one is there to greet him. They all expected him to wait until daylight to travel the long, dangerous road and went to bed. Mr. Dorrit makes his way to Little Dorrit's room, and here we finally have a bit of light in this dark chapter
He went up the grand staircase slowly ..... looked into various chambers....until he saw a light in a small anteroom...it looked warm and bright in color
Inside this room, Little Dorrit and Frederick Dorrit are sitting contentedly by the fire enjoying each other's company. Mr. Dorrit feels a pang of jealousy at this scene as he starts to see himself in his brother's place, and this emotion bewilders him:
the figures were much the same as of old; his brother being sufficiently like himself to represent himself, for a moment, in the composition. So he had sat many a night, over a coal fire far away; so she had sat, devoted to him
Mr. Dorrit overhears Frederick talking about how comfortable he is alone with Amy, and how he doesn't like Mrs. General. As he's talking he turns his head and sees William standing in the doorway.
Mr. Dorrit puts on a show of bravado, saying he is offended no one came to greet him on his arrival home. He appears very unsettled by witnessing this little happy scene, and he lashes out at Amy and Frederick. He denies being tired, and then suddenly falls asleep for a minute and wakes with a start. Mr. Dorrit tries to transfer his own tiredness to his brother, calling him "feeble" and makes Frederick go to bed. He then takes Frederick's place by the fire next to Amy. And Mr. Dorrit continues to fall asleep suddenly and wake with a start. We are starting to get the feeling everything Mr. Dorrit says about Frederick, he really means about himself.
The next day, Mr.Dorrit and Mrs. General exchange messages through the servants, but Mr. Dorrit does not leave his room until late in the afternoon. At dinner we see him start to behave in a more familiar manner with Mrs. General. We also see him continue to fall asleep and wake minutes later. And he continues his disparaging of Fredercik calling him "a wreck, a broken man, a ruin" "Mouldering away, before our eyes."
After dinner Mr. Dorrit and Mrs. General have a moment of conversation alone together. He hints strongly of his growing affection for her, but she demurs with "prunes and prisms" and leaves, but not before making it clear she would be amenable to altering their situation. Later that evening, he kisses her hand as they are saying goodnight.
The next day, Mr. Dorrit and Amy are off to dine at Mrs. Merdle's. It is a large, well attended affair as the narrator tells us "The table was long, and the dinner was long". Amy is not seated next to her father, and she looses track of him until Mrs. Merdle sends her a note asking for her help because her father is not well.
Amy goes to his side, and it is clear the castle walls are crumbling. He is imaging he is back at the Marshalsea. He rambles incoherently about needing Bob the turnkey to take him up the narrow stairway. He talks to everyone at the table as if they are new comers to the Marshalsea and he is again the "Father of the Marshalsea" showing them around. He even explains the "Testimonials" system to them. The other diners being to filter out of the room and eventually the Dorrits are left with only the servants.
Amy manages to get Mr. Dorrit to the carriage by telling him they are looking for Bob there. Amy is able to get him home, but Mr. Dorrit has lost his grip on reality
And from that hour his poor maimed spirit, only remembering the place where it had broken its wings, cancelled the dream through which it had since groped, and knew of nothing beyond the Marshalsea
Mr. Dorrit grows weaker and weaker. He no longer recognizes Mrs. General. He seems only aware of Frederick and Amy. He hardly has any thoughts for his other two children. He loves Amy in her and his old way. Thus begins Mr. Dorrit's demise. For ten days Amy is by his side tending to him in her old manner as he slips away quietly, releasing all his worries and finally dies.
Frederick and Amy comfort each other, but eventually Frederick is so despondent that Amy asks him to stop if only to spare her the ordeal of dealing with him while she is grieving her father. This makes sense to Frederick and he snaps out of his despair to help Amy. They stay together with William until midnight when Amy walks Frederick to his room and won't leave until she sees him lying down. Amy then finally goes to sleep herself.
But that is not the end of this sad chapter. Frederick takes himself back to William Dorrit's room. The final scene has the moon shining into Mr. Dorrit's room, with now two dead brothers in this space. Once lying on the bed, the other (Frederick) kneeling beside the bed with his arms draped over his brother.
Sorry that was such a long summary. So many things happened in this sad chapter. I think we could all see the death of William Dorrit coming. But the additional death of Frederick really surprised me. I wasn't even sure I read it correctly until I went and looked at Jean's original summary to verify that, indeed Frederick is dead as well.
I’ve just finished the chapter and have chills. What a chapter. Thank you, Bridget for such a wonderful summary. You’re right that we have been expecting this but maybe not in this manner. It’s all very poignant and so very sad. I think William was truly sorry about his treatment of Amy of late. He even forgot he had 2 other children In the end. Dickens really outdid himself with this chapter.
Oh my, I may have thoughts through the day on this chapter and one I just realized was the ominous foreshadowing of Mr. Dorrit seeing the funeral procession as he came upon the city. Wow!
Its the same with me Lori, so many thoughts keep coming into my head with this chapter. Like when I started it, I thought maybe Mr. Dorrit would be engaged to Mrs. General by the end, and the "storming" part of the title would be Mrs. General taking charge of everything. But then that creepy funeral - with the ugly priest. A funeral crossing your path after sunset, can not be a good thing.Then there was this sentence which happens right after Mr. Dorrit enters the cozy room with Amy and Frederick, and begins his confused remembering:
mists which the morning without a night only can clear away
I puzzled over that sentence again and again. What is a morning without a night, and the only thing I could come up with was a death. So it was really at that point I felt certain death was coming. But for who?
It is a very sad chapter but at least he died before marrying Mrs. General...I am thinking about all the things he said at Mrs. Merdle's dinner: what will happen now? Will people remember and act accordingly?
And now little Dorrit is alone.
You've hit on the key point Daniela, what will happen to Little Dorrit now? Doesn't her brother inherit all the money? Amy won't care about society knowing their secret, but what will it mean for Fanny?The not marrying Mrs. General is a very good thing! I bet Charles Dickens has something else in mind for her though. We haven't seen the last of The General.
Yes! Now Amy is alone but she is also free of having to care for anyone other than herself. If Frederick had lived, she would have cared for him as she did her father when they were in the Marshalsea. Amy and Frederick had grown closer since the newfound wealth and here at the end, William was jealous of their bond. Frederick was sincere in his submission to his brother. He believed he couldn't go on living without him, which is such a poignant testimony and Amy was a part of him realizing this.his brother was gone, alone; that they had been together in the outset of their lives, that they had fallen into misfortune together, that they had kept together through their many years of poverty, that they had remained together to that day; and that his brother was gone alone, alone!
I really loved how William was constantly projecting his ailments onto Frederick but throughout the chapter, it was evident that both men were tired and weakening.
I'm sure we've not seen the last of The General! Fanny will be mortified when she hears of this and no doubt she'll hear from the Bosom herself.
I hope Amy will return to London now and figure out a life that she will be able to live happily - could it now include Arthur? I hope Tip won't decide to find her a suitable match.
Where was Tip through all this? Was he not still in Rome? I wonder why he wasn’t at his father’s bedside. Yes, I do wonder what will happen to Little Dorrit now. She seems happiest when she is taking care of someone.
Lori wrote: "Yes! Now Amy is alone but she is also free of having to care for anyone other than herself. If Frederick had lived, she would have cared for him as she did her father when they were in the Marshals..."You make so many great points Lori. Wasnt' it such a beautifully written chapter, how the identities of the brothers intertwine, and how in the end Frederick couldn't live without his brother. And Frederick's death really frees Amy.
Antoinette wrote: "Where was Tip through all this? Was he not still in Rome? I wonder why he wasn’t at his father’s bedside. Yes, I do wonder what will happen to Little Dorrit now. She seems happiest when she is taki..."Great questions Antoinette! I'm sure Tip will resurface soon, but it is weird he didn't come home over those 10 days.
The creepy funeral certainly set the tone for this dark chapter. I didn’t pick the foreshadowing was for Dorrit himself though.Mr Dorrit at the party would’ve been comical except it was so sad.
Poor Amy, yet now she will return to England. Hopefully she can lead her own life without being expected to behave against her nature.
A few things struck me:The final paragraph was written as if it was a scene for a play…just beautiful. Not really surprising given Frederick’s response to his brother’s death. But so fitting it should happen as and where it did.
Since we and Amy have been completely caught up with what has been happening at the Dorrit’s residence, we have no idea of what is happening among the English in Rome. If everything William said at the dinner was understood and believed, then Amy may have no contacts left in the city. If the money goes to her brother, how will she get home? Perhaps she could sell some of her father’s things as he had intended when he was delusional. I wonder how this sort of thing was settled at that time.
And is Tip still gambling? Has he any money on hand or perhaps planning to get some from his father? Fanny will be in for a shock when Mrs. Merdle gets home. But, once again, the shock of the truth of the Dorrits may be balanced by whatever is happening with Mr. Merdle if any of our suspicions are right.
Lots to look forward to.
(And my spoilers happened very quickly!)
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