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Chapter 30
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Nicholas Nickleby, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Greed and Selfishness
Power and Abuse
Altruism and Humility
Family and Loyalty
Injustice, Complicity, and Moral Integrity
Summary
Analysis
Ralph is unable to stop thinking about the conversation he had with Kate. He’s surprised to find that he likes her, though he finds her conceited. But, he thinks, if Nicholas drowned and Mrs. Nickleby died, he would be glad to have Kate in his home. Ralph then gives Newman a package to deliver. While Newman is out, he stops at Miss La Creevy’s house. Miss La Creevy doesn’t initially remember who he is and is surprised to see him. When Newman mentions Ralph, he flies into a rage and throws his hat to the ground, further alarming Miss La Creevy.
Ralph again evinces a grudging kind of respect and affection toward Kate. However, even the articulation of that affection carries with it Ralph’s moral failings, as he makes any prospective embrace of Kate conditional on Nicholas’s and Mrs. Nickleby’s deaths. If Ralph were a more virtuous person, he could, of course, simply help Kate without wishing for her brother and mother’s deaths.
Themes
Eventually, Newman explains to Miss La Creevy all that has passed between Kate, Ralph, and Mulberry. After he finishes explaining, Miss La Creevy is just as angry as Newman. She says that if Ralph walked into the room right then, she would stick a pencil into him. Newman says he has written to Nicholas, too, and he will arrive that night. Miss La Creevy is afraid that Nicholas will do something rash. She says that they should conspire to ensure that Nicholas doesn’t learn about what has happened until late at night so he has time to clear his head before acting. To do that, Newman will go away on business until midnight, while Miss La Creevy will take Mrs. Nickleby to the theater. That way, Nicholas won’t even be able to learn where Kate lives until later that night.
Newman’s behavior is juxtaposed with Ralph’s. While Ralph claims to like Kate, he does nothing to help her and in fact puts her in harm’s way time and time again. Newman, on the other hand, goes out of his way to secure Kate’s well-being. Notably, Newman does that at great personal risk, considering that if Ralph found out, Newman would almost certainly be fired and would then have a hard time finding a job. Miss La Creevy, like Newman, is also willing to act to help Kate and the Nickleby family, while Ralph, even though he is a member of that family, does nothing.
Themes
