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Chapter 32
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
Later that same night, Nicholas returns to see Newman. Newman is alarmed by Nicholas’s injuries. Nicholas says that the next day, they must ensure that his family has nothing whatsoever to do with Ralph and will make sure that Mrs. Nickleby moves out of Ralph’s home. The next morning, Nicholas goes first thing to the Wititterlys’ home. When he sees Kate, she begins crying. She begs him not to leave her alone in that home, as the experience has been unbearable. Nicholas promises he’ll never leave her alone again. He tells Mr. Wititterly that Kate will be quitting and leaving the house the same day. They’re prepared to forfeit that quarter’s salary since Kate is leaving without notice. Mr. Wititterly agrees to let Kate go. He is pleased to see her leave because of how her presence has affected Mrs. Wititterly.
Nicholas and Kate’s relationship with Ralph reaches its breaking point. Though Ralph has served as their benefactor in some ways, and has helped Kate and Mrs. Nickleby keep a roof over their heads, both Nicholas and Kate deem his actions so morally reprehensible that they refuse to have anything more to do with him. That again highlights the novel’s arguments about complicity, as Nicholas and Kate decide that their moral integrity means that they must cut all ties with Ralph, even though, at this point, they do not have a clear alternative for how to survive in the city without his help.
Themes
Kate and Nicholas then go to Mrs. Nickleby’s house. Kate goes in first to prepare her to see Nicholas. When Nicholas enters, Mrs. Nickleby is in a state of bewilderment. She is taken aback after learning that Mulberry is not who she thought he was. They begin to move all of her things from the house. For now, they’ll return to the home of Miss La Creevy, who welcomes them with open arms. Nicholas then gives Newman a letter to give to Ralph along with the key to Ralph’s house. Newman delivers the letter to Ralph. In the letter, Nicholas writes that he and his family shun Ralph in disgust, and he hopes Ralph’s misdeeds haunt him on his deathbed.
Nicholas breaks with Ralph in no uncertain terms. He renounces any material connection to Ralph by sending back the house key. That makes it clear that to Nicholas (and Kate), living by one’s conscience is much more important than material goods. Nicholas also tells Ralph that he hopes Ralph’s misdeeds haunt him on his deathbed, escalating the conflict between the two and making it clear that Ralph has become his sworn enemy.
Themes
