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Chapter 46
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
Newman waits for Ralph to return to the office so he can leave for lunch. When Newman sees Ralph approaching with another man, though, he knows that Ralph will order him to stay until the meeting is over. To avoid that, Newman jumps into a closet. Ralph enters with the other man, who is Arthur Gride, a 75-year-old money lender. Arthur tries to engage in small talk but Ralph tells him to get to the point. Arthur says that he plans to get married.
Newman jumps into a closet, which gives him a hidden spot from which he can eavesdrop on Ralph and Arthur. The novel has already made it clear that Ralph associates almost exclusively with unsavory characters, including people like Squeers and Mulberry. That gives the reader plenty of reason to already be suspicious of Arthur.
Themes
Ralph asks if the woman is as elderly as Arthur. Arthur says no. Instead, she’s a beautiful 19-year-old woman. Her name is Madeline Bray. Arthur then explains his plan. Arthur holds a significant amount of Mr. Bray’s debt. He plans to forgive that debt if Madeline marries him. He will also give Mr. Bray an allowance so he can resume his old lifestyle. Moreover, he wants to enlist Ralph in the effort, as Ralph holds another significant portion of Mr. Bray’s debt. Arthur wants Ralph to forgive Mr. Bray’s debts as well if Madeline marries Arthur. He also wants Ralph to make the case to Mr. Bray that Madeline should marry Arthur. Arthur adds that Madeline is also the rightful heir to some money that he would be able to take hold of if he were her husband. He says that she doesn’t know about that money.
Arthur’s scheme is especially diabolical because it involves taking advantage of what the novel views as Madeline’s admirable quality of loyalty to her father. This passage also further reinforces the theme of irresponsible men getting into debt that upends the lives of the people close to them. That includes people like Mr. Mantalini, whose debt leads Madame Mantalini to declare bankruptcy, along with Nicholas Sr., whose debt leads the Nicklebys to come to London in the first place. In this case, it’s also clear that while Mr. Bray may be responsible for putting his daughter in a bad position by getting into debt, Arthur is even worse for exploiting and taking advantage of the vulnerable position Madeline has found herself in.
Themes
Ralph says that he’ll support the plan, but to do so, he’ll need Arthur to pay Mr. Bray’s full debt to him and will need an additional 500 pounds. Arthur tries to negotiate, but Ralph doesn’t budge, and Arthur ultimately accepts Ralph’s terms. Newman overhears the conversation. He doesn’t know who Madeline is, but he pities her. Once they have agreed upon the terms of the arrangement, Ralph and Arthur go to the Brays’ house, where they find Mr. Bray alone.
Ralph shows that he, like Arthur, has no compunction about extorting Madeline and exploiting her in the vulnerable position her father’s debt has put her in. In that way, Ralph and Arthur both show that they believe that holding power over someone gives them the right to enact that power in exploitative ways, a characteristic they share with other antagonists in the novel like Squeers.
Themes
Ralph talks with Mr. Bray and attempts to convince him to marry Madeline to Arthur. Mr. Bray says that the decision isn’t up to him; it’s up to Madeline. Ralph continues pressing and tells Mr. Bray how much better his life would be if he had money. He also says that Arthur is not long for this world. If Madeline married him, she would only have to endure a few years, and then she would inherit his fortune. Madeline then returns, and a look of shame crosses Mr. Bray’s face. When Ralph and Arthur leave, Arthur asks Ralph if he thinks it’s a done deal that Madeline will marry Arthur. Ralph says he’s sure it will happen. Mr. Bray was pretending to have a conscience, Ralph says, but ultimately his self-interest will win out, and Arthur will get what he wants.
Ralph appeals to Mr. Bray’s worst qualities to try and convince Mr. Bray to do something he knows is wrong. While Madeline has displayed unbending loyalty to her father, Ralph is convinced that Arthur will ultimately betray his daughter out of self-interest. That dynamic shows the heartbreaking nature of several relationship and familial dynamics in the novel, as people like Ralph, Mr. Mantalini, and Mr. Bray repeatedly put their own needs ahead of the needs of their families in ways that lead to catastrophic consequences.
Themes
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