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Chapter 52
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
Nicholas goes to see Madeline and Mr. Bray. Mr. Bray tells him to take care of whatever business he has and leave promptly because he and Madeline are in the middle of their own important business. Nicholas says he wants to speak to Madeline, and Mr. Bray asks if his employer ordered it. When Nicholas says yes, Mr. Bray says that Nicholas can tell his employer that Madeline will no longer sell artwork. Nicholas says that Mr. Bray is selling his daughter to the highest bidder, and Mr. Bray has a fit. He goes unconscious, and when he wakes up, he asks to be left alone in a way that suggests he does not remember what happened before.
Mr. Bray’s confrontational attitude toward Nicholas hints at what Mr. Bray’s mindset might be. On the verge of Madeline’s wedding, he seems aggravated and caustic. That may just be his demeanor, or it might point to the idea that Mr. Bray feels angry in general about the prospective wedding and perhaps angry about the role he has played in bringing it about. Nicholas again shows his inability to witness injustice and stay silent, which is a testament to his moral integrity. If Nicholas didn’t speak up in the face of injustice, Nicholas knows that he would become complicit in that injustice.
Themes
Nicholas then speaks with Madeline. He tells her that Arthur is a wicked man. Madeline says that if Arthur is evil, then she has chosen that evil of her own volition. No one is forcing her hand. Instead, she has seen what Arthur’s money will do for her father. It will enable him to pursue his previous lifestyle, make him happy, and perhaps prolong his life by several years by relieving his stress and helping him overcome his current illness. Nicholas asks Madeline to postpone the wedding by a week, but she declines. He asks Madeline what she would do if she knew she had a fortune of her own that could solve her and her father’s financial problems. Madeline says that’s a fairy tale. Nicholas turns to leave, and both agree that it would be better if they never saw each other again.
Madeline sticks up for herself in the same way that Kate has stuck up for herself in the past. While Nicholas may have thought of himself as a knight in shining armor coming at the last minute to save a damsel in distress, Madeline pointedly takes issue with Nicholas’s assessment of the situation by making it clear that she is exercising her own autonomy by marrying Arthur. Madeline’s statement that the possibility of a hidden fortune is a fairy tale is ironic, considering that the reader knows that such a fortune exists, and Arthur is hiding it from Madeline.
Themes
Nicholas then goes to see Arthur. Arthur doesn’t know Nicholas but decides to hear him out. Nicholas says that Madeline hates Arthur. He asks Arthur to postpone the wedding by a few days and says that Madeline has wealthy acquaintances who would gladly pay Arthur for the inconvenience. Nicholas also says that he knows Arthur is going to defraud Madeline, though he’s not sure exactly how. Arthur thinks Nicholas is bluffing and gleans that Nicholas is in love with Madeline. He thinks that he’ll hold onto that information and use it to break Madeline’s spirit at a later date. Arthur taunts Nicholas. He then shouts, “Robber,” and “Thief.” He says that Nicholas better leave or else the authorities will detain him. Nicholas leaves. Arthur reflects on his victory. He thinks that victory will be complete if Nicholas drowns himself or cuts his throat on Arthur’s wedding day.
Arthur’s idea that his wedding would be perfect if Nicholas killed himself on his wedding day points to Arthur’s diabolical nature. That sentiment also echoes an earlier sentiment evinced by Ralph, in which he mused about how Nicholas and Mrs. Nickleby’s deaths would allow him to act with compassion toward Kate. The novel suggests that Arthur and Ralph’s economic stinginess extends to their morality and their capacity for compassion. Their inability to recognize or care about the humanity of their opponents is then a reflection of their impoverished and unfulfilling lives and a sign of how spiritually stultifying their selfishness is.
Themes
