Mr. Brooker Character Analysis in Nicholas Nickleby

Mr. Brooker is a former employee of Ralph’s. Brooker has recently returned to London, where he is impoverished and begs for money on the street. Ralph and Brooker have a checkered history together, and Ralph once sent Brooker to prison. Brooker ultimately teams up with Newman to find out that Smike is Ralph’s son. Brooker reveals that information to Ralph, which leads Ralph to die by suicide. As a character, Brooker shows the ramifications of Ralph’s poor treatment of his associates, as it causes Brooker to feel no loyalty toward Ralph and makes Brooker willing to actively work against his previous employer.

Mr. Brooker Character Timeline in Nicholas Nickleby

The timeline below shows where the character Mr. Brooker appears in Nicholas Nickleby. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...him begging for money. Ralph and the man recognize each other. The man is Mr. Brooker, who worked for Ralph 20 years ago. At that time, Brooker had taken a commission... (full context)

Brooker says he just returned to London, and he doesn’t have anything to eat. He says... (full context)

...Newman about the man he has seen Newman with. Newman says the man’s name is Brooker, and he’s been insisting that he needs to meet with Ralph. Ralph tells Newman that... (full context)

...he thinks he’s on the verge of finding out some secret information about Ralph from Brooker, though he’s not sure exactly what the information might be. Nicholas and Newman then catch... (full context)

...Ralph isn’t sure why he should care. The man in the shadows reveals himself. It’s Brooker. Brooker says that Smike was Ralph’s son. (full context)

Brooker explains that when Ralph was younger, he married a woman who was down on her... (full context)

When Brooker saw that Smike was being neglected at Ralph’s house, he (Brooker) called a doctor, who... (full context)

When Brooker returned to England, he made inquiries and learned that Smike had fled from the school... (full context)

Someone shouts from outside. The person asks if the Cheeryble Brothers should keep Brooker around. Ralph shouts down that they should. When the person asks when they should plan... (full context)

...Arthur’s vast wealth. Squeers and Peg go to prison overseas. Neither ever returns to England. Brooker dies, having confessed to his past crimes. Mulberry lives abroad for several years. When he... (full context)