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Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Our Mutual Friend, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Society, Class, and Character
Greed and Corruption
Marriage, Adoption, and Family
Education vs. Real-World Experience
Misfits and Outcasts
Summary
Analysis
There’s a tavern called the Six Jolly Fellowship Porters, which is on the river and which looks run-down but is sturdy. Inside, it is small and dark. The sole owner and manager is Miss Abbey Potterson, and she is very strict about how customers must act to get service. One man (Roger Riderhood) gets angry about Miss Abbey’s refusal to serve him, saying that if the pub is free to Gaffer, it should be free to him. Miss Abbey says Gaffer has never been as drunk as this man is currently. But the man, who says he used to be Gaffer’s “pardner,” says Gaffer is suspected of having done some very bad things, like killing many of the bodies he supposedly discovered in the river.
The fact that the Six Jolly Fellowship Porters looks unimpressive but still stands solidly reflects the no-nonsense character of Abbey Potterson. She shows how even in the sometimes-lawless world of life by the river, there are people and institutions who provide order. Although the man in this passage isn’t named, he is clearly Roger Riderhood, Gaffer’s former partner on the water who still holds a grudge against him. This passage also hints at the prevalence of alcoholism among men in the novel, leading many of them to neglect their families.
Themes
Literary Devices
After Roger leaves the tavern, Miss Abbey is still bothered by what he said about Gaffer, so she sends someone to bring Lizzie over to the tavern see her. Lizzie comes. Miss Abbey has often offered to help Lizzie get away from Gaffer, but Lizzie always refuses. This time, Miss Abbey tells Lizzie the rumor that Gaffer has killed some of the bodies he found, but Lizzie doesn’t believe the rumor. Miss Abbey grudgingly drops the topic but says Gaffer must never return to the tavern. Lizzie leaves.
Miss Abbey forbids Gaffer from coming to the tavern based on nothing but a rumor from Roger. This suggests that, particularly in a place where the traditional forces of law (like the Inspector) don’t have much power, rumors and people’s opinions can be even more influential than the truth. Lizzie’s willingness to believe the best about her father, despite the rumors and the flaws she’s seen in him firsthand, show her innocent and loyal character.
Themes
As Lizzie walks home, she’s sure the rumors about Gaffer are false. She gets home and starts getting some money and other supplies together. Charley startles her early in the morning and asks what she’s doing. Lizzie says she’s putting together a bundle so that Charley can go out into the world on his own and perhaps even get an education. She believes this will be best for him, but Charley accuses her of just kicking him out so that she has more of what Gaffer scavenges.
Although Lizzie tells herself that the rumors about Gaffer are false, her decision to send Charley away immediately after hearing them suggests that perhaps even she has her doubts about what Gaffer is capable of. At the very least, she recognizes that the rumors could harm her or Charley’s reputation, true or not. Lizzie again shows how selfless she is, prioritizing Charley’s welfare over her own and staying behind to help Gaffer.
Themes
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Lizzie insists that it’s time for Charley to go out on his own. She says the one thing he must always do is speak well of Gaffer. Reluctantly, Charley takes the bundle Lizzie made for him and leaves. Not long after, Gaffer comes home. He asks where Charley is, and Lizzie tries to avoid the question at first. When Gaffer learns that Charley has left to get educated, he disowns Charley and promises to never forgive him. As Gaffer gets angry and shakes his knife, Lizzie wonders if he might be capable of killing after all.
Gaffer’s anger about education is partly anger about what he himself has been denied. Unlike Boffin, who recognizes his limits (to an extent) and tries to work around them, Gaffer just gets resentful about the things he doesn’t understand. The knife that he shakes foreshadows his possibility for violence, recalling a comment the Inspector made earlier about how anyone could commit a murder.
Themes
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