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Metaphors
Definition of Mood
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect of a piece of writing... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes in the reader. Every aspect... read full definition
The mood of a piece of writing is its general atmosphere or emotional complexion—in short, the array of feelings the work evokes... read full definition
Mood
Explanation and Analysis:
Mysterious, comic, and sentimental, the mood in Our Mutual Friend changes as quickly as Dickens’s tone. One moment, comparisons of Mrs. Wilfer to the “Dead March of Saul” and the punishing absurdity of the “Veneerings” invite the reader to laugh. At the next, the unnamed sailor who confronts Riderhood provokes a sense of unease. Our Mutual Friend elicits a full range of feelings through its plot and narration.
The novel’s panoramic scope contributes to a feeling of unrest and intrigue. It presents the reader with multiple plot strands and a whole cast of scheming characters. Silas Wegg busies himself with plots against Mr. Boffin; Riderhood pulls tricks to earn rewards; the Lammles lay down their traps for Georgiana; Headstone obsesses with vengeance against Eugene Wrayburn. The novel’s knot of conflicts creates an all-pervading experience of suspicion and keeps the reader on edge.
For Dickens, the surroundings matter no less than plot—the novel’s choice of setting frequently reinforces its atmosphere of suspense. London’s smog-choked gloom adds to the sense of oppression and uncertainty. The wind comes down in “slants and flaws” as Eugene Wrayburn and Mortimer Lightwood follow Riderhood in the night, and it “slams doors” when Rokesmith walks out of Pleasant Riderhood’s shop. Dickens personifies the natural world so that it sets the scene for the prevailing mood.
Just as Our Mutual Friend lets loose its many questions, so it ties them up by the end. Dickens resolves all the mysteries that he lays down, trying to tie together these disparate conflicts and characters into a satisfying conclusion. John Rokesmith reveals himself to be John Harmon, the Lammles get foiled, and Bradley Headstone dies. Despite all odds, the good triumph and the bad reap their punishments; the novel’s feel-good conclusion would not be out of place in a Disney movie. This impulse towards easy, sentimental closure sometimes comes at the cost of realism: Lizzie accepts Eugene Wrayburn’s hand and Bella becomes a model housewife while John Harmon settles everyone with his money. One of the most improbable—and fiercely criticized—plot twists is Mr. Boffin’s miraculous character reversal, in which he reveals that he was merely performing miserliness all along. While Our Mutual Friend promotes the sensational, it also untethers itself from narrative logic.
