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Chapter 14
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Pickwick Papers, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Male Friendship
Predatory Social Institutions
Social Class and Inequality
Marriage and Courtship
Generosity and Forgiveness
Summary
Analysis
Pickwick feels guilty for neglecting his friends at the Peacock and prepares to reunite with them when Sam delivers a card from someone named Mrs. Leo Hunter, inviting him to a gathering. In addition to the card, a man who introduces himself as Mr. Leo Hunter comes to see Pickwick and extends the invitation personally, emphasizing his wife’s admiration for celebrated individuals. The invitation is for a fancy-dress breakfast the next day at a place called “The Den,” and Leo Hunter promises that a number of notable guests will be in attendance. Pickwick accepts the invitation, though he feels some hesitation about the fancy-dress aspect.
The invitation from the Hunters further pokes fun at social pretensions. Here, the Hunters’ desire to associate with celebrated individuals becomes more important than actually enjoying the act of socializing. Pickwick’s discomfort with the fancy-dress concept suggests that he is more grounded than the Hunters. It seems that Pickwick’s main incentive to attend the event is to socialize with interesting people, not to raise his status.
Themes
Pickwick meets up with his friends at the Peacock and finds them discussing their plans for the costume party. Mrs. Pott intends to go dressed as Apollo, much to the annoyance of Pott, who objects to her costume choice. Tupman declares his intention to dress as a brigand, sparking a heated exchange with Pickwick, who finds the idea unbefitting of Tupman’s age and build. Tempers flare, but the disagreement ends amicably, and the group agrees on their respective costumes, with Pickwick reluctantly giving his consent.
Tupman’s choice to dress as a brigand (an armed robber) reflects his lingering romanticism, despite the incongruity with his age and physique. Dickens uses Pickwick’s gentle opposition to show the absurdity of Tupman’s attempt to reinvent himself through costume. As always, Pickwick’s advice is well intentioned, and this allows the Pickwickians to easily resolve the issue.
Themes
The next morning, the Pickwickians prepare for the event, donning their costumes. Tupman’s brigand outfit and Snodgrass’s troubadour attire draw particular attention, and they travel in style to Leo Hunter’s estate. The grandeur of Leo Hunter’s breakfast matches the expectations the invitation set and the grounds bustle with various notable guests, including poets, writers, and other eccentric characters from London.
The elaborate costumes and setting speak to a social environment that privileges spectacle over substance. The eclectic mix of guests satirizes the cultural elite of Victorian society, and the event becomes a microcosm of London’s artistic scene, where status is often performative rather than based on substance.
Themes
Mrs. Leo Hunter introduces Pickwick to the renowned Count Smorltork, a foreign writer gathering material for a book on England. The count, eager to record every detail, quickly jots down his observations of Pickwick and his companions. Meanwhile, Mrs. Leo Hunter takes pride in presenting her guests and sharing her poem “Ode to an Expiring Frog.”
Mrs. Leo Hunter’s poem, “Ode to an Expiring Frog,” parodies the pretentiousness often associated with amateur poets. Dickens implies that Mrs. Leo Hunter is injecting a high degree of seriousness into a rather trivial subject, resulting in a poem that is quite absurd.
Themes
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The party shifts dramatically when Jingle, disguised as “Charles Fitz-Marshall,” arrives. Pickwick recognizes him instantly, feeling a surge of anger and determination to confront the conman. Jingle, however, quickly finds excuses to leave the gathering. Pickwick questions Mrs. Leo Hunter about Jingle’s whereabouts and learns that he is currently staying in Bury St. Edmunds. With a sense of urgency, Pickwick declares that he plans to go after Jingle, not wanting any others to fall victim to his schemes. Ignoring pleas to remain, Pickwick gathers Sam and sets off for Bury St. Edmunds. Meanwhile, the remaining Pickwickians stay behind to enjoy the party.
Although a reprehensible figure in many ways, Jingle is quite capable. He is able to work his way into a variety of elite circles, fooling everyone with ease. The name he takes on — “Charles Fitz-Marshall”— is enough to ingratiate him to the likes of the Hunter family, who care far more about appearances than they do substance. Although the Pickwickians sometimes fall into this same trap, Pickwick has a strong moral sensibility, which he feels Jingle has violated. As such, he summons Sam to try chase after Jingle and make things right.
Themes
