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Chapter 27
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
On December 22nd, Pickwick and the other Pickwickians prepare for their trip to Dingley Dell, eagerly anticipating Christmas festivities. The group, warmly dressed, meets the Muggleton coach, where their baggage, including barrels of oysters and a large codfish, is loaded with great difficulty. After a humorous struggle to fit the oversized codfish into the coach’s boot, the Pickwickians finally set off.
The meticulous preparation for the journey reflects the importance placed on ritual and tradition, particularly around the holidays. Dickens uses the codfish as more than just a humorous prop, as it symbolizes the indulgence and excess often associated with Christmas celebrations.
Themes
As the coach rumbles out of town and into the open countryside, everyone enjoys the crisp winter weather. Pickwick eagerly soaks in the scenery and exchanges comments with the coachman about the local areas they pass through. Eventually, the coach pulls up at the inn yard. The Pickwickians take a moment to relax and warm themselves by the inn’s fire before resuming their journey. Once back on the road, they travel smoothly until they reach the Blue Lion Inn in Dingley Dell.
Pickwick’s exchange with the coachman highlights his constant eagerness to engage with others, showing how conversation can bridge social gaps. The stop at the inn offers a moment of physical warmth that parallels the emotional warmth shared among the travelers, who are eager to begin their Christmas celebration.
Themes
Upon arrival, Pickwick supervises the unloading of their barrels of oysters and codfish. As he finishes, Wardle’s servant, Joe, arrives with a cart to help transport their luggage to the manor. Pickwick and his friends opt to walk, while Sam helps load the cart. While working, Sam talks with Joe, who is half asleep and uninterested in much besides eating. Sam jokingly asks if Joe has a broken heart over a girl, but Joe denies it. Sam offers him a drink to warm him up. Joe agrees, so they go to the inn, where Joe quickly downs a glass of liquor. Sam approves of Joe’s ability to drink so quickly, and then they get into the cart to drive towards Manor Farm. Joe lies down beside the codfish and falls asleep instantly, while Sam shakes his head at how lazy Joe is.
Joe’s lethargy and singular focus on food become exaggerated to the point of absurdity, yet Dickens treats him with a kind of amused affection rather than judgment. Sam’s playful teasing about a broken heart contributes to a larger pattern of the novel’s working-class characters using wit to navigate the hardship and disappointment of daily life. The drink that Sam and Joe share is yet another example of food and drink bringing people together and strengthening their mutual bonds.
Themes
Meanwhile, the Pickwickians walk briskly through the crisp, frosty fields. Soon, they hear the sound of voices and meet Wardle, his daughter Isabella, and a party of young women, who have come to celebrate Isabella’s upcoming wedding to Trundle. The scene is lively with laughter and teasing as Pickwick interacts playfully with the young women, helping them cross a stile. Snodgrass, clearly enamored with Emily Wardle, offers her extra assistance. Finally, the party arrives at Manor Farm, where they are warmly welcomed. The servants grin at the sight of Pickwick, and even Wardle’s elderly mother softens when Pickwick affectionately greets her. The evening concludes with a joyful gathering, filled with card games and drinks. Afterward, Pickwick, Snodgrass, and Winkle drink off to sleep, their dreams full of thoughts of the women they are fond of.
The walk through the frosty fields marks the transition from the everyday world into the warmth of the holiday festivities at Manor Farm. Pickwick’s interaction with the young women illustrates his kindness, making him a natural bridge between generations. Meanwhile, Snodgrass’s awkward show of affection for Emily hints that the potential couple is picking up where they left off, expressing their love in small, often clumsy gestures. The warm welcome at Manor Farm is the idealized vision of hospitality that Dickens celebrates throughout the book. Everyone’s shared joy softens even the hardest hearts, such as Wardle’s elderly mother.
Themes
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As the wedding day dawns at Manor Farm, a sense of excitement fills the air. The female servants bustle about in new pink uniforms, preparing for the big event. The ceremony takes place at the parish church, where Pickwick proudly signs the register and gifts Bella a gold watch and chain. After the wedding, everyone returns to the farm for breakfast. The table conversation is light and cheerful, with Pickwick raising a toast to the happy couple. As the cake is passed around, the young ladies save pieces to place under their pillows, hoping to dream of their future husbands.
The wedding at Manor Farm encapsulates the joy and renewal associated with both the Christmas season and marriage, as Dickens draws a parallel between the two forms of celebration. Pickwick’s gift of a gold watch and chain is another example of his generosity and his desire to mark the occasion with something lasting. It is a memorable and cheerful moment for everyone involved, which provides a necessary escape from Pickwick’s brewing legal troubles.
Themes
The festivities carry on into the evening, with more toasts and cheer until everyone is full of food and drink. Pickwick surprises everyone by showing up without his usual gaiters, as he is instead fully dressed for dancing in silk stockings and pumps. The fiddlers begin to play, and Pickwick eagerly joins the dance, even leading Wardle’s mother in a lively number. After dancing, Pickwick sits down and enjoys a game of cards.
Pickwick’s decision to shed his usual gaiters for silk stockings sees him embracing the moment, as he sheds the formality that often defines his character. As usual, bountiful food and drink help provide merriment and form bonds, as even Wardle’s mother takes part in the dancing.
Themes
As the evening winds down, everyone gathers by the fire for a hearty supper and a bowl of steaming wassail. The warmth from the fire contrasts with the snowfall outside, making the room feel even cozier. Wardle leads the group in a lively Christmas song, which everyone enthusiastically joins. Outside, the snow begins to fall softly. Wardle’s mother grows nostalgic, recalling a similar snowy Christmas Eve from years past. Her reflection brings a brief quiet to the group, as they listen to her memories. Sometime later, Wardle suggests that he has a spooky story to tell—one that is perfect for the time of year—about an old sexton named Gabriel Grub. Eagerly, everyone leans in to hear it.
The gathering by the fire creates a traditional moment of communal intimacy. The snowfall outside serves as a reminder of the harshness of the world beyond the cozy room, adding a bittersweet undertone to the festive scene. Wardle’s mother’s nostalgic reflection introduces the idea that joy and loss are intertwined, adding a feeling of melancholy to the evening. The suggestion of the ghost story also underscores the darker aspects of the season. Notably, telling eerie stories during Christmas time was an important part of the Victorian tradition.
Themes
