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Chapter 42
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
Sam’s loyalty moves Pickwick, who struggles to stay angry over his decision to get himself arrested. However, he remains determined to discover the identity of the creditor responsible for Sam’s detention, a question Sam stubbornly refuses to answer. Sam insists that the person is a malicious, vindictive man who deserves no favor. Pickwick argues that paying the small sum would be simple and would allow Sam to help him outside the prison, but Sam remains firm, stating that he will not lower himself to ask for anything from such a person. Pickwick finally concedes, realizing that Sam intends to stay with him no matter what.
This scene shows the depth of mutual respect between Pickwick and Sam, but also the stubbornness both men possess. Pickwick’s frustration is softened because he knows that Sam’s gesture reflects profound loyalty. Sam’s refusal to reveal the creditor suggests that he does not want Pickwick to know that his suffering is voluntary, making him even more noble. Ultimately, Pickwick lets the issue go and simply lets himself appreciate the fact that he has a friend to help him through this isolating experience.
Themes
That evening, Sam rents a small room from a cobbler who has lived in the Fleet for years. Sam quickly makes himself comfortable and strikes up a conversation with his new landlord, inquiring about the man’s long imprisonment. The cobbler explains that he never owed a penny but ended up in the Fleet due to a battle over inheritance. He had been named the executor of a will that left money to various relatives, who immediately began legal battles against him. After a series of court cases, all his money went to legal fees, and he now owes 10,000 pounds. The cobbler accepts that he will remain in the Fleet for life, mending shoes and surviving day by day.
The cobbler’s story reveals the brutality of the legal system, where disputes over inheritance ruin an innocent man’s life. His passive acceptance of lifelong imprisonment contrasts with Sam’s active, defiant approach to being in Fleet. While Sam turns his imprisonment into an act of solidarity, the cobbler’s story shows how easily one can become resigned to injustice, as endless legal battles wear one down until it seems impossible and hopeless to go on fighting.
Themes
The next morning, Tupman, Winkle, and Snodgrass come to visit Pickwick. As they reunite, Winkle’s behavior grows increasingly strange. He seems distracted and agitated, and when questioned, he insists that nothing is wrong. However, he announces his plan to leave town on urgent private business, and he hoped to take Sam with him. With Sam now imprisoned, that option is off the table. Sam and Pickwick exchange a brief glance, acknowledging that something deeper must be going on with Winkle.
Winkle’s odd behavior presumably relates to his relationship with Arabella, though no one knows for sure what is going on. Despite Winkle’s issues, this is a nice moment where all of the Pickwickians get to reunite, even if it is not under the best of circumstances. Meanwhile, even from jail, Sam and Pickwick feel the need to help their friends— their shared glance suggests that they plan to aid Winkle.
Themes
Later in the day, Roker informs Pickwick that the prisoner living next to him is dying. Concerned, Pickwick follows Roker to the infirmary, which is a cesspool of despair. The ailing prisoner speaks of his twenty years in the Fleet and the heartbreak of losing his child without being able to say goodbye. As he recounts his suffering, his breath slows, and he slips into a peaceful sleep. A man at his bedside reads from the Bible, while Roker softly declares that the man has “got his discharge.” Meanwhile, Pickwick reflects on the cruelty of the prison system and its role in the man’s tragic death.
This scene paints a powerful image of the human cost of the debtors’ prison, where time and suffering are inextricably linked. The dying prisoner’s story, filled with loss and isolation, serves as a grim reminder of how the system dehumanizes those trapped within it, even in death. The phrase “got his discharge” is darkly ironic, as the only escape from the prison for many is through death.
Themes
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