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Chapter 10
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 enjoys a peaceful morning walk at Dingley Dell after a night of rest, refreshed by the tranquil air of the countryside. After his walk, Pickwick meets up with Winkle and Snodgrass, and he can tell by their demeanor that something is wrong. When Pickwick asks about Tupman, who is not present, they give evasive answers. Eventually, Snodgrass hands Pickwick a letter Tupman left behind. In the letter, Tupman reveals that he is devasted about what happened between himself, Jingle, and Rachael. He writes that he is fleeing to Cobham, Kent, as a form of self-exile, as he is unable to cope with his emotional state. Pickwick finds the tone of the letter disturbing and insists they leave immediately to find their friend.
Tupman’s flight to Cobham echoes the romantic literary tradition of self-imposed exile, where characters retreat from society to escape emotional turmoil. His letter, with its heightened language and sense of finality, emphasizes the gap between Tupman’s subjective despair and the more practical response of Pickwick, whose immediate decision to pursue Tupman reflects his role as the stabilizing force within the group. Dickens draws on the trope of emotional excess to both parody and sympathize with Tupman’s predicament.
Themes
Before they depart, Miller gives Pickwick a manuscript he found after the death of a friend, a former doctor at a lunatic asylum. Miller explains that the manuscript may be the writings of a maniac, though its authenticity is uncertain. Pickwick accepts the manuscript with gratitude and promises to read it later. The farewell at Manor Farm is emotional, with Pickwick and his companions sharing a heartfelt goodbye with the Wardle family. Snodgrass, in particular, lingers over his goodbye to Emily.
The origins of Miller’s manuscript suggest that it will have an unreliable narrator, which is important to keep in mind when Pickwick reads it later on. Additionally, the emotional goodbyes with the Wardles indicate that the Pickwickians have grown close with the family in a short period of time because of what they have been through together. In particular, Snodgrass’s farewell to Emily suggests that he has romantic feelings for her.
Themes
The group sets off for Muggleton and eventually reaches Rochester, where they have a quiet meal before continuing toward Cobham. The journey through the picturesque countryside is serene, but the mood remains somber as the friends worry about Tupman. Upon reaching the Leather Bottle Inn in Cobham, they find Tupman sitting down to a meal. Pickwick requests a private conversation with him, and the two stroll through the churchyard. During the walk, Pickwick persuades Tupman to abandon his plans of exile and return to their company. Though Tupman initially resists, claiming his life is now meaningless, Pickwick’s earnest appeal wins him over.
The tranquil countryside offers a counterpoint to the emotional turbulence within the group, with the natural world providing a space for reflection. Meanwhile, Pickwick’s success in persuading Tupman to rejoin the group reinforces the novel’s emphasis on companionship as a remedy for personal suffering. In speaking with Tupman, Pickwick embodies a blend of empathy and reason that re-establishes order within the group.
Themes
After reconciling with Tupman, the group stumbles upon a curious discovery. Pickwick notices an ancient stone with a partially legible inscription outside a cottage. He purchases the stone from a local laborer, and, after much effort, the Pickwickians decipher the remnants of the inscription. Though the letters are fragmented, Pickwick proudly declares it a significant historical find. Enthused by their discovery, the group decides to head back to London the following day, intending to preserve the stone for future study.
The discovery of the stone is Dickens’s way of satirizing antiquarianism, as Pickwick reads far more into the stone than is appropriate. In reality, the moment says more about Pickwick and his immense curiosity than it does about the stone itself. Even though Pickwick has no experience in the field, the others take his thoughts at least somewhat seriously because of his social standing.
Themes
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That evening, Pickwick retires to his room at the inn, where he reads Miller’s manuscript. Titled A Madman’s Manuscript, it recounts the disturbing story of a man’s descent into madness. The narrator begins by describing how he once feared madness but eventually embraced it, finding perverse joy in hiding his condition from others. His paranoia worsens when he marries a young woman who, he discovers, loves another man. Full of jealousy and rage, he resolves to kill her.
The manuscript introduces unreliable narration and psychological distortion, as the narrator embraces madness in the face of reality. Dickens’s use of the madman’s voice complicates the reader’s relationship with truth, as the narrative oscillates between self-awareness and delusion. The narrator’s obsessive jealousy parallels Tupman’s earlier emotional turmoil, drawing a dark contrast between romantic frustration and pathological rage.
Themes
In the climactic moment, the woman awakens and stares at him, her gaze so unnerving that he hesitates, and her screams alert the household. Though he does not kill her, she loses her sanity and soon dies. The madman continues to unravel, growing violent toward her family, particularly her brothers. The manuscript ends with the narrator imprisoned in an asylum, where he reflects with a twisted sense of triumph on his life and his descent into madness. A note at the end of the manuscript states that everything contained within it is likely true, depraved though the point of view may be.
The madman’s hesitation at the moment of murder introduces ambiguity into his narrative, suggesting that his loss of control stems from both internal and external forces. The asylum setting at the end reinforces the social isolation that accompanies madness, with the narrator’s perverse triumph signaling his ultimate detachment from reality.
Themes
The manuscript leaves Pickwick shaken, and his nervousness intensifies when the candle in his room abruptly extinguishes. He quickly returns to bed, but the unsettling story lingers in his mind. However, the following morning’s sunshine and the group’s successful retrieval of the stone soon lift his spirits. Together, the group return to London in high spirits, with plans to present their discovery to the Pickwick Club. Later, Pickwick delivers a lecture on the ancient inscription, and despite some doubts cast by Blotton, the Pickwickians celebrate the discovery as one of Pickwick’s greatest achievements.
Although the manuscript is deeply disturbing, Dickens quickly transitions back to the lightheartedness of Pickwick’s life, as Gothic elements give way to comedic relief. However, the candle going out signifies that, as much as Pickwick may try to return to his normal, cheery self, there is something about this story that deeply disturbs him more than others he has heard. Still, he has no regrets about reading it because he understands that his curiosity will sometimes lead him down dark paths, which are equally valuable to understand.
Themes
