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Chapter 3
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 and his companions head to Chatham to witness a grand military review. The town is buzzing with excitement as crowds gather to see several regiments demonstrate their military maneuvers, including a mock battle. Pickwick, Winkle, Snodgrass, and Tupman struggle to maintain their position amid the bustling crowd, enduring the discomfort of being shoved and trampled. Eventually, they secure a good vantage point and marvel at the spectacle before them. The troops present their arms, and the commander-in-chief inspects the lines.
The Pickwickians’ struggle to find a place in the crowd parallels their broader attempts to navigate a world whose complexities often evade them. The military review functions as a metaphor for order and discipline—qualities the Pickwickians admire but never fully embody. The scene also hints at a tension between appearance and reality, as the grand spectacle of military precision is ultimately a staged performance rather than an actual conflict, mirroring the Pickwickians’ tendency to mistake the theatrical for the real.
Themes
At one point, a sudden discharge of blank cartridges sends the group into a brief panic, especially Winkle, who worries about stray bullets. Pickwick, however, remains relatively calm and reassures his companions that there is no real danger. Yet when the regiments suddenly charge toward them, the group is caught off guard, and Pickwick and the others are forced to retreat in confusion.
Dickens juxtaposes Winkle’s panic with Pickwick’s initial composure, drawing attention to Pickwick’s aspirational role as a steady leader. However, the regimental charge shatters this illusion of control, suggesting that Pickwick’s confidence, like the review itself, is often a performance rather than a reality.
Themes
After the military review, Pickwick reunites with Tupman, who has made the acquaintance of Mr. Wardle, a hearty, jovial country gentleman. Wardle and his family invite the Pickwickians to join them in a spacious carriage for a picnic. During the picnic, Tupman strikes up a flirtation with Miss Rachael, Wardle’s sister, much to the amusement of the others. The gathering is filled with warmth and humor, with Pickwick and his friends enjoying the company and hospitality of the Wardle family. As the day winds down, Wardle invites the Pickwickians to stay at his country home, Manor Farm, in Dingley Dell. The group eagerly accepts the invitation, looking forward to the rustic charms of the countryside.
The introduction of Mr. Wardle and his family signals a shift in the narrative from urban chaos to pastoral harmony, invoking a literary tradition that idealizes rural life as a space for renewal and camaraderie. Tupman’s flirtation with Miss Rachael serves as a comedic subplot, but it also reflects the novel’s exploration of how social norms related to courtship can make romance become farcical. Wardle’s hospitality encapsulates a combination of key themes in The Pickwick Papers: the importance of social bonds formed through generosity and shared experiences.
Themes
