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Chapter 8
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
One night as Wardle and Pickwick sit down for dinner, they notice Rachael and Jingle are missing. As the group starts to speculate as to their whereabouts, a servant bursts into the room and informs them that Rachael and Jingle have traveled to Muggleton to elope. The news shocks everyone, especially Tupman, who feels betrayed. In a fit of rage, Tupman demands justice while Wardle orders a horse and gig to chase after the couple.
Elopement carried significant social stigma in the 19th century, as it bypassed familial approval and threatened the established social order. Wardle’s immediate order to chase after the couple mirrors societal anxieties surrounding honor and control over female autonomy. Meanwhile, Tupman is left to wallow and try to comprehend what took place.
Themes
Wardle and Pickwick travel to the Blue Lion, where they learn the couple is about three-quarters of an hour away. Wardle and Pickwick hire a chaise and go after them. As the moonlight fades and the rain intensifies, the chase becomes more difficult. They encounter delays at a toll gate and another staging post, where the sleepy helpers (whom Jingle has bribed) fumble with harnesses and cause more setbacks. However, Wardle’s persistence keeps them going, and they eventually spot Jingle’s chaise ahead of them.
Jingle knows that the others will immediately realize what he has done, and he does not care. Instead, he simply leaves more roadblocks in their way, hoping to complete his plan before Pickwick and Wardle can catch him. The fading moonlight and the heavy rain create an atmosphere that matches Pickwick and Wardle’s mood as their pursuit becomes increasingly difficult.
Themes
Jingle, noticing them, encourages his horses to speed up. A thrilling pursuit ensues, with the two carriages racing through the countryside. Wardle shouts insults at Jingle, who responds with mockery and triumphant gestures. Just as the chase reaches its peak, Wardle’s chaise hits a bump, losing a wheel and flipping over. After recovering from the crash, Wardle and Pickwick assess the damage. Jingle, watching from his carriage up ahead, taunts them with a cheeky farewell before speeding off once again. Though they have been bested, Wardle and Pickwick are eager to continue their pursuit.
The chase sequence juxtaposes comedy and melodrama, with Jingle embodying the figure of the trickster who is always one step ahead. Jingle’s mockery of the situation disregards traditional notions of honor, as he flaunts his disregard for Wardle’s authority. The crash serves as a turning point for Pickwick and Wardle where it seems like all home is lost Yet, their eagerness to continue reflects a determination to uphold the social order, even when it appears beyond reach.
Themes
