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Symbols
In The Pickwick Papers, food and drink symbolize fellowship, social bonding, and the comforts of community. Throughout the novel, meals and drinking sessions are moments when characters come together, setting aside differences to share in humor and conversation. Feasts at inns and taverns punctuate the Pickwick Club’s travels, reinforcing the idea that hospitality is central to the group’s camaraderie. These scenes emphasize conviviality, presenting food and drink as moments of respite from the complications of the outside world. Although characters sometimes eat and drink to excess, the merriment always outweighs any other considerations or conflicts that may arise. In contrast, the limited food available in Fleet Prison demonstrates the harsh realities of poverty. The meager provisions reflect how social systems deprive people of basic comforts, making the bountiful meals members of the Pickwick Club enjoy earlier in the novel appear frivolous. Through this contrast, Dickens uses food and drink not only to symbolize joy and camaraderie but also to highlight the stark divide between wealth and hardship.
Food and Drink Quotes in The Pickwick Papers
The The Pickwick Papers quotes below all refer to the symbol of Food and Drink. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 19
Quotes
‘We were trespassing, it seems,’ said Wardle.
‘I don’t care,’ said Mr Pickwick, ‘I’ll bring the action.’
‘No, you won’t,’ said Wardle.
‘I will, by – ’ but as there was a humorous expression in Wardle’s face, Mr Pickwick checked himself, and said – ‘Why not?’
‘Because,’ said old Wardle, half-bursting with laughter, ‘because they might turn round on some of us, and say we had taken too much cold punch.’
Do what he would, a smile would come into Mr Pickwick’s face; the smile extended into a laugh, the laugh into a roar, and the roar became general. So, to keep up their good humour, they stopped at the first road-side tavern they came to, and ordered a glass of brandy and water all round, with a magnum of extra strength, for Mr Samuel Weller.’
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Chapter 33
Quotes
‘I wonder what the foreman of the jury, whoever he’ll be, has got for breakfast,’ said Mr Snodgrass, by way of keeping up a conversation on the eventful morning of the fourteenth of February.
‘Ah!’ said Perker, ‘I hope he’s got a good one.’
‘Why so?’ inquired Mr Pickwick.
‘Highly important – very important, my dear Sir,’ replied Perker. ‘A good, contented, well-breakfasted juryman, is a capital thing to get hold of. Discontented or hungry jurymen, my dear Sir, always find for the plaintiff.’
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Food and Drink Symbol Timeline in The Pickwick Papers
The timeline below shows where the symbol Food and Drink appears in The Pickwick Papers. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
...on good terms, with Slammer even inviting Winkle and his friends to join him for drinks that evening to make amends for the misunderstanding.
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Chapter 3
...huff, with Slammer and Payne delivering parting insults to the Pickwickians and their guests. However, brandy restores the group’s good spirits, and the evening ends as it began: with camaraderie and...
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Chapter 7
...friends are warmly welcomed, and the camaraderie between the locals and their guests strengthens over drinks and shared stories. The conversation flows freely, with the group enjoying a hearty meal of...
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Chapter 11
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...
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Chapter 13
...days, the town remains in a state of uproar, with voters indulging in the free drinks provided by both sides. The town’s streets become a stage for brawls and rowdy behavior,...
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Chapter 14
...hospitality, especially from the attractive widow who owns the place. She serves him a hearty meal and sets him up by a roaring fire. Soon, Tom notices the presence of another...
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After enjoying several glasses of punch, Tom goes to bed. However, his rest is disturbed when he experiences a bizarre and...
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Chapter 19
...reckless firing. The group soon halts for lunch, enjoying a picnic of meat pies and punch in a scenic field. Pickwick indulges in the punch and grows increasingly inebriated until he...
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...with a laugh, that they had been trespassing, and they consumed a significant amount of punch. The group bursts into laughter. Their spirits restored, they stop at a tavern for drinks...
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Chapter 20
...the start. However, before heading to Perker’s, Pickwick suggests they stop for a glass of brandy-and-water to calm his nerves. Sam directs Pickwick to a nearby tavern he knows well. Inside...
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...Ipswich on his next coach run, which will occur in two days. After finishing their drinks, Pickwick and Sam head to an inn where Perker has his office. Unfortunately, by the...
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...the lawsuit until Perker returns. He then invites Pickwick to join the group for a drink. Though initially hesitant, Pickwick accepts. The evening passes with songs, laughter, and anecdotes, as Pickwick...
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Chapter 27
As they smoke and drink, Mr. Weller laments how easily the women in the village fall for Stiggins’s manipulative ways....
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Chapter 28 (1)
...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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Chapter 28 (2)
...spends his days digging graves in a churchyard. He resents the happiness of others and drinks from a bottle of Hollands hidden in his waistcoat. On Christmas Eve, while the townspeople...
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...filling with cold earth. After working for about an hour, he sits on a tombstone, drinks from his bottle, and laughs to himself about the idea of someone dying on Christmas.
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...quiet under the moonlight. Gabriel tries to dismiss it as an echo and takes another drink, but the voice interrupts him again. He freezes in fear when a goblin appears on...
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Chapter 29
...Pickwick that two medical students, Bob Sawyer and Benjamin Allen, are downstairs, smoking cigars and drinking brandy. Sam says the students are lounging in the kitchen, opening oysters, and aimlessly tossing...
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...who is also staying with the Wardles, and Bob is Benjamin’s close friend. Throughout the meal, the students joke about their work in dissection, to Pickwick’s mild discomfort, particularly when Bob...
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Chapter 31
...the relief of the group. After the quarrel is resolved, the evening proceeds with more drinking and singing. Jack Hopkins offers to perform a rousing rendition of “The King, God Bless...
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Chapter 33
...to worry about a warming-pan. Buzfuz dramatically argues that these letters are not merely about food or household items but are veiled promises of marriage. He claims that Pickwick’s casual mention...
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Chapter 34
...they had a wonderful time, Pickwick heads back to the White Hart. After enjoying a drink, he quickly goes to bed, feeling both exhausted and amused from what has transpired.
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Chapter 36
At the gathering, Sam notices that the footmen treat the dinner with exaggerated formality. Sam interacts confidently, making jokes about the food and the extravagant behavior...
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Chapter 37
After a lively conversation, the trio enjoys a meal and some punch. The evening is interrupted when Bob is called away on an urgent...
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Chapter 40
...situation without complaint. As he walks through the prison, he observes a variety of prisoners—some drinking, smoking, and playing cards noisily, while others sit alone. The prison teems with noise, smoke,...
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Chapter 44
As the visit continues, Stiggins implies that he would like a drink, so Sam fetches him one, which Stiggins eagerly drinks. Mrs. Weller follows suit, and both...
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Chapter 47
Bob and Pickwick retreat to another room, where Bob drinks himself into a more cheerful mood. Returning to the group, he apologizes for his earlier...
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Chapter 48
...with old friends during his journey. One night in Edinburgh, after a hearty supper, Tom drinks late into the night with a group of Scotsmen. After hours of drinking, he decides...
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Chapter 49
...concerns, assuring him that Bob won’t go too far unless he’s had too much to drink. However, moments later, Bob is sitting up on the roof of the carriage with a...
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Chapter 50
...leave. As they travel, the rain intensifies. Bob tries to keep his spirits up by drinking a glass of brandy and talking to Sam, who remains upbeat in spite of everything....
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Once inside, the travelers sit by the fire to warm up while awaiting their dinner. As they settle in, Sam notices a familiar face through a half-open door: Mr. Pott,...
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Chapter 51
...with Mr. Weller and help take care of his affairs. As Stiggins mixes himself a drink from the bar, Mr. Weller finally snaps. He throws the drink in Stiggins’ face, drags...
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Chapter 53
Later, Wardle and Pickwick arrange to meet Emily for dinner and have Joe deliver their message. Upon arriving at Emily’s room, Joe accidentally walks in...
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Throughout dinner, Joe’s nervous behavior raises suspicion. At one point, he is sent to fetch a snuff...
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Chapter 54
...head back to the George and Vulture Inn, as they look forward to a celebratory drink.
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