ornamental line

A Plastic Portrayal

"He had no consciousness . . . of having done wrong . . . but he was full of cares
now, and regrets, and dismal recollections, and wishes
(quite unkown to him before) . . ." (573).
Charles Dickens' Barnaby Rudge (1841)

 

Points for Reflection

C. Dickens' Barnaby Rudge (1841), 67-82

  1. how do those released from debtor prison respond to their newfound freedom, and does their reaction resemble those released from Newgate Prison (556)?
  2. why is the population so frightened by the prospect of Bedlam’s inhabitants being released (557)?  Does Dickens’ narrator stoke this particular fear?
  3. why is Hugh not shot dead by the soldiers determined to quell the riots (559-60)?
  4. who does George Cattermole depict as shorter in the illustration accompanying chapter sixty-seven, Ned or Joe?  What might explain this intentional difference?
  5. does Joe’s new disability impede his efficaciousness in the latter part of the novel?
  6. in what manner does Ned save Haredale’s life, and why is this fact so significant (564)?
  7. in what ways does Barnaby change in the last half of the novel, and what catalysts can the reader implicate in this transformation?
  8. in what ways does Barnaby not change?
  9. does Mr. Rudge adjust quickly to the quirks of Barnaby’s communication style?
  10. is Barnaby an incarnation of Mr. Rudge’s bloody conscience?
  11. despite his vision impairment, Stagg benefits from the riots in what ways (575)?
  12. why did Mr. Ned Dennis, the hangman, join in the rioting (582)?
  13. how does Mr. Dennis intend to see Miss Miggs “righted” (586-88)?
  14. does Dolly Varden change in any significant way while imprisoned by the rioters (588-90)?
  15. when first captured, Dolly definitely proved more resilient than Emma (491-95).  Now, after they have been in the rioters’ hands for a few days, Emma steps up and Dolly falls apart (590).  How might one explain this shift in representation?
  16. why do the male rioters prove unwilling to amorously approach Emma Haredale (590)?
  17. what provokes Miss Miggs into becoming, for the first time in the novel, emotionally transparent (592-93)?
  18. which of the two women proves more adept at distinguishing lies and stratagem from truth (593-96)?
  19. why might George Cattermole turn Dolly into the little girl depicted in the seventy-first chapter’s illustration (597)?
  20. why does Dickens celebrate the agency of Joe Willet, despite his new disability (596-98), yet in almost the same breath render Simon Tappertit’s disabled condition a “shapeless ugliness” (598)?
  21. Dolly’s renewed love for and more determined dedication to Joe Willet is a product of what factors?
  22. how does John Willet respond to his son’s new physical condition (600-602)?
  23. why does Joe Willet not propose marriage to Dolly (603-604)?
  24. can you read between the lines of Mrs. Rudge’s words and discover the reason she does not believe Barnaby will receive the death penalty for his involvement in the riot (607-608)?  Does the narrator share Mrs. Rudge’s perspective?
  25. what do Mrs. Rudge wish her husband to do in the time betwixt the present and his death (610-12)?
  26. does Lord George Gordon gain self-awareness and repent of his actions, like so many other characters (613-14)?
  27. do Dennis’ lies succeed in deceiving Hugh (617-20)?
  28. why does Sir Chester think Barnaby should be hung (622)?
  29. Hugh asserts that it makes more sense to be insane than sane when capital punishment awaits one (635). Does Dickens’ narrator echo this sentiment in the pages which follow?  What implicit attitude towards the death penalty emerges from behind the novel’s lines?
  30. why does Dickens point out that the crowd awaiting the hangings grows louder, while composed of individuals whose lips all appear to be sealed? (641-42)?  What is he suggesting?
  31. which of our characters faces the gallows with the greatest equanimity (642-45)?
  32. why does the public consider Barnaby to be so completely guilty (643-44)?
  33. what array of strategies does Dennis use in an attempt to delay his execution (644-45)?
  34. in his last moments, Hugh commends Barnaby for serving what role in Hugh’s life (646)?
  35. what future occupation does Mr. Haredale foresee for himself (659)?
  36. what does Edward (Ned) Chester mean by the phrase "monsters of affection" (664)?
  37. do you applaud the Vardens’ response to Miggs reappearance (670-72)? What of their response to Sim Tappertit (684)?
  38. does Lord George Gordon become a better man before dying at the young age of forty-three (682-83)?
  39. what particular people group does young Joe Willet make a concerted effort to serve at the new Maypole tavern and barn (685-86)?
  40. what area does the itinerant Barnaby refuse to ever visit again (687-88)?


    illustration of Barnaby and his mother, seated in a prison cell
    illustration from chp. 76 (1841)
    George Cattermole


Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu