Little Dorrit Essay Questions

How do different characters respond to romantic rivals?

Because of the convoluted plot and subplots, readers have the chance to see many characters struggle with the experience of knowing someone else is competing for the love of someone they want. Although he tries to deny it, Arthur is in love with Pet Meagles, and becomes jealous of the way she favors Henry Gowan; likewise, Amy finds it difficult knowing that Arthur loves Pet, and also believes at some point that he might still be in love with Flora. Flora and John Chivery both eventually have to confront the reality that Arthur and Amy are in love with one another. In all these situations, characters who are basically good (even if, like Flora and John, they can sometimes be melodramatic and slow-witted) try to show integrity. They respect the right of their beloved to freely choose a partner, and do not do anything to interfere. In fact, in many cases, they support and facilitate the development of these relationships, even though they find it painful to do so. By contrast, Miss Wade completely gives in to hatred when Henry Gowan falls in love with Pet, and Mrs. Clennam reacts to the news that her husband was in love with someone else by becoming obsessed with vengeance and a harsh form of justice. The characters who act with integrity are rewarded for this behavior, either by finding a partner or a supportive community of friends. On the other hand, Miss Wade and Mrs. Clennam both end up being consumed by bitterness and hatred.

How does Gilbert Clennam try to redeem himself, and is this action adequate?

Gilbert Clennam is Arthur's great-uncle (the uncle of Arthur's father, Mr. Clennam). After forcing his nephew to marry a woman he does not love, and destroying his previous marriage (as well as depriving little Arthur of his relationship with his birth mother), Gilbert begins to feel guilty. In an effort to redeem himself, he drafts a codicil to his will specifying an inheritance be given to Frederick Dorrit, who was the patron of Arthur's birth mother, or to a young female relation. The gesture is presumably meant as a kind of apology to the young woman Gilbert wronged by depriving of her husband and child. However, perhaps because of his own preoccupation with wealth, Gilbert neglects to realize that money cannot atone for years of loneliness and lies: even if this inheritance had been properly administered, it would not have helped either Arthur or his birth mother. Because Gilbert also leaves the request to be carried out after his death, he leaves open the possibility that others will interfere, which is exactly what happens.

How does the novel distinguish between happy and unhappy marriages?

Arthur and Amy Dorrit are positioned to enjoy a happy life together at the end of the novel, and the story depicts a few couples (such as Mr. and Mrs. Meagles) who seem to be loving and supportive to one another. Most of the marriages, however, are shown to be quite miserable; for example, Arthur's parents live apart for most of their lives, while Mr. and Mrs. Merdle have set up their marriage like a mutually beneficial business transaction. Likewise, Pet and Henry, and Fanny and Sparkler end up making marriages that will turn out to be unhappy because they make either reckless choices led by attraction but without good judgment, or because they make calculated choices in pursuit of money and social position. Arthur and Amy's marriage is promising because they have been acquainted for a long time, and truly understand each other. They have already shown loyalty to each other "for better or for worse" because of the changing fortunes they have experienced. Despite all of this, Arthur is only willing to accept Amy's love and become engaged after he finds out that she has lost all of her money, and that therefore they are on equal standing. The other matches seem to show that economic parity is very important for a successful match, in addition to the emotional compatibility they have already experienced.

Why does it take so long for Arthur to recognize the nature of his feelings for Amy?

Although it is clear fairly early on that Amy loves Arthur, it takes him a very long time to recognize his feelings for her: in fact, he does not consciously realize that he is in love with her until he is himself imprisoned in the Marshalsea, and learns from John Chivery that Amy has long been hiding her feelings. Part of the delay could stem from the age gap: Arthur is almost twenty years older than Amy, and this gap is also exacerbated by her looking much younger than she is and appearing almost child-like, while his melancholy disposition often makes him feel even older than he actually is. When they first begin to interact, Amy is in a vulnerable position as the impoverished daughter of a prisoner, and the employee of his mother, and so his focus at first is on helping her in a paternal and platonic way. He is also distracted for a good portion of the novel by his attraction to Pet. It is not until all of these obstacles are cleared away, and until Arthur has hit rock bottom, that he can be vulnerable enough to realize that he truly loves Amy, and that she has long loved him in return.

To what extent is Arthur responsible for the loss of the money from his partnership with Doyce?

Arthur is quite directly responsible for making a bad investment decision which leads to him losing all the money he and Doyce have invested in their joint venture. Before he leaves for Russia, Doyce explicitly cautions Arthur not to invest in any risky speculations. However, encouraged by Pancks, and caught up in the excitement, Arthur does so anyway. However, Arthur is not, of course, the person who is responsible for the collapse of the Merdle investment scheme: the money is lost because Merdle has been lying and cheating people all along, and in that sense, he bears a strong responsibility for having deceived all those who chose to invest with him. Moreover, Dickens makes it clear that at the time Arthur invests the money, a kind of mania is sweeping the population, as more and more people become convinced that getting connected to Merdle is a way to grow rich. It is somewhat understandable that Arthur would be tempted to take part in something so popular, and as Colleen Lannon points out, "it is only after Pancks has done extensive calculations on the scope, security, and soundness of the Merdle schemes that they decide to invest" (pg.422). Arthur certainly bears some responsibility for the bad decision and the subsequent loss, but he also redeems this mistake by his immediate insistence on taking full ownership of the loss.