Dickensians! discussion

THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT - Third Thread: Chapters 21 - 35



Martin Chuzzlewit and Mark Tapley, by Sol Eytinge Jr., 1867

(From the Victorian Web, image scanned by Philip V. Allingham and selected by Plateresca)

This thread will be for the next four installments, 2 hosted by Plateresca and 2 hosted by Jean, and beginning with Chapter 21.

The timetable and links for this thread are here:

[IX]
3 Oct: Chapter 21 Summary, part I & Notes
4 Oct: Chapter 21 summary, part II & Notes
5 Oct: Chapter 22 Summary & Notes
6 Oct: Chapter 23 Summary & Notes
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7 Oct: Free day
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[X]
8 Oct: Chapter 24 Summary & Notes
9 Oct: Chapter 25 Summary & Notes
10 Oct: Chapter 26 Summary & Notes
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11 Oct: Free day
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[XI]
12 Oct: Chapter 27, part (i)
13 Oct: Chapter 27, part (ii)
14 Oct: Chapter 28

15 Oct: Chapter 29

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16 Oct: Free day
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[XII]
17 Oct: Chapter 30

18 Oct: Chapter 31
19 Oct: Chapter 32
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20 Oct: Free day
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[XIII] New thread

The timetable is now in Message 2!


Tom Pinch by Sol Eytinge
Image from the Victorian Web, scanned by Philip V. Allingham

Chapter 21
More American Experiences. Martin takes a Partner, and makes a Purchase. Some Account of Eden, as it appeared on Paper. Also of the British Lion. Also of the kind of Sympathy professed and entertained, by the Watertoast Association of United Sympathizers

Summary, part I (until the words 'they enjoyed themselves as at Pawkins's')
Martin and Mark are on a train. Mark is glad they've left New York. He says that the week at Pawkins's was the 'jolliest' ever, and, likewise, that their present prospects are 'uncommon bright'.

They are going to a place called Eden, and somebody told Mark that there are lots of serpents there. While Martin and Mark are discussing this, a fellow passenger joins their conversation. He is chewing tobacco and asking questions about Queen Victoria, who, he thinks, will be upset when she reads the next Watertoast Gazette. His name is Mr La Fayete Kettle.

Another person joins the conversation, a General Choke. He is in total agreement with Mr Kettle. Martin and Mark try to explain to their new acquaintances that their notions about Queen Victoria, where she lives, etc, are incorrect, but everybody (the other passengers are listening, too) thinks it's they who are wrong.


"I was merely remarking, gentlemen — though it's a point of very little import — that the Queen of England does not happen to live in the Tower of London.", by Fred Barnard
From the Victorian Web, image scanned by Philip V. Allingham

Martin has a letter of introduction to the General, from Mr Bevan. On learning that Martin is going to Eden, the General offers to introduce him to the agent of a company that sells land in Eden, though Martin had expected him to be disinterested. Martin has misgivings about the whole Eden project.

Late in the evening, they arrive at their destination, and get a room at a hotel. Everybody here looks exactly like the people they met in New York.

Notes

The beginning paragraphs of this chapter are very sarcastic. Some of you will remember the expression 'moral sense' from 'American Notes' in the context of prison isolation. The traveller Mrs Trollope wrote that 'the Americans declare that "they are the most moral people upon earth"'. Here, 'moral sense' 'renders unto Caesar nothing that is his'; it is a reference to the recent repudiation by America of European debts. 'Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's' is the reply of Jesus to the Pharisees in Matthew 22.21.

'The noble patriot' is, apparently, Thomas Jefferson. About him and Sally Heming: (view spoiler)[
Thomas Moore wrote in his 'Epistle to Thomas Hume' (1803):
'The weary statesman for repose hath fled
From halls of council to his negro's shed,
Where blest he woos some black Aspasia's grace,
And dreams of freedom in his slave's embrace!'

According to Nancy Aycock Metz, the claim that Jefferson fathered children by one of his slaves, Sally Hemings, was originally published in 1802 in the Richmond Recorder by James Thomsen Callender, once a Jefferson ally, but also a convicted felon. Dickens could have encountered the allegation in any one of several travel books about America which he read. One of them described how Jefferson sold his own daughter from a slave into slavery. The other said he had many children from many slaves, and used those children as slaves, too.

'Twentieth-century historians have regarded the evidence for Jefferson's paternity as probable, but lacking documentary proof, and the identification of a specific child or children has remained controversial. Recent DNA evidence, however, supports the view that Sally Heming's last son, who entered white society as Eston Hemings Jefferson, was sired by Thomas Jefferson.'

Some people her know about Sally more than I do, but here are some links anyway:
https://www.monticello.org/sallyhemings/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_H...
(hide spoiler)]

You will remember Dickens's impressions of American railroads from his 'American Notes'! To put it briefly, they were very unlike the British ones :)

The point of the passage 'If the cunning work of man be urged beyond its power of endurance...' is that vandalising a locomotive was punishable by fine, whereas the American criminal justice system regularly failed to convict and punish murderers. Forster remarked that white people, even murderers, had 'infinite chances' to avoid punishment in America. Slave owners, of course, were often brutal and were not even prosecuted.

'Rattlesnakes were peculiar to the American continent and were occasionally exhibited in England and other European countries.'

'How's your mother?' is an insult, as you will remember from 'Oliver Twist'.

The prototype for Martin and Mark's destination is probably St Louis.

Mostly based on or quoted from notes in Nancy Aycock Metz's 'The Companion to Martin Chuzzlewit'.

Philip V. Allingham's commentary on Barnard's illustration:
'While several travellers sleep on the hard, wooden seats with their feet indecorously displayed (left), Barnard's American gentlemen crowd around Martin (top-hat) and Mark (soft hat) to query the young Englishmen about Queen Victoria's residences.
Continued: (view spoiler)[
Barnard makes Martin look perfectly serious in a stylish topcoat, while Mark has a bemused smile that communicates the artist's attitude towards his material. Refreshingly, Americans in these episodes feel no reticence in engaging perfect strangers in conversation if they are seeking information about foreign places and persons. Here, however, Dickens makes them thoroughly gullible as he has Mark pass off spurious observations about the Mint and Mansion House, much to the delight of contemporary English readers.' (hide spoiler)]

Thus begins Instalment//Number IX, from September 1843. So we won't learn about what happens in the Pecksniff household from this chapter %)

How do you feel about young Martin now?

Plateresca Well, I confess I am warming to Martin. Perhaps the positivity of Mark rubbing off on him? Maybe it’s because the character of Jonas is much more upsetting? Where I also think my change of heart comes from is the fact that so many people that Martin and Mark are meeting make Martin’s character all the better. I love the clever names Dickens gives to both the many characters and the newspapers that Martin and Mark encounter. In brief, to me Martin rises in my estimation as all that surrounds him (Mark excepted) fall in value.

As Martin and Mark approach a place called Eden where rattlesnakes seem to congregate I brace myself for more horrors. Dickens is certainly not subtle in his allusions to the place that Martin thinks he can launch his career and new life. Snakes in the Garden of Eden. Oh my …

We have made many references to Dickens’s ‘American Notes’ during our reading of this novel. To me, at least, it becomes more and more apparent that his travelogue and this novel are unquestionably intertwined and each book, in its own way, informs the other.

Yes the Barnard illustration is interesting. Martin and Mark are literally surrounded by hucksters. The resting man in the left of the illustration with his foot up is the perfect touch.

I wonder how all the Americans in Barnard's illustration are able to stand without falling over given Dickens's description of the rickety train. :-) I'm joking of course. I like Barnard's painting very much. How silly for the Americans to argue they know better than two English men where Queen Victoria resides. Americans in this novel . . . always wrong, but never in doubt LOL.

Thank you Plateresca for explaining the "cunning work of man" passage. I didn't understand at all what that was about, but I did like the concluding sentence. "Liberty pulls down her cap upon her eyes, and owns Oppression in its vilest aspect, for her sister". That's powerful writing.

Plateresca wrote: "They are going to a place called Eden, and somebody told Mark that there are lots of serpents there..."

Until I saw your short summary of this passage, Plateresca, I totally missed that the reference of serpents were to those of the human kind, not the animal kind. Oh my goodness... this definitely does not bode well for Mark and Martin. They are literally babes in the woods who I hope will not leave Eden penniless.

I did find it funny that the arrogant Americans were also gullible, arguing with Mark and Martin about Queen Victoria living in the Tower of London because they had read it in their trashy newspapers (apparently THE arbiter of truth!)

I am really liking Martin. I don't know what changed him on The Screw, but the experience definitely humbled him. I appreciate how he treats Mark almost as an equal.

I think Eden will be good for him as he will get to experience how it feels to be on the receiving end of greedy and unscrupulous people.

Shirley (stampartiste) wrote: "I appreciate how he treats Mark almost as an equal...."

I agree with you, Shirley, and with Peter that Martin has been much more likable in the last couple of chapters. I think his treatment of Mark has improved because his is the only familiar face in a sea of strangers and represents home to Martin. Also, this new environment has forced Martin to reject his former classifications of people and his old pecking order is, at least for now, obsolete. He seems to be making an effort to be more open-minded by "doing at Rome as Romans do" (330).

There are so many humorous moments in this half-chapter! I laughed at the description of Mr. Kettle calmly sticking his face between Martin and Mark and joining their conversation, not to mention when he held out his used-up "chaw" for their inspection! LOL! Mark's deadpan claim that the Queen "lives in the Mint, to take care of the money" and that she shares lodgings with the Lord Mayor at the Mansion-House but avoids them because the chimney smokes was too funny!

As always, I love Dickens' insight and keen observation of the human condition. His scathing condemnation of slavery at the beginning is quite memorable and right on point; his presentation of these Americans arrogantly insisting that they know more of the Queen's habits than those who live in England is ridiculous, as Bridget pointed out, but who has not encountered these people in life at some point--those who, with little to no knowledge of a topic, attempt to school you on a subject in which you are extremely well-educated?

Peter, very interesting thoughts (as always).
Personally, I am also warming up to Martin at this stage. I think I saw no grounds for his self-confidence earlier, and now that he begins to lose it, I am more ready to commiserate with his plight. But what you mention, the ugliness of other characters, has its effect, too, of course.

Exactly, snakes in Eden are kind of self-evident :)


Bridget, ha, nice point about the train :)
Yes, Dickens is definitely making a statement here.

Shirley, I think you're reading the authorial hints correctly, once again :)

Cindy, I agree. If we set aside, at least for now, the questions of the likelihood and credibility of change in Martin, I think we all agree that the author intended to show that Martin is gradually changing. Which is good news, since we did not particularly like him as he was :)

Argh, but all the references to spitting tobacco make me sick, honestly; I wish it were not the truth, so Dickens wouldn't have had to include this *sad smile*.

And, re: people who think they know better, — that's exactly what I thought: oh no, it's not like one can only meet them in America, they're everywhere :)

---

I hope the others are silent just because they're immersed in reading. Each of us notices different things, so, to enrich this discussion, please, don't be shy to add your comments, OK? :)
And we read on...

Chapter 21 Summary, part II

Martin holds a 'solemn council' with Mark. Mark is ready to give Martin all his savings, which is more money than Martin has left, even after the sale of Mary's ring. Martin promises to make Mark his partner in business, and to share half the future profit with him. Martin wants to start an architectural company in Eden, and call it 'Chuzzlewit and Tapley'; Mark prefers to be represented by a 'Co'.

When they have settled that, Martin asks Mark to get 'a couple of sherry-cobblers', forgetting he said they were 'no longer master and servant'.

The next day, Martin, Mark, and the General go to the office of the Eden Settlement company. The agent, Mr Scadder, has a half-paralysed face. He protests that the company doesn't really want to sell lots to just anybody, and that they're selling the lots too cheap, anyway. The General assures him that Martin and Mark are his friends.

Martin sees a great plan on the wall of the office, and it turns out to be the plan of Eden. It's a plan of an 'architectural city' with banks, churches, etc.


The Thriving City of Eden as it Appeared on Paper, by Phiz
From the Victorian Web, image scanned by Philip V. Allingham

Martin is anxious that there's no more work left for an architect, but is assured that there is, and that, moreover, there are no architects in Eden. Mark makes a humorous comment, and the agent is offended and refuses to give any further explanations.

Against Scadder's 'opposition', Martin buys a lot in Eden, which is, according to the plan, in the very centre of the city.

As they all leave, they accompany the General to a meeting of the Watertoast Sympathisers. Here, vehement speeches are made against England and in favour of a 'certain Public Man', to whom the General has penned a letter of support.

As the general is reading the letter to his enthusiastic audience, the mail arrives, and there's a letter for the Sympathisers with extracts from English newspapers. The Sympathisers learn, to their dismay, that the person they wanted to support is an abolitionist. The Watertoast Association of United Sympathisers is immediately dissolved, and with the money they've collected, they decide to buy presents for racist judges.

General Choke and Mr. Scadder, by Sol Eytinge, Jr., 1867
From the Victorian Web, image scanned by Philip V. Allingham


Notes

In the 1849 preface to the Cheap Edition of the novel, which we will soon read, Dickens wrote that the whole portion about Watertoast Sympathizers was a literal paraphrase of reports of public proceedings of a certain Brandywine Association, which were printed in the 'Times'. More about this: (view spoiler)[The Brandywine Emmett Repeal Association of Delaware supported the cause of Home Rule in Ireland. The public person they supported was Daniel O'Connell, a Catholic nationalist; he was consistently opposed to slavery, and actually praised Dickens's own abolitionist efforts. The Irish Repeal Association (they were campaigning for the repeal of the Act of Union with England) was not overly enthusiastic about the support from the Brandywine Association, they 'disclaimed any participation in the haughty, and the hostile spirit, which the Americans displayed towards Great Britain...'. (hide spoiler)]


Mark's savings amount to roughly a year's wages for an experienced male servant.


'In Britain, handshaking was a mark of special friendship or regard and subject to a more elaborate protocol. More about this: (view spoiler)[For example, in Jane Austen's Emma, Harriet Smith is said to be 'delighted with the affability with which Miss Woodhouse had treated her all the evening, and actually shaken hands with her at last!' Mere acquaintances did not shake hands. Wemmick's surprise when Pip extends his hand at the end of their first meeting lets Pip know that the custom 'must be out of the London fashion'. According to Mrs Trollope, most British travellers in America found 'the eternal shaking hands with these ladies and gentlemen... really an annoyance... the more so, as the near approach of the gentlemen was always redolent of whiskey and tobacco'. (hide spoiler)] Dickens complained to Lady Holland <...>: 'I have almost paralyzed my right arm by constantly shaking hands'.'


You will remember the horrible southern legislators mentioned in 'American Notes'.

(Based on or quoted from notes in Nancy Aycock Metz's 'The Companion to Martin Chuzzlewit)

So, Martin and Mark have invested all they had in a property in Eden, and we've smiled (hopefully) at how easy it is for Watertoast Sympathisers to condemn the unsuspecting British Lion. The chapter ends on a rather ominous note, though... What are you impressions of it?

The first four paragraphs or so of this chapter felt like Dickens was exercising out some of his feelings about the United States — there is even a smack down of Thomas Jefferson — and then we move on to first Lafayette Kettle and then General Choke. Just the name Lafayette Kettle strikes me as perfectly apropos for this chapter. And my thinking about Eden reminded me of the old, very old, newspaper ads for great swaths of beautiful land in Florida in which to live, but were nothing more than swamps and alligators.

I would further say that Dickens lack of success for an international copyright probably informed some of his writing here. I can see him greatly chagrined that his books were being sold by Americans making money off his work. And he would be right to feel that way, and thus a commercial enterprise like Eden — just another scheme so to speak — is a stand in for what was happening to his books.

What a fascinating chapter and what a telling illustration. The commentary and analysis of the illustration found on the ‘Victorian Web’ is wonderful. Just to highlight a couple of points … if we look up over the map we find a shelf. On the shelf are found duck decoys and a mouse about to enter a trap. To the left on the wall is a spider’s web. Leaning on a desk is a man picking his teeth. Oh Martin, you are about to become entrapped, caught in a web, drawn towards a decoy and, at last, consumed by those who will take advantage of you and Mark. What a brilliant illustration!

There is great irony in the illustration. As Martin is being lured by the map we learn that Eden only exists on paper. If one wants to find Eden, indeed live there, a person has to build there. I find a moral here. We can create our own Eden, but we must build it ourselves, aware each moment that there are traps, webs and creatures who want to do us harm. Men and rattlesnakes abound in the world. How strong is our faith in ourselves and in our plans for the future?

Maps, plans, and buildings seem to hover throughout this novel. Pecksniff is a faux teacher who takes unfair advantage of his pupils and steals their projects. The same chicanery is happening in America. Martin does buy into the promise of Eden. If Eden is to be seen as the promised land, can we extend this concept to Dickens commenting on the promise that America was to the people who came looking for a new future as well?

John, Charles Dickens definitely had things to be angry about in relation to his American trip; the copyright issue that you mention was in itself an offence, but add to this the way the American press wrote about him and his wife, and the forged letter, as well as many other annoyances...

That said, I honestly believe Charles Dickens wrote what he wrote because he believed it to be the truth, not because he was chagrined.

Again, the truth might well be somewhere in the middle :)

But re: Jefferson, you see that Dickens was informed by the literature of the time, and it was not complimentary to Jefferson.

The whole Eden sequence was definitely not drawn from imagination, but since we don't yet know what happened there, we're not discussing it yet.


Peter, I agree, some aspects of the illustration do not bode well for Martin and Mark. We do not yet know what exactly happens in Eden, so it stays in Eden for now, but we shall learn soon enough!

Peter, thank you for pointing out all the symbols of entrapment in the illustration. Martin is so trusting of someone who has the look of a conman.

Plateresca, your commentary is brilliant as always!

Jefferson was in the news quite often often when The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family was published in 2008. It's difficult in present times to know how to judge a man who was an important Founding Father, but also a slave owner with a slave mistress.

Plateresca wrote: "Mark is ready to give Martin all his savings, which is more money than Martin has left, even after the sale of Mary's ring. Martin promises to make Mark his partner in business, and to share half the future profit with him."

Thirty-seven pounds from Mark against Martin's eight plus fourteen from the pledged ring and Martin magnanimously offers Mark an "equal" partnership! And, I dare say, Martin considers himself to be generous in the extreme, proclaiming Mark to be a "friend" and no longer a "servant" as he bids him fetch their celebratory sherry-cobblers.

I'm still not thinking too much of Martin Chuzzlewit, I'm afraid. And even Mark's well-founded skepticism doesn't seem capable of stopping Martin from leaping headlong through the loop of a swindle trap with all of their money!

Like Paul, I’m not impressed with Martin. Dickens remarks in this chapter that he is “selfish” and Martin most certainly takes advantage of Mark’s goodwill. Also, Martin is being terribly naïve when he buys property that he has never seen.

Plateresca wrote: "Martin asks Mark to get 'a couple of sherry-cobblers', forgetting he said they were 'no longer master and servant'...." My hopes for Martin were a little premature, I'm afraid. He still treats Mark somewhat like a servant.

Peter wrote: "On the shelf are found duck decoys...". I'm so glad you found the commentary on this, Peter. I thought they looked like ducks, which I thought Phiz meant to convey as "sitting ducks." Thank you for providing so much information on these illustrations. They have really been telling.

My favorite passages in this chapter are Mark's under-the-breath comments, which are so hilarious!
"The soil being very fruitful [referring to Eden], public buildings grows spontaneous, perhaps."
"The Co.'s a-putting his foot in it already. He must be a sleeping partner - fast asleep and snoring - Co. must; I see." (Mark was to provide the funds; not provide counsel in his partneship with Martin.)
Mark is showing that he's far sharper than Martin, when it comes to observing the world around him. Martin had better hang on to Mark!

I am dying for Martin to "see" Eden! I'm wondering if the General will decamp before that happens.

John wrote: "And my thinking about Eden reminded me of the old, very old, newspaper ads for great swaths of beautiful land in Florida in which to live, but were nothing more than swamps and alligators...."

Depending on where they bought, some of that land turned a nice profit if they waited about 25 years - or it happened at least once. The husband of an acquaintance bought such land in Port Charlotte and eventually forgot about it. His widow, much later, remembered the sale and sold the parcel for a nice sum. By then the city had grown, canals were built and utilities added, making the land buildable. Inflation helped too.

John wrote: "I would further say that Dickens lack of success for an international copyright probably informed some of his writing here ... a commercial enterprise like Eden — just another scheme so to speak — is a stand in for what was happening to his books..."

This is a great insight!

As Plateresca says, "I honestly believe Charles Dickens wrote what he wrote because he believed it to be the truth," but that does not prevent the additional subtext: of Eden as a symbol ... but of what, still has to be revealed.

Bionic Jean wrote: "John wrote: "I would further say that Dickens lack of success for an international copyright probably informed some of his writing here ... a commercial enterprise like Eden — just another scheme s..."

Cindy wrote: "Shirley (stampartiste) wrote: "I appreciate how he treats Mark almost as an equal...."

I agree with you, Shirley, and with Peter that Martin has been much more likable in the last couple of chapte..."

Plateresca wrote: "Peter, very interesting thoughts (as always).
Personally, I am also warming up to Martin at this stage. I think I saw no grounds for his self-confidence earlier, and now that he begins to lose it, ..."

Plateresca wrote: "Peter, very interesting thoughts (as always).
Personally, I am also warming up to Martin at this stage. I think I saw no grounds for his self-confidence earlier, and now that he begins to lose it, ..."

Cindy wrote: "Shirley (stampartiste) wrote: "I appreciate how he treats Mark almost as an equal...."

I agree with you, Shirley, and with Peter that Martin has been much more likable in the last couple of chapte..."

I am very much enjoying all this input! I am silent because I am behind. It is Victober (and MC qualifies) but I am distracted with this month of festivities. I will catch up soon, thanks again everyone!!

Plateresca wrote: "John, Charles Dickens definitely had things to be angry about in relation to his American trip; the copyright issue that you mention was in itself an offence, but add to this the way the American p..."

Plateresca, I agree about his adherence to truths. I think perhaps chagrined may not be the best word. I think he was rightly concerned as a creator of art that his art was essentially being stolen because there were no copyright protections. I’ve always believed that the reason he took a January voyage to America — the harshest and most dangerous month to cross — was he felt an urgency to get this issue addressed, not only for himself but for others.

I don’t really have much to add to all that’s been said, but I am certainly curious to see what Eden is like, if Martin has actually bought something real. And Martin isn’t doing anything to make himself look good as a potential friend/employer or as a future architect/entrepreneur. It’s difficult to imagine how he can turn his life around without any money left…though Mark would probably find a solution.

Connie, re: Jefferson and Sally, I personally do not know enough to judge any of them. Charles Dickens obviously thought that Jefferson's behaviour was reprehensible, but a) he was informed by the literature of his time, which might have exaggerated events, and b) Dickens himself was not always a paragon of virtue.

I think it's safe to summarize this bit in this way: it seems that Dickens expected to find more sincerity in America than in England, and on finding instances of what he considered hypocrisy, and which in many cases was hypocrisy, he was disappointed.

That said, I've been thinking about what John said, that Charles Dickens was expressing his feelings in this chapter... But wasn't he always? :) I mean, he was so passionate about so many things, not only things that concerned him personally, and once decided, he fully plunged into the battle, didn't he? I'm thinking about Yorkshire schools again, as an example of his ardent campaigning.

Paul and Kathleen, I agree on the whole: even if we traced some subtle changes in Martin over the previous chapters, the way he takes Mark's money and invests it in a dubious enterprise is not something we can congratulate him upon, and, of course, friends go to fetch cocktails together, you're absolutely correct.

Please don't throw too many rotten tomatoes at me for saying this, though: this is 1843, so although there is class mobility, the class structure is still very rigid; remember how Nicholas Nickleby (view spoiler)[after his salary of 5 pounds per annum at Dotheboys was very doubtful about the much more profitable job of an actor, since it was theoretically so below him (hide spoiler)]. So Martin and Mark belong to different social classes, and it's not easy to obliterate these boundaries in a minute of goodwill. People could be friendly with their servants and valets, but not so friendly as to bring cocktails for them.

More importantly, if at this point of the story Martin said, 'OK, Mark, we're partners now. What do you think we should do? Why don't you think about it while I fetch the cocktails', would we even believe this change?..

But otherwise, yes, Martin is being an ass, and I'm sure we're meant to judge him as such :)


Shirley, that's right, Mark has his suspicions about Eden. The general doesn't need to accompany his friends there...


Jodi, thank you for checking in, have fun at your festivities :)


John, yes, definitely, I agree that the question of copyright was important to Dickens, and he was not only thinking about himself, absolutely.


Sue, we shall see soon enough :)

Chapter 22
From which it will be seen that Martin became a Lion on his own Account. Together with the Reason why

Summary
As soon as it is known that Martin has purchased land in Eden, he becomes popular. He receives letters in which people ask him to speak before an audience, or to recommend him to a 'member of Congress in England' [there is, of course, no Congress in England] who would 'undertake to pay' the expenses of the author of the letter.

Captain Kedgick, the landlord, has placed an advertisement in the bar that Martin will be holding a levée.


"Well, sir!" said the Captain, putting his hat a little more on one side, for it was rather tight in the crown: "You're quite a public man I calc'late", by Fred Barnard
Image from the Victorian Web, scanned by Philip V. Allingham

Martin doesn't want to, but it seems he has no choice. A lot of people come, and everybody shakes hands with Martin. Martin is soon exhausted.

Martin is introduced to a Mrs Hominy, an aristocrat and a writer. She talks and talks about America and its preeminence.

She still clings to Martin the next day. Meanwhile, Mark is getting his and Martin's things and provisions on board the steamboat they've bought tickets for. They do not have much money left to pay for their rooms, and yet the departure is constantly delayed. By this time, some people have been living on the lower deck for a week, and have been exhausting their scant provisions before the actual voyage.

Finally, the skipper is about to depart. After answering more letters, Martin boards it, together with Mrs Hominy, who's going to a place called New Thermopylae. Mark is intent on 'solving the riddle' of the 'lionship', and runs back to the hotel. He asks Captain Kedgick why people have been making so much of Martin. The answer is, these people like excitement, and 'nobody as goes to Eden ever comes back a-live!'.

Mark is just in time to board the steamboat. He says he 'never was half so jolly', and they depart.

Misc. Notes

Martin could not appropriately be styled 'Honourable'.

From Byron's 'Cain: A Mystery':
Lucifer: Reptiles engender'd out of the subsiding
Slime of a mighty universe...
Cain: And yon immense
Serpent...
Is he not of the kind which bask'd beneath
The Tree in Eden?

You will, of course, remember Dickens's American secretary, George Putnam, who wore a cloak 'like Hamlet'; critics think it possible that Putnam Smif is a parody of him.

This chapter has some more experiences Dickens did not enjoy about America, which you will remember from 'American Notes': publication of letters; his desperation at countless formal receptions, the way people constantly scrutinized him, how the departure of steam-boats was always delayed...

Some critics remark that, although Dickens himself certainly was lionized, Martin wouldn't have been. Well, we have one explanation of this mystery at the end of the chapter! Also, we might remember Mrs Leo Hunter from 'The Pickwick Papers'; apparently, this 'lionization' thing just happened sometimes.

Hominy grits is a native American dish of Indian corn.

The city of Thermopylae in Greece was the site of a famous battle in 480 BC, in which the Persians defeated the Spartans. It was a dangerous pass, difficult to defend.

Joseph Grimaldy was the most famous clown (Dickens edited his memoirs), and Sarah Siddons was the queen of stage tragedy.

The story of Orson, brought up by a bear in a forest and later tamed by his twin brother, originated in a medieval French romance and appeared in numerous chapbook versions in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Based on the notes in Nancy Aycock Metz's 'The Companion to Martin Chuzzlewit', and the Penguin Classics edition Notes.

Well, we were not very optimistic about Eden in the first place, but now we have even less reason to be so. Still, this chapter had enough humour to offset the darkening shadows a bit... What do you think?

Plateresca wrote: "So generally it was not common for people of the lower upper class, to which Martin can be attributed, to befriend people of the middle class, to which I would assign Mark as a skilled labourer."

(view spoiler)[
You are right. In medieval times class was less rigid. The empire builders and the industrialists who emerged from the gentry and middle class of Victorian England coalesced into the more inflexible class structure. Will will have to wait until the 2 World Wars, and the 3rd wave feminism, to witness a modern class structure. (hide spoiler)]

Luffy, I'm so glad you're still with us! :)

Plateresca wrote: "Luffy, I'm so glad you're still with us! :)"

Hey, thanks, Plateresca.

I need to look back a bit. When I read that Martin had sold Mary’s ring I should have said something, so here it is now. While I do see a softening of the edges of Martin’s character I do not like what the selling of the ring might symbolize. The ring was given by Mary, who obviously thinks a great deal of, and perhaps even loves Martin. A ring is a physical object that has a monetary value. As a gift from a lover, a ring extends its value beyond its monetary value. A ring is a promise, a statement of attachment, a pledge, both spoken and implied. One could say that the ring’s value was monetized in order to help Martin’s ambitions. Sorry, but in my mind you don’t sell a ring from someone who loves you unless your are in serious dire straits. In my opinion, Martin’s action was wrong. I wonder if there is some good explanation for the sale of the ring or if there will be as yet unknown consequences that will be unpacked in the future.

Eden. Can’t wait to see what Martin has purchased.

I kind of thought, from Mark's thoughts at the end of chapter 14, that Mary purchased the ring on purpose so that Martin would be able to sell it if he needed money. Although Martin did not realize that, at this point I think he is still optomistic enough to think that he will end up with tons of money, and he probably thinks it is worth it to give up the ring in exchange for what he will be able to give Mary in the future. I am not denying that his feelings towards Mary are pretty self-centered. But I think his actions are typical of people who fall for scams, thinking they are giving up everything now for great riches at some future date.

I'm glad to see you back too Luffy! Plateresca and I always like to see "silent" members commenting again, although we all know that life can intervene.

And of course you are quite correct that we will have to wait quite a long time to witness a modern class structure. However Plateresca is about to edit the part of hers which you quoted, as you will see. So I'll put the relevant facts in the next post.

The Victorian Social Class System

In brief, England does not use the term "lower upper class": although other countries might, and we understand what Plateresca means! In this case and at this time, the proper term is gentry. For more details this article is useful: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_...
It also makes clear that skilled labourers in England are working class, both then and now.

So these three characters represent three different classes:

Old Martin is upper class. He is explicitly described in the text as a "rich, old man" and we can tell from the date, and the details in the text that he has a comfortable, well-established position. He is gentry, and very probably landed gentry.

Young Martin is an architect, so if we look at the article we can see that he has slipped a class, as he has no inherited money and has to work. As a professional he is part of the upper middle class - so far!

Mark Tapley started as a skilled labourer, as Plateresca says: an ostler/stable hand. Now he is a sort of valet to Martin. However he is not middle class, nor does he view himself as such. We can tell this from his demeanour e.g. the fact that he always calls people "sir". He is solidly working class, and remains so as a domestic servant - although within the servant class a valet is obviously one of the higher ones. Again the article confirms this.

Well done everyone for picking up that, whatever Martin says, he neither believes nor treats Mark as a social equal - nor would Mark accept this anyway! As Luffy says, we have to wait until the late 20th century before the boundaries of the English class system become (a little) more fluid.

Plateresca, I continue to be amazed and appreciative of your excellent summaries. And thank you so much for clarifying the classes, Jean.

I was thinking about Martin improving a little bit anyway in some of our eyes. It seems to me that visiting this new world has made him realize that he has more in common with Mark than he does with the Americans, so maybe that has helped him be a little less class-conscious. While he still doesn't treat Mark as a social equal as Jean explains, he does seem to have a little more compassion and awareness of him.

Bionic Jean wrote: "I'm glad to see you back too Luffy! Plateresca and I always like to see "silent" members commenting again, although we all know that life can intervene.

And of course you are quite correct that we..."

Thanks for clearing things up, plus the mention. Will read on and will follow the discussion.

Jean, thanks for the discussion of the class structure. This is something I always need reminders for my English reading. It doesn’t stay fixed in my memory.

I enjoyed reading this chapter. The absurdity of some of the characters and Martin’s situation are crazy and comic. And the ending was both predictable and unexpected, which was nice.

Peter, I think Martin really is in dire straits. I even think Mary expected him to sell the ring if worse comes to worse, as Katy says. That said, I agree that it was not a noble thing to do.


Katy, I agree with what you're saying. At first, Martin is sure he'll get rich at some future point. He might not be that sure about it by now, but he still hopes.


Jean, thank you for the clarification!🌷


Kathleen of roses, oh yes, I'm sure Martin does realize how lucky he is to have Mark with him, even if he does not say so :)


Sue, I like how you put it, 'predictable and unexpected' :) Which leads us nicely to the next chapter...

Chapter 23
Martin and his Partner take Possession of their Estate. The Joyful Occasion involves some further Account of Eden

Summary
On board the steamboat, Martin meets some nice people who remind him of Mr Bevan; they help him escape the 'intellectual entanglements' of Mrs Hominy. Martin and Mark come to the conclusion that America does have 'good tools', i.e., clever and worthy people, but uses the bad ones, i.e. those who prosper most are pretentious and unethical. Mark seems to be growing 'profoundly sagacious'. He is also excessively 'jolly', which gives Martin hope and courage.

One by one, most of the passengers leave the steamboat, and there are fewer and fewer habitations along the way. Finally, they arrive at New Thermopylae. Martin is happy to part with Mrs Hominy, but he can't believe this shabby settlement is indeed her destination. Nevertheless, she tells him it 'whips Eden'.

Martin understands that he and Mark are the only people going to Eden, and wonders how people can choose these other dismal spots. Mark tries to hint that maybe they shouldn't be too optimistic, but Martin is angry that Mark can even compare Eden to New Thermopylae.

The scenery they see further is that of desolation, morass, marshes, and weeds; it looks highly unhealthy. At last, they land at Eden. It's a hideous swamp. The first Edener they meet is pale and worn. He explains he's had a bad fever and still has difficulty walking. They ask him if he can help find somebody to help carry their belongings. His eldest son would have helped, but he is sick; his youngest son died last week. But there are no thieves left in Eden, they either died or went away. The man warns them that the night air here is 'deadly poison'.

Martin and Mark's property is next to this man's log-house, and he stores corn there at present, but will remove it. He buried the last proprietor with his own hands. They come to a 'miserable cabin' with no furniture and even without a door.

Martin and Mark go back for their things, and Mark talks incessantly to try to keep Martin's spirits up. Still, when they return to the cabin, Martin can't help weeping. Again, Mark does his best to cheer him up. They have supper and try to sleep, but it seems that neither of them can.

In the morning, Mark surveys their surroundings. Everything looks very dismal, and there's a fetid vapour. Mark finds some wan and forlorn men who help him carry the rest of their luggage to their new home. They explain that nobody who can afford to go away stays in the place, and those who do stay have lost their loved ones.

Martin has changed; he is weak and in pain. Mark tries to make the place as nice and comfortable as it can be, even attaching the placard with the words 'Chuzzlewit & Co., Architects and Surveyors', which Martin had prepared. Martin is desolate...


The Thriving City of Eden as it Appeared in Fact, by Phiz
From the Victorian Web, image scanned by Philip V. Allingham

Mark thinks Martin must be ill, and hurries to ask one of their neighbours what to do about it. Mark tells himself that 'Things is looking about as bad as they can look', so now is the time to 'come out strong'.

Notes

The first stages of the journey to Eden retrace the trip Dickens took down the Ohio river from Cincinnati to St Louis. Again, you will recognize many of Dickens's observations from 'American Notes', particularly the scenery and Cairo.

Charon was the ferryman who rowed the souls of the dead across the river Styx to Elysium.
Giant Despair is a character from John Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress'.

Travellers to the southern states were advised to stay indoors as much as possible...

A gypsy party is a picnic.

"Eden!" by Harry Furniss
From the Victorian Web, image scanned by Philip V. Allingham


Martin Chuzzlewit and Mark Tapley by Sol Eytinge, Jr.
From the Victorian Web, image scanned by Philip V. Allingham

The illustration above is the one we started the thread with, but we did not know what it referred to then. I like how spruce Mark looks here, and the contrast between his sympathetic face and Martin's dejected profile. I expect Peter will probably want to comment on Browne's illustration :) Gloomy as Eden is in the text, it certainly looks picturesque in Browne's and Furniss's artwork.


I'm sure you will remember this quote from 'American Notes':
'I think I can remember, in this universal indifference, having a kind of lazy joy—of fiendish delight, if anything so lethargic can be dignified with the title—in the fact of my wife being too ill to talk to me.'

I remembered it in the context of: 'There was the horrible Hominy talking deep truths in a melodious snuffle <...>' (love the euphony of 'horrible Hominy'). This particular quote is from the previous chapter, but in this chapter, Martin is so relieved to part with this lady, I wonder at his being so oblivious to the fact that he has much more serious problems than her chitchat.

Anyway, this character was (for me) a welcome comic relief, but now the relief is over :)


We've been looking at Martin's journey through the lens of Campbell's Hero's Journey concept. So, in Campbell's concept, this would (I think) still be 'The Road of Trials'. In Christopher Vogler's adaptation of the concept, the steps are thus: Tests, allies, and enemies; Approach to the inmost cave; The ordeal. This certainly looks like an ordeal to me!


And yes, many of you guessed correctly where all of this was going :) What do you think happens now? And what do you think of this chapter?

Where to begin? This is, for me, the most indelible chapter so far. I recall the river journey in America Notes, where he practically called Cincinnati an Oz-like city sitting on the bend in the Ohio River.

Mrs. Hominy, in name and words, seems to foreshadow Eden. And Dickens does not hold back on the fetid swamp that Eden is, with trees packed so closely together they stunt each other’s growth. I see that practically as a metaphor for modern city life.

There does not seem to be hope here, which does recall Dante’s Inferno. Mark seems to be a stoical influence on Martin, which is needed for this chapter, for sure.

Dickens does unleash his descriptive powers. We have the words: dank, fetid, stunted, pale, offal, corruption, rotten, decayed. Whew. I even noted the word “frowzy.” My first time encountering it. It means scruffy and neglected.

This is the first book I have read where a swamp has such a turning point. Another book that figures a swamp is Speaks the Nightbird, by Robert McCammon. Genre fiction, historical fiction, which makes for a great first read.

This is so terribly bleak and yet “You’ll not have such another opportunity for showing your jolly disposition, my fine fellow, as long as you live” says Mark ‘coming out strong’ amazing, I wonder if Dickens knew someone like this?