Barnaby Rudge · Chapter
Chapter 65 explained
As the Gordon Riots reach their peak, the jail becomes a scene of chaos and terror.
What happens
As the Gordon Riots reach their peak, the jail becomes a scene of chaos and terror. The murderer, isolated in his cell, is consumed by a fear that the mob has come for him, and he suffers a torment worse than any punishment. The rioters break into the prison, freeing prisoners in a frenzy of violence and fire. The hangman, Dennis, deliberately locks himself in the condemned cells, ignoring the pleas of the four men under sentence of death. Amidst the chaos, Barnaby and his father are released and swept into the crowd, while the prison burns behind them.
Themes in this chapter
Guilt and Retribution
The murderer's intense fear and self-inflicted torment highlight the psychological weight of his crimes, even as the mob's violence threatens him.
Mob Violence and Chaos
The chapter vividly depicts the mob's frenzied attack on the prison, the release of prisoners, and the burning of Newgate, illustrating the destructive power of the crowd.
The Spectacle of Death
The condemned men's desperate pleas and Dennis's callous indifference underscore the grim spectacle of capital punishment and the dehumanizing nature of the mob's actions.
Characters to notice
- Barnaby Rudge
Released from prison by the rioters and swept into the crowd with his father.
- Mr. Dennis
Directs the rioters inside the prison, then locks himself in the condemned cells, ignoring the pleas of the condemned men.
- Mrs. Rudge
Present in the crowd, reunited with her son Barnaby as they are passed through the mob.
Key passages
“His guilty conscience instantly arrayed these men against himself, and brought the fear upon him that he would be singled out, and torn to pieces.”
His guilt made him believe the mob was there specifically to kill him.
The murderer's paranoia is driven by his conscience.
“Thus fearful alike, of those within the prison and of those without; of noise and silence; light and darkness; of being released, and being left there to die; he was so tortured and tormented, that nothing man has ever done to man in the horrible caprice of power and cruelty, exceeds his self-inflicted punishment.”
He was so afraid of everything that his own mental torment was worse than any torture others could inflict.
The narrator emphasizes the psychological agony of the murderer.
“It would have been strange enough, a man’s enjoying himself in this quiet manner, while the prison was burning, and such a tumult was cleaving the air, though he had been outside the walls.”
It was odd for anyone to be so calm while the prison burned and the mob raged, even if they were outside.
Dennis's complacency is highlighted as bizarre.