Little Dorrit · Chapter
On the Road explained
Little Dorrit travels through Italy with her family, haunted by memories of the Marshalsea.
What happens
Little Dorrit travels through Italy with her family, haunted by memories of the Marshalsea. The chapter contrasts the grandeur of their journey with her inner sense of unreality and displacement. A family dispute arises over Arthur Clennam and propriety, and Mr. Dorrit's fragile dignity is affronted by a perceived slight at an inn, leading to a heated confrontation with the host.
Themes in this chapter
Imprisonment and Confinement
Little Dorrit's memories of the Marshalsea persist as a psychological prison, contrasting with the freedom of travel.
Social Class and Hypocrisy
The Dorrit family's obsession with dignity and social standing leads to hypocritical behavior, as seen in Fanny's criticism and Mr. Dorrit's outburst at the inn.
Identity and Social Mobility
Little Dorrit struggles with her new identity as a wealthy heiress, feeling unworthy and disconnected from her past.
Characters to notice
- Little Dorrit
Haunted by memories of the Marshalsea, she feels out of place in the grand tour and is troubled by the contrast between her past and present.
- Fanny Dorrit
Criticizes Little Dorrit for not upholding the family's dignity and insists on maintaining social distance from servants and former acquaintances.
- William Dorrit
Defends the family's exalted position, lectures Little Dorrit on propriety, and becomes enraged when he feels his dignity is insulted by an innkeeper.
- Henry Gowan
Observed standing aloof with a cigar and pencil during the family's departure from the convent.
- Monsieur Rigaud
Pays his respects to the ladies at the convent; Little Dorrit finds his appearance sinister and notices him watching the party as they descend.
Key passages
“only the old mean Marshalsea a reality.”
Only the dreary Marshalsea prison felt real to her.
Highlights Little Dorrit's psychological attachment to her former life.
“If I happened to have been born in a peculiar place, and under peculiar circumstances that blunted my knowledge of propriety, I fancy I should think myself bound to consider at every step, 'Am I going, ignorantly, to compromise any near and dear relations?'”
If I had been born in a strange place that made me ignorant of proper behavior, I would constantly check whether I might embarrass my family.
Fanny's cutting remark underscores the family's anxiety about their past.
“His life was made an agony by the number of fine scalpels that he felt to be incessantly engaged in dissecting his dignity.”
He suffered constantly, imagining that many sharp critics were always cutting away at his pride.
Describes Mr. Dorrit's extreme sensitivity to perceived slights.