Little Dorrit · Chapter
The Marshalsea Becomes an Orphan explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Dorrit and his family prepare to leave the Marshalsea forever. He comports himself with severity toward the Marshal and liberally dispenses donations to the Collegians, hosting a farewell feast. At the moment of departure, Little Dorrit is found fainted in her old dress, carried out by Arthur Clennam, causing Fanny's indignation.
Themes in this chapter
Imprisonment and Confinement
The chapter depicts the final departure from the Marshalsea, highlighting the complex emotions of leaving a place that had been both a prison and a home for many years.
Social Class and Hypocrisy
Mr. Dorrit's condescension toward the Collegians and his insistence on formality and dignity reveal the hypocrisies of social status even within the prison walls.
Family Dynamics and Obligation
Little Dorrit is forgotten in the excitement of departure, illustrating her role as the quietly indispensable family member who is taken for granted.
Characters to notice
- William Dorrit
The Father of the Marshalsea prepares to leave the prison forever, dispensing donations and hosting a farewell feast, but breaks down in tears when toasted.
- Little Dorrit
Forgotten in the confusion of departure, she faints in her old dress and is carried out by Arthur Clennam.
- Fanny Dorrit
Indignant at Little Dorrit's shabby dress and the manner of her exit, she scolds her sister and Arthur Clennam.
- Arthur Clennam
Finds Little Dorrit fainted in her room and carries her to the carriage, gently reproaching the family for forgetting her.
- Frederick Dorrit
Shows dim interest in the altered fortunes; is measured for new clothes and given the arm of his brother during the departure.
- Tip Dorrit
Requires no direction in making a fashionable appearance; hires a cabriolet, horse, and groom to grace the Borough High Street.
Key passages
“At last three honest cheers announced that he had passed the gate, and that the Marshalsea was an orphan.”
Three hearty cheers marked Mr. Dorrit's exit, leaving the prison without its longtime patriarch.
The phrase 'Marshalsea was an orphan' metaphorically captures the prison's loss of its father figure.
“Here is that child Amy, in her ugly old shabby dress, which she was so obstinate about, Pa, which I over and over again begged and prayed her to change... here is that child Amy disgracing us to the last moment and at the last moment, by being carried out in that dress after all.”
Fanny angrily points out that Amy, in her stubborn refusal to change her old dress, is embarrassing the family at the very moment of their departure.
Fanny's outburst reveals her concern for appearances and her lack of understanding of Amy's sentimental attachment to the dress.