The Old Curiosity Shop · Chapter
Chapter XXXVIII explained
Kit Nubbles has settled into his new life with the Garland family at Abel Cottage, Finchley, where he has become indispensable and beloved.
What happens
Kit Nubbles has settled into his new life with the Garland family at Abel Cottage, Finchley, where he has become indispensable and beloved. He remains devoted to his poor mother and siblings, sending them money and visiting when possible. The formerly obstinate pony becomes tractable only under Kit's care. One morning, Kit drives Mr. Abel to the notary's office and is summoned inside by Mr. Chuckster. There, a blunt, elderly stranger—who has been abroad for many years—questions Kit about his former master, the old curiosity dealer, and little Nell. The stranger reveals he is staying at Sampson Brass's lodgings and is frustrated by the mystery surrounding the old man and child's disappearance.
Themes in this chapter
Poverty and Suffering
The narrator extols the grace of household affections among the poor, contrasting the humble but pure love of home with the pride of the wealthy, and calls for social reform to improve the dwellings of the impoverished.
Family and Community
Kit's devotion to his mother and siblings, his pride in little Jacob, and the joy of his family upon his visits highlight the strength of familial bonds despite poverty.
Class and Social Hierarchy
Kit's lowly status is evident in Chuckster's patronizing treatment, yet Kit's integrity and the stranger's plain speaking challenge conventional class distinctions.
Characters to notice
- Christopher Nubbles
Kit is now happily employed by the Garland family, sending money to his mother and showing deep affection for his family. He is questioned by a stranger about his former master and Nell.
- Abel Garland
Mr. Abel is Kit's kind young master, who trusts Kit and allows him to send remittances home. He is present at the notary's office during the stranger's visit.
- Mr. Chuckster
Chuckster condescends to Kit, calling him 'Snobby' and 'young feller,' and tries to assert dominance over the pony.
- The Notary
Mr. Witherden, the notary, introduces Kit to the stranger and offers his assistance in the inquiries about the old curiosity dealer.
- Sampson Brass
Mentioned as the solicitor to whom inquiries about the old curiosity shop are directed; the stranger is currently lodging at Brass's.
Key passages
“if ever household affections and loves are graceful things, they are graceful in the poor. The ties that bind the wealthy and the proud to home may be forged on earth, but those which link the poor man to his humble hearth are of the true metal and bear the stamp of Heaven.”
Domestic love is most beautiful among the poor; the rich may love their homes out of pride, but the poor's attachment is pure and divinely inspired.
The narrator contrasts the genuine love of home in the poor with the materialistic pride of the wealthy, advocating for social reform.
“In love of home, the love of country has its rise; and who are truer patriots or the best in time of need—those who venerate the land, owning its wood, and stream, and earth, and all that they produce? or those who love their country, boasting not a foot of ground in all its wide domain?”
Patriotism springs from love of home, and the truest patriots are the landless poor who love their country without owning any part of it.
Dickens argues that the poor, despite having no property, are the most genuine patriots because their love of country is rooted in love of home.
“I am in a very painful and wholly unexpected position. I came to this city with a darling object at my heart, expecting to find no obstacle or difficulty in the way of its attainment. I find myself suddenly checked and stopped short in the execution of my design, by a mystery which I cannot penetrate.”
The stranger confesses he arrived in London with a cherished goal but is now thwarted by an impenetrable mystery surrounding the old man and child.
The stranger reveals his frustration and desperation to find the old curiosity dealer and Nell, setting up a new plot thread.
