The Pickwick Papers · Chapter
A New Acquaintance—The Stroller's Tale—A Disagreeable Interruption, and an Unpleasant Encounter explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Pickwick and his companions meet a mysterious, careworn man known as 'Dismal Jemmy,' a strolling actor who shares a grim tale of suffering. The evening is disrupted by the arrival of Doctor Slammer and his friends, who mistake Mr. Pickwick's party for the source of an insult at a ball. A confrontation ensues, revealing the stranger's identity as an actor, leading to a tense standoff that is defused by the group's intervention.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance
The stranger's identity as a strolling actor is initially concealed, leading to a confrontation based on mistaken assumptions about his social standing.
Social Class and Manners
The officers' contempt for the actor and their demand for gentlemanly conduct highlight class distinctions and the importance of social propriety.
Characters to notice
- Samuel Pickwick
Hosts the gathering, becomes enraged during the confrontation with Doctor Slammer, and is restrained by his friends.
- Augustus Snodgrass
Identified as the poet of the group; helps restrain Mr. Pickwick during the altercation.
- Tracy Tupman
Admits to being at the ball and borrowing the coat that led to the misunderstanding.
- Nathaniel Winkle
Present during the confrontation; his coat is temporarily taken by the stranger.
- Alfred Jingle
The green-coated stranger who introduces Dismal Jemmy and later helps calm Mr. Pickwick with brandy-and-water.
- Job Trotter
Not present in this chapter.
Key passages
“Lots of anecdote—Rum fellow—does the heavy business—no actor—strange man—all sorts of miseries—Dismal Jemmy, we call him on the circuit.”
Jingle describes Dismal Jemmy as an eccentric, melancholic figure who performs tragic roles but is not a conventional actor.
Introduces the character of Dismal Jemmy and sets the tone for his story.
“To be before the footlights, is like sitting at a grand court show, and admiring the silken dresses of the gaudy throng; to be behind them is to be the people who make that finery, uncared for and unknown, and left to sink or swim, to starve or live, as fortune wills it.”
Dismal Jemmy contrasts the glamour of performing on stage with the harsh, neglected reality of the actors behind the scenes.
Reflects the theme of deception and the hidden struggles of performers.
“You cannot proceed in this affair, Slammer—impossible!”
Lieutenant Tappleton tells Doctor Slammer that he cannot pursue the quarrel because the stranger is merely a strolling actor.
Highlights the class-based dismissal of the actor's worthiness for a duel.