# How Mr. Winkle, instead of shooting at the pigeon and killing the crow, shot at the crow and wounded the pigeon; how the Dingley Dell cricket club played All-Muggleton, and how All-Muggleton dined at the Dingley Dell expense; with other interesting and instructive matters. explained — The Pickwick Papers

> Chapter companion for The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.

## What happens

Mr. Pickwick awakens at Dingley Dell to a beautiful morning and joins Mr. Wardle for rook-shooting. Mr. Winkle, claiming to be a marksman, accidentally shoots Mr. Tupman in the arm. The chapter also describes the cricket match between Dingley Dell and All-Muggleton, where the mysterious Mr. Jingle reappears, and the subsequent dinner.

## Themes in this chapter

### Adventure and Exploration

The Pickwickians engage in a countryside shooting expedition and a cricket match, embracing new experiences.

### Deception and Appearance

Mr. Winkle's pretense of being a skilled marksman leads to a comedic accident, highlighting the gap between appearance and reality.

### Social Class and Manners

The cricket match and dinner illustrate the social rituals and class distinctions among the rural gentry and townspeople.

## Character check-ins

### Samuel Pickwick

Wakes early, enjoys the countryside, and accompanies the shooting party.

### Mr. Wardle

Hosts the rook-shooting and cricket match, good-humored and energetic.

### Nathaniel Winkle

Claims to be a good shot but forgets the gun cap and accidentally wounds Tupman.

### Tracy Tupman

Shot in the left arm by Winkle; the spinster aunt shows great distress over his injury.

### Augustus Snodgrass

Part of the shooting party and cricket match spectators.

### Alfred Jingle

Appears at the cricket match, enthusiastically greeting the Pickwickians.

### Rachael Wardle

The spinster aunt; becomes hysterical upon learning of Tupman's accident.

### Isabella Wardle

One of Wardle's daughters; notices Tupman's injury first.

## Key lines

> Mr. Pickwick was no sluggard, and he sprang like an ardent warrior from his tent-bedstead.

Mr. Pickwick was not lazy; he jumped out of bed energetically.

_Shows Pickwick's enthusiasm for the new day._

> It might have been keenness, but it looked remarkably like misery.

What could have been eagerness appeared more like unhappiness.

_Describes Winkle's anxious expression before shooting._

> Mr. Tupman had saved the lives of innumerable unoffending birds by receiving a portion of the charge in his left arm.

Tupman's injury inadvertently spared many rooks from being shot.

_Ironically highlights Winkle's poor aim._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_pickwick_papers_se/chapters/vii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_pickwick_papers_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_pickwick_papers_se/chapters