The Pickwick Papers · Chapter
What befell Mr. Pickwick when he got into the Fleet; what prisoners he saw there, and how he passed the night. explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Pickwick is escorted into the Fleet Prison by Mr. Tom Roker, who shows him the grim and filthy galleries where prisoners live, including the 'Fair'—damp dungeons beneath the ground. After being shown to the warder's room, Mr. Pickwick retires for the night but is awakened by raucous prisoners: a man dancing a hornpipe, a drunken singer, and a rakish figure named Smangle. Smangle and Mivins engage Mr. Pickwick in conversation, and Smangle manipulates him into paying for burnt sherry, then sends a timid prisoner to ensure the change is spent on cigars. The chapter ends with Mr. Pickwick drifting back to sleep amid Smangle's tales of dubious adventures.
Themes in this chapter
Prison and Suffering
The chapter vividly depicts the squalid and dehumanizing conditions of the Fleet Prison, from the dark, filthy galleries to the damp dungeons where prisoners live and die, highlighting the physical and moral suffering of incarceration.
Deception and Appearance
Smangle's gentlemanly demeanor masks his manipulative and parasitic nature, as he tricks Mr. Pickwick into paying for drinks and cigars while maintaining an air of rakish charm.
Characters to notice
- Samuel Pickwick
Mr. Pickwick enters the Fleet Prison, observes the wretched conditions, and is assigned to the warder's room. He is roused from sleep by noisy prisoners and reluctantly participates in their socializing, paying for sherry.
- Sam Weller
Sam accompanies Mr. Pickwick into the prison, following Mr. Roker through the galleries. He responds to Roker's comments with a placid nod and a knowing wink.
- Tom Roker
The prison officer who guides Mr. Pickwick and Sam through the Fleet, pointing out the various flights and the racket-ground. He reacts indignantly when Mr. Pickwick questions the habitability of the lower dungeons.
- Smangle
A rakish prisoner with long dark hair and bushy whiskers, who orchestrates the evening's entertainment. He manipulates Mr. Pickwick into paying for sherry and sends a timid prisoner to ensure the change is spent on cigars for himself.
- Mivins
A fellow prisoner who performs a hornpipe and later fetches the sherry. He goes to bed early, snoring through the rest of the night.
Key passages
“Live down there! Yes, and die down there, too, very often!”
People not only live in those wretched dungeons, but they frequently die there as well.
Mr. Roker's blunt response to Mr. Pickwick's disbelief about the conditions of the lower cells.
“Damme! A gentleman must expect reverses. What of that? Here am I in the Fleet Prison. Well; good. What then? I'm none the worse for that, am I?”
A gentleman should anticipate setbacks. So what if I'm in the Fleet Prison? It doesn't make me any worse off.
Smangle's blithe rationalization of his imprisonment, showing his cavalier attitude toward his situation.