The Pickwick Papers · Chapter
Mr. Weller the Elder Delivers Some Critical Sentiments Respecting Literary Composition; and, Assisted by His Son Samuel, Pays a Small Instalment of Retaliation to the Account of the Reverend Gentleman with the Red Nose explained
On the eve of Mr.
What happens
On the eve of Mr. Pickwick's trial, Sam Weller is kept busy running errands. His father, Tony Weller, advises him on legal matters, insisting on an alibi, and reveals a plan to attend a temperance meeting where the hypocritical Reverend Stiggins will be present. Sam and his father go to the Brick Lane Branch of the United Grand Junction Ebenezer Temperance Association, where Stiggins arrives in a drunken state, causing a scandal.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance
The hypocrisy of Reverend Stiggins, a temperance advocate who is secretly a heavy drinker, is exposed.
Social Class and Manners
The contrast between the working-class humor of the Wellers and the pretensions of the temperance society.
Characters to notice
- Sam Weller
Busy running errands for Mr. Pickwick before the trial; accompanies his father to the temperance meeting.
- Tony Weller
Advises his son on legal matters and plans to expose Reverend Stiggins at the temperance meeting.
- Samuel Pickwick
Anxious about the upcoming trial, sends frequent notes to Mr. Perker.
- Mr. Stiggins
Arrives drunk at the temperance meeting, causing a disturbance.
- Mr. Perker
Receives Mr. Pickwick's anxious notes and reassures him.
- Mary
Sam writes a love letter to her, addressing it to Mr. Nupkins's house.
Key passages
“I don't like it, Sam," rejoined Mr. Weller. "I never know'd a respectable coachman as wrote poetry, 'cept one, as made an affectin' copy o' werses the night afore he was hung for a highway robbery; and he wos only a Cambervell man, so even that's no rule.”
Tony Weller disapproves of Sam writing poetry, citing a coachman who wrote verses before being executed for robbery.
Mr. Weller's distrust of poetic pursuits reflects his practical, no-nonsense character.
“Nothing like a alleybi, Sammy, nothing.”
Tony Weller insists that an alibi is the best defense in court.
Mr. Weller's legal advice is comically misguided, as he believes an alibi is universally applicable.
“He's a-comin', Sammy," whispered Mr. Weller, purple in the countenance with suppressed laughter. "Don't say nothin' to me," replied Sam, "for I can't bear it. He's close to the door. I hear him a-knockin' his head again the lath and plaster now.”
Tony and Sam Weller anticipate Stiggins's drunken arrival at the temperance meeting with barely contained amusement.
The Wellers' shared humor highlights their close bond and their disdain for Stiggins's hypocrisy.