Nicholas Nickleby
A novel by Charles Dickens, published in book form 1839.
Following the adventures of the Nicklebys through hope and adversity to the sunny uplands and romance.
A novel by Charles Dickens, published in book form 1839.
Following the adventures of the Nicklebys through hope and adversity to the sunny uplands and romance.
Nicholas Nickleby: - The honest hardworking and fiercely loyal hero and supporter of his family after his father dies and leaves them penniless.
Kate Nickleby: - Nicholas's pretty and feisty younger sister.
Mrs. Catherine Nickleby: - Nicholas and Kate's unworldly mother who is prone to distracted rambling reminiscences.
Miss La Creevy: - The Nicklebys' landlady, an artist specialising in miniatures.
Hannah: - Miss La Creevy's maid.
Ralph Nickleby: - Nicholas's despicable uncle, unscrupulous moneylending usurer with a heart of stone.
Newman Noggs: - Ralph's clerk, a good natured but eccentric friend and ally to Nicholas' family when relations with his uncle deteriorate to enmity.
Wackford Squeers: - The miserly, evil and violent schoolmaster of Dothboys Hall School, an institute based on exploitation, deprivation and the promotion of ignorance.
Mrs Squeers: - The schoolmaster's wife, even more depraved than her husband who abuses and starves her charges for profit.
Fanny Squeers: - Their unattractive and ill tempered daughter who takes a shine to Nicholas when he takes up teaching at the school.
Young Wackford Squeers: - Their spoiled, greedy overweight and obnoxious son who prospers mainly at the expense of his fellow pupils.
Smike: - An abused inmate of Dothboys Hall School with learning difficulties, formerly a pupil and later a source of cheap labour and exploitation by Squeers. His surprising mysterious origins only being revealed in the closing stages of the novel.
John Browdie: - A loud, likeable and amusing Yorkshire corn merchant who becomes Nicholas' friend after meeting through Fanny Squeers, and Matilda Price, Browdie's fiance.
Matilda "Tilda" Price (Browdie): - Fanny's best friend and Browdie's attractive fiance.
Phib (Phoebe): - The Squeers' long suffering servant girl.
Mr and Madame Mantalini: - Milliners who employ Kate until the business is bankrupted by the gambling and extravagant lifestyle of the feckless womanising husband.
Miss Knag: - Madam Mantalini's middle aged chief assistant, she buys the business out of bankruptcy and sacks Kate having taken a dislike to her.
Sir Mulberry Hawk: - An obnoxious villain who pursues Kate.
Lord Frederick Verisopht: - A rich young, probably weak minded and gullible nobleman friend of Sir Mulberry, deeply indebted to both Hawk and Ralph Nickleby, also an admirer of Kate.
Mr Pluck and Mr Pyke: - Disreputable associates of Hawk and Verisopht who help facilitate their wicked schemes.
Mr Vincent Crummles: - Proprietor of a travelling theatrical establishment who employs Nicholas after he leaves his teaching post at Dothboys School.
Mrs Crummles: - His wife and partner in the business.
Miss Ninetta Crummles: - The "Infant Phenomenon", The spoiled daughter of Mr and Mrs Crummles who is doted upon and given centre stage.
Mr Folair: - An actor with the theatre group.
Miss Snevellicci: - A leading lady with the theatre group.
Mr Lenville: - A leading actor with the theatre group.
Henrietta Petowker: - An actress at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, who makes a guest appearance with the Crummles Theatre Group and marries Mr Lillyvick.
Madeline Bray: - A mysterious and beautiful young woman whom Nicholas falls in love with despite her being promised in marriage to Arthur Gride.
Walter Bray: - Madeline's father, a gentleman now confined to debtors prison through reckless mismanagement of the family's wealth.
Arthur Gride: - An miserly moneylending associate of Ralph, who hopes to gain Madeline's inheritance from her grandfather by marrying her.
Peg Sliderskew: - Gride's elderly housekeeper who steals some important documents from her employer, to the benefit of his victims.
Brooker: - A mysterious beggar, formerly Ralph's clerk who returns from prison to attempt blackmail.
Mr Snawley: - A businessman with stepsons at Dothboys Hall School.
The Kenwigs family: - Neighbours and acquaintances of Newman Noggs.
Mr Lillyvick: - Mrs Kenwigs's distinguished relative, a respected collector of water rates.
Henry and Julia Wittiterly: - Wealthy socialites who employ Kate as a companion to Mrs Wittiterly for a short time after she leaves the Mantalinis.
Charles and Ned Cheeryble: - Very charitable and wealthy twin brother merchants who befriend and employ Nicholas at an important time of need.
Frank Cheeryble: - The nephew of the twins, also partner in the business and cast in the same mould as his uncles. Kate Nickleby is the object of his affections.
Tim Linkinwater: - Chief clerk and jack of all trades at Cheeryble Brothers.
Another masterpiece from the unique imagination of this wonderful writer, displaying all the qualities we have come to expect, and not disappointing with his meticulous characterisation, distinctive turn of phrase and some serious topical social comment balanced with a little subtle humour and some satirisation.
The novel follows the adventures through hope and adversity, of Catherine Nickleby and her children, Nicholas and Kate, as they struggle to survive and start a new life after the death of her husband leaves them destitute and penniless. With only one living relative who appears initially only too willing to help, but really with his own interests at heart when he uses his contacts to find suitable employment for Nicholas and Kate. However after several false starts,including some rather unpleasant character building experiences and despite having made some enemies, the family with the help of good neighbours and loyal friends eventually find a path to security and future prosperity.
A really interesting and heartwarming tale of honesty, ambition, determination and positivity in the face of unfavourable economic conditions and some pretty unsavoury forces of evil. This is a massive tome and can be a little wordy in some of the narrative but it really is a good worthwhile and satisfying read, providing ample entertainment as the storyline weaves its way through many surprising twists and turns to a most satisfactory conclusion.
Ralph Nickleby is an avaricious money lender and usurer with a heart of stone and ruthless in his business dealings, the brother of Catherine's late husband. From the author's description of the uncle's business interests and his character the reader is quickly able to come to some conclusions about the nature of Ralph's friends and business acquaintances, who are a pretty colourful lot to say the least. Both of the young Nicklebys are well educated, honest, ambitious, hard working and well qualified to be an enormous asset to any organisation as they seek employment. Ralph introduces Nicholas to Wackford Squeers a schoolmaster who runs Dothboys Hall, a boarding school for boys in Yorkshire with a view to Nicholas taking up a teaching post there. Mr Squeers is down in London on one of his regular pupil recruiting visits and since Nicholas feels responsible for his mother and sister and is desperate to provide an income, he is grateful for his uncle's help and readily accepts the offer. After arriving in Yorkshire, he is forced to come to terms with grim reality when he discovers the true nature of Dothboys Hall as a den of iniquity, villainy, violence, exploitation, deprivation and malnourishment, offering only diplomas in dishonesty and ignorance. A rude awakening for Nicholas who is made extremely uncomfortable by the plight of the boys, in particular that of Smike, an older long term student of about seventeen years with learning difficulties, now a mis-treated drudge used as a source of cheap labour. Smike is singled out for extra violent abuse by both Squeers and his wife, and one day witnessing a particularly vicious attack, Nicholas' feelings get the better of him, incensed and in a furious rage by the injustice and despicable behaviour of those in authority, he comes between the victim and his assailant, and gives Squeers a severe beating. This of course, brings Nicholas' previous misgivings about the wisdom of remaining at Dothboys Hall into sharp focus and signals the abrupt end of his short and unhappy time there. Their tenure at the school now no longer realistically possible or bearable, our hero and Smike gather their belongings and make their way back to London and refuge with his family. Respite is short lived however, there is a terrific row with his uncle when he hears of the beating of Squeers and he disowns Nicholas who has to leave town with Smike to face separation from his family and an uncertain future.
Shortly after Nicholas left for Yorkshire to begin his teaching career, Kate is introduced by uncle Ralph to Madam Mantalini, a milliner with a prosperous business in the city, feeling obliged to her well connected relative she is happy to accept an offer of employment there and after a shaky start, begins to learn the customer facing skills needed to succeed in the showroom. This looks to be an ideal position for Kate who is more than well qualified for the role, however even here, all is not what it might seem. Although Madam Mantalini's establishment has a reputation second to none and is a supplier to the rich and famous, her husband is a feckless, philandering, fun loving, gambling addict with huge debts, his losses a constant drain on Company profits, and to make matters worse, over a period of time things become quite difficult for the new recruit when Miss Knag, Madam Mantalini's senior employee and chief assistant starts to see Kate as a threat and begins to make her life in the workplace less tolerable.
Also at this time Ralph asks Kate to be hostess at a gathering of his friends, seeing her as an attractive addition to his otherwise all male party, and we soon begin to have doubts about his motivations. True to form, as the event gets under way, Kate begins to receive the unwanted attentions of two of Ralph's loathsome playboy associates Sir Mulberry Hawk and Lord Frederick Verisopht, who relentlessly pursue her, flattering her mother and making the sensitive young girl rather unhappy. As time passes Mr Mantalini's gambling becomes a problem with consequences for the finances of his wife's millinery business, which then has to file for bankruptcy. The Company is bought out of insolvency by Miss Knag who spitefully dispenses with Kate's services on taking control. Now without employment Kate obtains a position as companion to Mrs Wittiterly which is quite a successful relationship for a time until the lecherous Sir Mulberry and Lord Frederick finally get wind of her new location and begin to pester her, making her life miserable once again. It doesn't take long however for the attentions of these two miscreants to cause friction between Kate and her employer, for although Mrs Wittiterly is flattered by visits from the nobility she is not pleased to be sidelined and overshadowed by her employee, a precursor maybe to her ultimate dismissal.
Meanwhile Nicholas and Smike are on a journey into the unknown choosing the road to Portsmouth at random as a place to seek employment, and somewhere along the way they make the acquaintance of Vincent Crummles, the proprietor of an itinerant theatre group bound for Portsmouth for a season. An offer of employment soon follows leading to successful debuts as actors for the enterprising pair with an additional role for Nicholas as ideas man and scriptwriter. The start of a new career for the runaways as part of a very friendly artistic ensemble, somewhere they feel at home and amongst friends, where they enjoy more than a little success, with just the odd incident of temperamental artistic friction.
Back in London Ralph and Squeers are looking for Smike and Newman Noggs, his clerk, is beginning to question where his loyalties lie, he is becoming increasingly sympathetic to the Nicklebys and the injustice they are suffering at the hands of their relative. Having recently received communications from Nicholas repaying his generous loan from his earnings in the theatre, Newman, now knowing his whereabouts decides to warn her brother of Kate's suffering and deteriorating circumstances caused by the attentions of her odious admirers, with a view to him returning to London should things become intolerable for her. Subsequently the kind hearted clerk becomes so worried about Kate that despite the potential risks for Smike, he begs the fugitives to return home and intervene. Things have now reached crisis point.
Arriving home in the metropolis, Nicholas takes a room for himself and Smike at the coaching inn but is unable to immediately contact Newman or indeed his mother, both being from home until late. Extremely anxious to know the cause of his friend's urgent summons, the young man impatiently wanders the streets in a state of frustration, until at last feeling hungry he enters the coffee room of an expensive hotel to eat. Whilst awaiting the waiter's attention Nicholas happens to overhear a conversation between two men, already quite merry and boisterous from their ample consumption of claret, discussing a lady in not very complimentary and licentious terms, when he is astonished to hear his sister's name. Enraged Nicholas confronts the pair and introduces himself as Kate's brother, demanding to know the name of the older man who appears to be the main culprit. After repeated refusals and many threats, Nickleby, undaunted sits and waits quietly having decided to follow the person home if necessary even if he has to wait until midnight. The two men concerned are as the reader might guess Sir Mulberry Hawk and Lord Frederick Verisopht. As the evening wears on it's apparent from the conversation that Lord Frederick, who also has designs on winning the affections of Kate, is not very happy with Hawk's vulgar and uncouth remarks about her and seems to be encouraging his friend to apologise and identify himself. Both by now quite inebriated they become argumentative and Hawk being unmoved in his resolution, Lord Frederick leaves Sir Mulberry and goes home. Eventually as the ignoble knight leaves the hotel, Nicholas follows him to his cab outside and tries to prevent the coach's departure. He grabs the reins and there is a struggle as Hawk uses the whip to fend off Nicholas, the horse, being a rather lively animal is spooked by the commotion and charges off at speed eventually overturning the cab and injuring Sir Mulberry in the process, at which point Nicholas decides not to hang around and walks away down a side street. This, however is not the end of the story as far as the friendship between Lord Frederick and Sir Mulberry is concerned, the events at the coffee room will later lead to major consequences, the seeds have been sown for a further and more serious difference of opinion between the two, now rivals in romance. After another evening of drinking, gambling and debauchery, an argument arises between the noble pair, and Lord Frederick now finding some latent assertiveness throws a punch at Hawk, a dishonour for which only a duel will satisfy. The inevitable fatality which ensues from the confrontation leads to the victor flying into exile on the continent and an early grave for the other, a tragic and fitting end to a rather fickle friendship.
Nicholas is later re-united with his family and gets the full story from Newman about Kate's plight and wastes no time in removing her from Mrs Whittiterley's and taking her home, leaving her in the care of Mrs Nickleby and their friend Miss La Creevy whilst he visits the local job centre to find a new source of income. It is during this mission that he meets two people who are going to make an indelible impression on him with remarkable consequences for his future welfare and prosperity. Apparently visiting the establishment with a similar purpose as himself, Nicholas' attention is drawn to a beautiful and mysterious young lady, obviously well bred and educated and neatly but rather shabbily dressed. He is immediately smitten and intrigued to know who she is, but after just a fleeting visit, she disappears just as quickly as she came, back into the great unknown whilst he is still transfixed and open mouthed. However, recovering his composure, Nicholas finds himself in conversation with a friendly stranger who, apparently impressed with the young man's character, ambition and honest friendly manner, invites him to visit him at his place of business. This is his introduction to the philanthropic Charles, one half of the twin brothers Charles and Ned Cheeryble, merchants with offices in London, where he is offered employment alongside clerk Tim Linkinwater and Charles and Ned's nephew Frank, recently returned from abroad. Nicholas, now more financially secure is finally able to move his family and his friend Smike to a new home and settling in, they become firm friends with the hospitable and charitable Cheerybles and begin to prosper. However, the young man can't get the attractive mystery woman out of his head, and he is desperately anxious to find out more about her, until one day she miraculously appears in the merchant's offices, has his big chance arrived? Not quite, she disappears again into the crowded streets before he can react, but Tim Linkinwater gives him some important information about her and her circumstances. Her name is Madeline Bray, creatively talented she lives with her father Walter Bray in another part of London, in reduced circumstances due to his large debts, the Cheerybles are commissioning artistic work to provide an income for her without offending the family's pride. Nicholas is enlisted to visit Madeline's home to place further orders and in doing so learns more about her situation and over a period of weeks becomes emotionally infatuated.
Later Newman Nogg's, by pure chance gains some further and rather alarming intelligence about the girl, when he overhears a conversation in his employer's office. Ralph has returned to his place of business accompanied by another person identified later as Arthur Gride, a fellow moneylender of equally disreputable character, and during the interview which follows, Noggs becomes aware that Madeline Bray is being forced into an arranged marriage with the odious Gride, old enough to be her grandfather, persuaded by a promise of her father's debts being settled. Further to this, Gride has in his possession some documents relating to Madeline's inheritance of her grandfather's wealth on her coming of age or marriage, and is keen to get his hands on the cash, even if it means sacrificing a part of the proceeds to Ralph for his assistance. Arthur Gride suspects Walter Bray is having second thoughts and wavering in his resolution to maintain the emotional blackmail on his daughter's feelings, and is conspiring with Ralph for his assistance in applying additional pressure on the hapless father, whilst hoping, at the same time the price is not too steep.
When Newman informs Nicholas and the Cheerybles of the plan for the wedding they determine to prevent the marriage going ahead, no matter what it takes or whatever the consequences. Nicholas continues his regular visits to the Bray household pursuing the Cheerybles' charitable works hoping to keep an eye on the situation and gain Madeline's confidence. One of these visits by Nicholas coincides with a visit by Ralph and the prospective bridegroom to progress the agreement and finalise the deal, and it becomes clear the date has been set for the wedding even though the father is suffering all sorts of mixed feelings. However miracles do apparently happen and whilst details of the terms and conditions of contract are being ironed out, Walter Bray is taken ill and dies, making it necessary for Nicholas to seize the opportunity and remove Madeline to a place of safety at his own home. This he does eventually achieve despite resistance and threats from his uncle and Arthur Gride. Thwarted but not defeated, these two still have cards up their sleeve, all hope not yet lost, the devious pair return to Gride's house to retrieve Madelines inheritance documents and work on plan 'B'. When they arrive they find the house deserted, the housekeeper, Peg Sliderskew has stolen the documents and disappeared.
Wackford Squeers, still smarting from Nicholas' violent actions against him, is seeking retribution and with the help of his friend Ralph, continuing the effort to recover Smike from his refuge in the Nickleby household. All attempts to secure the boy's return from his determined protectors by devious means are rebuffed, but whilst out walking alone one day Smike is seized and kidnapped by Squeers, who locks him up in a room at his lodgings in Mr Snawley's house. Later, when Wackford receives a visit from his daughter Fanny and her friends John and Tilda Browdie, John becomes aware that Smike is being held prisoner in the locked room and secretly releases him, distracting the others whilst he makes his escape back to his friend and protector. Smike later becomes ill with tuberculosis and the Cheerybles agree Nicholas should take him to his old childhood home in Devon to recover. Sadly as time passes, there is no good news about Smike's condition and he eventually dies and is buried there in Devon.
Meanwhile Ralph and Gride are eagerly seeking to recover the initiative and Squeers has been set the task of finding Peg Sliderskew and worming his way into her confidence to get his hands on the Bray inheritance papers by fair means or foul, but the Cheerybles and their friends are also on a similar mission and Frank and Newman Noggs interrupt the negotiations between Squeers and Sliderskew and with the help of law officers the two are arrested with the stolen documents in their possession. With the inheritance now recovered to its rightful owner, the repercussions from the arrest follow quickly and Ralph in utter defeat and desperation receives the evidence from the Cheerybles via Brooker that Smike was in fact his own son and cousin to Nicholas and Kate. Totally demoralised and, so far as he is capable showing some kind of remorse, Ralph starts to reflect on his behaviour and gloomily laments what might have been. In great difficulty coping with his, now wretched situation and becoming increasingly depressed, beyond all hope of salvation, Ralph finds himself on a path to a very uncharacteristic and surprising demise. The other villains and miscreants in the story receive their due deserts too in one form or another, prison and transportation for Squeers and an early death for Arthur Gride the victim of murder, neither do Mr Mantalini and Sir Mulberry prosper as their misdemeanours take their toll and render them destitute. However there is much happiness and satisfaction for the honest and honourable Cheerybles and their friends, romance finds its true destiny with Nicholas and Madeline, Frank and Kate, and rather surprisingly between Tim Linkinwater and Miss La Creevy when the kindly clerk makes her an offer she can't refuse.
Nicholas now sure that the love he has for Madeline is mutual, he becomes anxious to share his good fortune with his friend John Browdie and travels to Yorkshire for that very purpose, and to inform him of the death of Smike and show his gratitude for his help in freeing the poor lad from the clutches of Squeers. Whilst there Nicholas tells his friend of recent events in London including his friendship with the Cheerybles and their role in his good fortune, the recovery of Madeline's inheritance and the prosecution of Wackford Squeers, caught red handed in possession of the stolen documents and his sentence of transportation for seven years. On hearing of the schoolmaster's incarceration and imminent removal to Botany Bay, John and Tilda begin to feel uneasy, fearing for the safety of Tilda's friend Fanny and her family when the news becomes known locally. John decides to ride over to Dothboys Hall to check on them and on arrival finds the place in uproar, the boys rioting intent on inflicting retribution and severe physical pain on the now cowering Mrs Squeers and her offspring. The intrepid Yorkshireman manages to break up the raging battle and calms the situation, protecting the helpless victims and encouraging the over excited pupils to disperse and find their way home, the school no longer able to function.
The story now told, the novel draws to a most satisfactory and optimistic conclusion, weddings take place and new family homes are set up as a new chapter opens for the happy couples and their friends and they look forward to a future of happiness and prosperity free from the adversity of their troubled past surrounded by a growing family and many loyal friends. A joyful ending to a not too squeamish and really entertaining read, which I highly recommend, whilst singling out and highlighting Dickens' masterful characterisation of John Browdie for particular mention, for his jolly turn of phrase and charming Yorkshire accent.
Palfreyman, January 2025
