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Our Mutual Friend

A novel by Charles Dickens, first published 1865.

A problem inheritance and the triumph of honesty, openheartedness, goodwill and romance over evil and adversity.


A Review and Synopsis

Main Characters

pic Old Mr. Harmon - The wealthy father of John Harmon, now deceased, who has made his fortune in the scrap and refuse collection trade ("the golden dustman").
John Harmon alias Julius Handford and John Rokesmith - The main character in the story, the son and heir of "Old Harmon" mistakenly reported drowned returning home to England.
Nicodemus "Noddy" Boffin - A long time employee of Old Harmon, who with his wife inherits the the Harmon estate on the presumed death of his son and heir.
Henerietta Boffin - A fashion conscious childless motherly soul, sensitive, kind and caring who informally adopts young Johnny and Bella Wilfer.
Jesse "Gaffer" Hexam - A Thames waterman who recovers bodies from the river to earn a living.
Lizzie Hexam - The loving daughter of Gaffer Hexam the caring self sacrificing, unappreciated mother figure of the family.
Charley Hexam - The ambitious but rather selfish son of Gaffer Hexam who becomes a pupil at Headstone's school encouraged and supported his sister.
Bradley Headstone - Schoolmaster and tutor to Charley Hexam who falls in love with sister Lizzie, who is already under the influence of Wrayburn.
Mortimer Lightwood - A lawyer moving in the higher strata of society with the Veneerings, the Podsnaps, Lady Tippins, Fledgeby, George Sampson and Twemlow.
Eugene Wrayburn - A friend of Lightwood, moving in the same social circles, seemingly not a very likeable, irresponsible and churlish barrister and rival to Headstone when he meets and becomes besotted with Lizzie Hexam after the death of her father.
Roger "Rogue" Riderhood - A Thames waterman who accuses fellow worker Gaffer Hexam of murder.
Pleasant Riderhood - Riderhood's daughter, keeps a pawnbrokers shop and has a difficult relationship with her father.
Silas Wegg - An opportunistic street trader who is teaching Mr. Boffin to read whilst seeking the opportunity to exploit the relationship.
Mr. Venus - A taxidermist friend and fellow conspirator with Silas Wegg to take advantage of the Boffins.
Reginald Wilfer (R.W.) - The head of the Wilfer family who takes in John Rokesmith as a lodger when he takes up employment as secretary to newly wealthy Mr Boffin. He has a heart of gold and spoils his favourite daughter Bella.
Mrs. Wilfer - Reginald's wife and mother of Bella and Lavinia, feeling slightly embittered having married beneath her family status and wants better for her offspring.
Bella Wilfer - The intended wife of John Harmon, in accordance with old Harmon's will. The Boffins took her in after John Harmon was apparently drowned.
Lavinia Wilfer - The younger sister of Bella doesn't have the likeable personality of Bella and tends to be a little mouthy and rebellious.
Fanny Cleaver alias Jenny Wren - A disabled twelve or thirteen years old dolls dressmaker, wise beyond her years and quick witted with a sharp tongue. She befriends and takes in Lizzie Hexam after the death of her father.
Mr. Cleaver - Jenny's dependent and wasted alcoholic father whom she calls her "bad child".
Sophronia and Alfred Lammle - An untrustworthy young couple, newly married under false pretences each thinking the other rich. Socialites who take advantage of their position, match-making hopefully for profit.
Mr and Mrs Veneering - Pretentious upper class socialites and party givers with friends in high places.
Mr and Mrs John Podsnap - Upper middle class society snobs, the parents of Georgiana.
Georgiana Podsnap - The shy naive and trusting daughter of Mr and Mrs Podsnap, befriended and taken advantage of by the Lammles and courted by Fledgeby.
Mr Riah - An honourable, benevolent and kind Jewish gentleman who runs a money lending business (Pubsey and Co.) owned by the scoundrel Fledgeby, he offers a place of refuge to Lizzie Hexam when she is being pursued by two admirers.
Mr (Fascination) Fledgeby - A friend of the Lammles dishonest and unscrupulous owner of a money lending business run by Mr Riah.
Lady Tippins - An aristocratic and snobbish frequenter of the upper class gatherings hosted by the Veneerings.
Lord Snigsworth - A distant relative of Twemlow in the elite social circle of the Veneerings and Podsnaps.
The Inspector - An incompetent policeman involved in the the identification of a body found in the river and the investigation into his death.
George Radfoot - A sailor who meets John Harmon on the ship on the way back to England, his body is mistaken for Harmon's when a body is found in the water.
Miss Abbey Potterson - The fearsome but warm hearted landlady of the Six Jolly Fellowship Porters inn who stands no nonsense from unruly patrons.
Mrs Betty Higden - An ageing child-minder, who cares for orphans and poor children.
Johnny - The orphan great-grandson of Betty Higden who it's been agreed will be adopted by Mrs Boffin, but he is taken ill and dies in the children's hospital before this happens.
Sloppy - A loyal orphan young man with learning difficulties but is literate and an indispensable mangle turner who helps Betty looking after the children.
George Sampson - An eligible young man from a wealthy and respectable family looking for a wife with an eye on the Wilfers.
Reverend Frank and Mrs Milvey - Help the Boffins when they are looking for a child to adopt.
Miss Peecher - A teacher at Headstone's school who has unrequited love for her headmaster.
Mary Anne - Miss Peecher's star pupil and willing helper.

Introduction

pic       This is a fascinating and epic novel with many twists and turns and some surprising dramatic moments, introducing a motley array of rather interesting characters and telling their story in the most colourful language, with every situation, mood change and emotion depicted in detail using the most marvellous literary imagery. The plot revolves around the inheritance of "old Harmon" who made his fortune in the scrap and refuse collection trade and a mysterious drowning in the Thames with suspicion of foul play and treachery. It follows the fortunes of the main characters: John Rokesmith, the Boffins, the Wilfers and Hexam families and other minor characters as the storyline meanders down a long and winding road, in which we become familiar with the various characters and their many flaws and virtues as the author weaves his unique storytelling magic. Despite the will's settlement on the Boffins after the apparent drowning of the son and heir John Harmon, the mystery deepens when it becomes clear Old Harmon was a tyrant and treated his family abominably and later wills are discovered. However within the first few chapters the reader might begin to question the veracity of the reported drowning of young Harmon and have doubts about one or two of the characters identities, and as the story unfolds, some rather difficult romantic situations develop with conflicted emotions, motivations and doubts as rivalries play out amid various other intriguing complications, making conclusions and possible outcomes difficult to predict.
       Although initially having some doubts, I eventually took a real shine to the Boffins as really nice honest and decent people, also to Lizzie Hexam and Mr Riah for the same reason, but for me the outstanding star of this book is Jenny Wren whose personality, no nonsense charm, hilarious witty 'put downs' and sheer likability shines out whenever she appears. What few disreputable characters there are, are equally well drawn and play an important part in the story adding the necessary tension and spice to the plot but in the main failing in their dishonest intentions.
       One of Dickens' lesser known works perhaps, but no less entertaining than the more widely read alternatives, on a par with the best it is well worth investing the effort in this mammoth classic nail-biter, it comes highly recommended and is guaranteed not to disappoint.

Synopsis

pic       Jesse Hexam and Roger Riderhood are fellow Thames watermen and one time partners who earn a meagre living recovering bodies from the river who have become rivals after some unspecified disagreement and, probably out of envy for Hexam's more successful recovery rate, Riderhood begins to spread malicious gossip that Hexam is actually involved in the demise of some of the drownings, rumours that result in Hexham and his family being shunned locally, and the plot thickens when Hexham himself becomes a mysterious victim of old father Thames.
       An earlier recovery from the river has seen the victim misidentified by the police as being the body of John Harmon returning home from abroad to claim his inheritance, the son and heir of "old Harmon" a wealthy local businessman lately deceased. Harmon senior's will has a clause, the terms of which make the son's inheritance dependent on John Harmon marrying his fathers preferred spouse, the beautiful Bella Wilfer, of course the young man is not happy that he has no choice in the matter and the fact he is now reported drowned gives him the opportunity to take on an alias and get to know Bella Wilfer for himself as an honourable working man and test out the water without the encumbrance of any mercenary incentives on offer.
       Mortimer Lightwood and Eugene Wrayburn, legal professionals, seem to play a major role in the investigations into the fatalities on the river and are also advising the Boffins as they take possession of the Harmon fortune as former long term employees and beneficiaries on the death of the son and heir. Once suspected of "his own" murder, the victim having been wrongly identified, the young Harmon takes on the name of Julius Handford but later changes it to become John Rokesmith. He is offered lodgings by Reginald Wilfer the head of a family of four, his wife and two daughters Bella, beautiful with a pleasant personality and Lavinia a rebellious discontent. Mrs Wilfer is from a good family with high social pretensions and feels she has married beneath herself and is encouraging her daughters to look to marry for wealth rather than love and of course was instrumental in her daughter Bella's being promised to John Harmon under the terms of old Harmon's will. It's not clear how Bella feels about being offered as a prize under the terms of a last will and testament, she has obviously been influenced by her mother's social aspirations but she is her amiable and likeable father's favourite daughter, the apple of his eye and utterly spoiled by him. We just have to hope that she is also influenced by his honourable, optimistic and generous spirited wisdom when gentlemen come calling. Meanwhile Bella is coming across as completely indifferent to the lodger Rokesmith whilst he is definitely curious and interested in her, and later, co-incidentally or not we will never know, Bella is taken under the wing of the Boffins as the companion of the motherly Henrietta, and as they settle into their new lifestyle, John Rokesmith is appointed the invaluable secretary to Nathaniel, who although familiar with the business he sometimes appears a little out of his depth with the complicated stuff.
       Noddy Boffin has been employing Silas Wegg, a street trader and self professed literary scholar of questionable character to teach him how to read and write, and on taking over the estate, the Harmon residence and refuse depot, often referred to as the "Bower", he installs Wegg in the property and moves into a newly purchased mansion in town. Of course from here on in it becomes difficult for Bella and John to avoid each other but relationships certainly don't become cordial, more business like and dispassionately frosty, although Rokesmith is obviously smitten, and wants to make an impression based on his personal qualities rather than any mercenary considerations.
       Meanwhile back on the river Charley Hexham has been encouraged by his sister, very much against her father's wishes to be ambitious and get a good education, to which end he has been attending Bradley Headstone's school. When Jesse Hexam is later found dead in the river Eugene Wrayburn comes into contact with Lizzie Hexam when involved in the identification of the body and starts to take an interest in her welfare and education, with what motivation, at this stage we are unsure, but he seems to gain some influence over her. At much the same time Bradley Headstone has met Lizzie through brother Charley and begins to offer support and assistance with, what we suspect are romantic ambitions towards her. Lizzie has a job in some kind of factory and now they are orphaned takes lodgings with Fanny Cleaver (Jenny Wren) a twelve years old doll's dressmaker who lives with her drunken father, whom she calls "her bad child" away from the river. As time passes it transpires Wrayburn and Headstone are rivals for Lizzie's affections and they pursue and harass her relentlessly until her distress is discovered by chance on a particular occasion by Mr Riah who comes to her rescue and spirits Lizzie away to a secret address, known only to himself.
       picIn the background to this story of intrigue and romance is another instance of Dickens' commentary on the dire social conditions of the time for some of the poorer and more vulnerable sections of the London population, as he relates Mrs Boffin's attempts to adopt a child through the auspices of Reverend Mulvey and his wife. This section of the narrative focuses on Betty Higden an aging childminder who has spent a lifetime caring for orphans and offers the Boffins her orphaned grandson Johnny. The adoption is agreed but the child becomes sickly and dies before the transaction can be completed, Betty hopes the potential adopters will take Sloppy an older foundling with learning difficulties. Mrs Boffin seems willing but Sloppy is reluctant to leave Betty his adopted mother for whom he has been a tireless helper. This leaves the aging Mrs Higden with a dilemma and being torn apart by the unbearable reality of her situation and mortal fear of the workhouse, she decides to force the issue and run away to live on the streets selling trinkets from her basket. Sadly this is the beginning of a slow decline in health and despite many offers of what welfare was available at the time proud Betty shuns charity and dies on the road in a rural community many miles from London.
       At the Bower, Silas Wegg and his friend and co-conspirator Mr Venus, have discovered a new will, evidence which will disqualify the Boffins from their inheritance and new found wealth and are plotting to demand a high price for their silence, a three way split seemingly the asking price. Elsewhere, down at heel society fraudsters Alfred and Sophronia Lammles are scheming and conniving, in matchmaking and in other dubious activities for profit, involving amongst others Georgina Podsnap, Mr Fledgeby and George Sampson, mostly unsuccessfully. When desperate measures become necessary with excessive debts threatening destitution they hit on a plan which will put them in credit with the Boffins as an untapped source of income. Sophronia has inveigled her way into the confidence of Bella Wilfer, and discovered the advances made by John Rokesmith declaring his affection for her, and although these have been firmly rejected, a malicious plan is put into practice to oust Rokesmith from his job at the Boffins and replace him with Alfred, a well qualified but hardly trustworthy candidate. The plan is successful to a certain extent in that an unpleasant scene ensues when Rokesmith is confronted by Mr Boffin in front of Bella and the treachery of the Lammles gossip is revealed. John Rokesmith, thoroughly humiliated in the presence of the object of his affection is duly sacked which triggers a guilty outburst of scorn from Bella aimed at Mr Boffin, much to the dismay of his kind hearted wife, and results in both young people walking out of the door in contempt at the injustice of the secretary's embarrassing treatment.
       Outside Bella runs along the street with a few of her hastily packed belongings and only slackens her pace once round the corner seeking out her father's workplace at the bank of Chicksey, Veneering and Stobbles. Luckily her Pa was still in the otherwise deserted counting house delaying his return home to the less comfortable bosom of his family satisfying his appetite with a little bread and milk. Confident of a warm welcome and sympathetic hearing Bella pours out the events of the past few hours and her guilty indiscretion, completely oblivious of the fact that she has been followed as John Rokesmith appears at the window and enters. The recent turn of events has obviously had a dramatic effect on the young couple's feelings as they rush forward into each other's arms, Bella's true feelings displayed in full view and all previous idle notions banished for good. After mutual declarations of everlasting devotion, it just remains for Pa to assist in Bella's peaceful repatriation into the family home. Sometime later, on one of Pa's days off R.W. and Bella leave the family home separately for a clandestine meeting with John and a secret wedding at Greenwich and to set up home together there, putting aside until another day all thought of the awkward situation which will undoubtedly develop when they inform Ma and Lavinia of the marriage.
       The mysterious disappearance of Lizzie Hexam is by now causing some concern and anxiety in London, particularly for her two rival admirers, each believing the other knows where she is, both tormented by her absence, Bradley Headstone becoming increasingly jealous of his rival and following him hoping Wrayburn will lead him to Lizzie. In fact neither of them knows Lizzie's whereabouts, this is known only to Mr Riah and Jenny Wren, but the two men are desperate to pick up any information they can, and the schoolmaster is becoming increasingly distraught as Wrayburn his rival realises he is being followed and continually taunts him with misleading jaunts around London most evenings. Meanwhile the lawyer stumbles across Jenny Wren's drunken "bad child" father who discloses Jenny's correspondence with Lizzie and Eugene bribes him with several "threepenorths" of his favourite liquor to come up with the address. Some time later the information is forthcoming and Wrayburn is seen to leave London in a boat to find his dream girl. At Plashwater Weir-Mill Lock the love-lorn lawyer meets Rogue Riderhood now the lock keeper there, as he negotiates his way upstream on the approach to his final destination, not a happy situation when you're on a clandestine mission in competition with a by now, desperate rival in love. Sure enough Bradley Headstone appears later at the lock, disguised as a lock keeper himself and asking questions about recent lock users. Finding himself in the right area he takes advantage of the hospitality of the lock keeper and lurks about in the vicinity hoping Wrayburn will lead him to Lizzie, eventually spotting the pair in each other's company (Lizzie apparently not too happy to have been found and rebuffing his advances). By this time Headstone's jealous hatred of his rival has reached murderous proportions and when the couple separate for the evening the schoolmaster emerges from the undergrowth and attacks Eugene with a huge bludgeon and leaves him for dead in the river, before making off. His plan all along has involved throwing any suspicion for the murder on Riderhood the lock keeper, hence the schoolmaster's disguise and the attempts to leave traces of blood on his clothing whilst in the cottage. Of course, being the rogue he is, the lock keeper has been wise to his guest's machinations all along and when Headstone eventually leaves for London, the enormity of the ghastly deed he has done begins to dawn as he heads downstream to the place he has left a change of clothing. Riderhood follows him at a safe distance until the schoolmaster stops to recover and put on his change of clothes, wraps the lock keeper's outfit into a bundle and throws it in the river before continuing on to London. Riderhood recovers the parcel of clothes as evidence and later confronts Headstone at his school in front of his pupils, with threats and demands to be bought off, this menacing new tormentor now expects a visit from the pedagogue at the lock keeper's cottage to agree terms within the next few days. Unfortunately for the lock keeper the master's state of mind is completely disturbed, especially since he has heard that Wrayburn has been married to Lizzie whilst in his sickbed, to the extent of his being raging mad with jealousy and positively suicidal. Light snow is falling as the master sets off for the lock brooding on his defeat and humiliation, hardly surprising therefore that on reaching the lock he is in a murderous mood and with few words exchanged, takes hold of the Rogue in a vice like grip and plunges them both to their death in the river.
       However, to return to previous events near Plashwater Weir-Mill Lock, Lizzie it appears has been lodging nearby and working in the local paper mill owned by friends of Mr Riah, it was in this area where Mrs Higden was finally taken ill and died in the arms of Lizzie who had stumbled on the collapsed figure one evening as she left the factory. It is also Lizzie who later, on an evening stroll, finds Eugene Wrayburn lying severely injured in the shallow waters of the river and, using her talent as a skilled oarswoman, recovers his body and takes him to a place of safety (The Anglers Inn) for nursing care, to face an uncertain future, at best a long slow recovery surrounded by friends. Happily the patient does recover although a changed man both in personality and physically, the erstwhile cynical, unreliable, hapless dreamer of a barrister is, transformed into a more empathetic, caring, responsible and mature adult, now well worthy of the affection of his devoted carer Lizzie. Naturally and despite their totally different backgrounds, love blossoms and the happy pair are married in the company and much to the delight and satisfaction of their friends Mortimer Lightwood, Jenny Wren, Bella Rokesmith and Mr Riah.
       [NOTE: It is suggested that the area around Henley on Thames is the likely original inspiration for the setting of Plashwater Weir-Mill Lock, the Paper Mill and The Angler's Inn all features of the area, down and upstream, albeit with different names.]
       Back in London Jenny Wren's bad child has died and on a visit Pubsey and Co. to collect material supplies for her trade from her Jewish friend, stumbles on Sofronia Lammles in the outer office keeping watch below whilst her husband Alfred is upstairs in Fledgeby's office beating the living daylights out of the owner of the money lending firm, the real villain responsible for ruining so many people, her friend Mr Riah having been coerced into doing his dirty work to pay off his debts, and foreclosing on other victims on a whim including the Lammles, now destitute after failing to get help from the Boffins, and probably Eugene Wrayburn and Melvin Twemlow too, to name but a few. Mr Riah being out of the office, Jenny decides to wait and enjoy the spectacle of the fraudsters and charlatans at each others throats meting out their own version of justice. When sometime later Mr Riah has cleared off his debts, he wastes no time in distancing himself immediately from Pubsey and Co. and takes lodgings with Jenny Wren becoming her new father figure and mentor.
       Meanwhile things with the Rokesmiths are getting complicated: Bella is being asked to attend Eugene and Lizzie's wedding by Mortimer Lightwood and husband John is being rather evasive in not wanting to meet either Mortimer or Eugene for reasons he's not prepared to reveal just yet, Bella has to go alone to the wedding. This is a precursor to John starting the process of clearing his name of the suspicion of the murder of John Harmon and there follow a series of scenes involving the original police inspector, the landlady of the Six Jolly Fellowship Porters Inn and two of the Inn's regulars, Bella and a sort of identity parade, which seems to throw all the suspicion for Harmon's murder onto the real perpetrators, and reveal the true identity of the victim, a risky strategy and severe test of his wife's loyalty, but at least explaining his reasons for avoiding Lightwood and Wrayburn earlier who could have possibly spotted his true identity. As time passes the Rokesmiths have a new baby Bella and John decides to come clean about more of the mysterious happenings and deceptions which have been in play as a consequence of Harmon's reported murder. He informs Bella that they are to move to a new home which will accommodate a growing family and she is to have a grand tour, it's hardly surprising therefore that she is quite puzzled when they arrive at a familiar mansion in town to be greeted by the Boffins at the start of a big reveal which could turn out to have painful and damaging effects, or more hopefully provoke astonishment and delight. Bella is confronted by three jolly happy smiling conspirators about to brave the consequences of 'the true story', all looking rather anxiously at one another waiting for Mrs Boffin to begin. Apparently the good lady had spotted John Rokesmith alone one evening gazing into the fire bearing a remarkable resemblance to the John Harmon she knew as a boy in a similar position after ill treatment at the hands of his cruel father, and so the scheming had started. John explained his reasons for assuming a false identity, to meet his father's preferred choice of wife and win her affection on his own terms and how the well meaning conspirators had taken advantage of the Lammles's revelation in malicious gossip to fabricate the dramatic confrontation and sacking, hoping to bring matters to a head and provoke the desired response they so desperately hoped for. Thankfully there could be no happier outcome for the kind hearted Boffins and the Rokesmiths, the dream comes true as Bella reacts in the most gracious way possible and there is immense gratitude and satisfaction all round in their happy smiling faces, much to everyone's great relief.
But what about the true beneficiaries of the will? .......

In Conclusion

pic       The Boffins continue to explain, they are in possession of the final version of "old Harmon's" will, disinheriting the elder son and his sister (since deceased) in favour of the the long serving employee and his wife. However knowing how the children have suffered over the years at the hands of an evil and cruel father they in all justice have decided to restore the fortune to, in their view, the rightful owners young John Harmon and his family. It's hardly surprising therefore the warmth and friendly feeling that pervades between the two couples at this point is all consuming, but it does make the final scenes in the novel all the more satisfying and entertaining.
       Sloppy had been given the task of removing the piles of scrap from the "Bower" yard and Silas Wegg had been observing him, waiting until the final load been cleared before venturing his attempt at blackmail, in case other wills are discovered buried in the piles as they are removed. Mr Venus, Wegg's co-conspirator has had cold feet and confessed the plot to Mr Boffin, so when the confrontation takes place he is still playing along with the plot at the proposed victim's request. The final scene is now set as the pair appear at the mansion, Wegg in a belligerent mood and Venus sheepishly hanging back. The demands are listened to with great forbearance by the erstwhile victims as the perpetrator shows the will with the government treasury as the beneficiary and demands to be bought off. The villain's aggressive and disrespectful rhetoric is met with indifference and smiling knowing looks between the Boffins and Harmons, but of course the continuing threats and rude behaviour will of course not be tolerated for long and John and Sloppy gradually approach the blackmailer. Suddenly Sloppy grabs Wegg with the intention of throwing him out into the street, but arriving at the front door spots a far superior receptacle, a rubbish skip and unceremoniously dumps him there with great satisfaction. A fitting conclusion to a most enjoyable novel, and a highly entertaining read.

Palfreyman, September 2025


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