Dombey & Son by Charles Dickens

Home

Dombey & Son by Charles Dickens

Dombey & Son by Charles Dickens Dombey and Son is a novel by the Victorian author Charles Dickens. It was first published in monthly parts between October 1846 and April 1848 with the full title Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation.

Dickens started writing the book in Lausanne, Switzerland, but travelled extensively during the course of its writing, returning to England to begin another work before completing Dombey and Son.

Plot summary:

The story concerns Paul Dombey, the wealthy owner of the shipping company of the book's title, whose dream is to have a son to continue his business. The book begins when his son is born, and Dombey's wife dies shortly after giving birth.

The child, also named Paul, is weak and often ill, and does not socialize normally with others; adults call him "old fashioned". He is intensely fond of his elder sister, Florence, whom Mr Dombey neglects as irrelevant and a distraction. He is sent away first for his health, and then to a school near the sea, but he dies, still only six years old.

Dombey pushes his daughter away from him after the death of his son, while she futilely tries to earn his love. She also develops a close friendship with Walter Gay, who once rescued her when she had gotten lost and been kidnapped as a child. Walter works for Dombey and Son, but through the manipulations of the firm's manager, Mr Carker, he is sent off to work in Barbados. His boat is reported lost and he is presumed drowned. Walter's uncle, the navigation instrument maker Solomon Gills, leaves to go in search of Walter. Florence is left alone with few friends most of the time.

Dombey goes to Leamington with Major Bagstock, where he meets Mrs. Skewton and her daughter, Edith Granger. After they return to London, Dombey remarries; effectively he buys Edith in marriage. The marriage is a loveless one; his wife despises him as greedy and herself as shallow and worthless. Her love for Florence initially prevents her from leaving, but finally she conspires with Mr Carker that they shall ruin Dombey's public image by running away together. They do so after she fights with Dombey; when he discovers that she has left, he blames Florence, hits her in his anger, and makes her run away in fright. In Paris, Mrs Dombey informs Carker that she sees him in no better a light than she sees Dombey, and that she will not stay with him. Distraught, with both his financial and personal hopes lost, Carker falls under a train and is killed.

After Carker's disappearance, it is discovered that he had been running the firm far beyond its means; within a year it collapses and is sold off and Dombey is left a shambles; nearly mad living alone in his decaying house.

Meantime Florence has found refuge with Captain Cuttle, who has been running Gills' store in his absence. Walter Gay returns home after being fortuitously saved from his shipwreck. He and Florence marry, and she reconciles with her father. Dombey finds happiness in the marriage of his daughter, and all ends well.

(From wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Download Dombey & Son by Charles Dickens

PDF format, 2.1MB, 913Pages.

Dombey & Son by Charles Dickens, the Pennsylvania State University, Electronic Classics Series, Jim Manis, Faculty Editor, Hazleton, PA 18201-1291 is a Portable Document File produced as part of an ongoing student publication project to bring classical works of literature, in English, to free and easy access of those wishing to make use of them.

Cover Design: Jim Manis
Copyright © 2007 The Pennsylvania State University

Characters in "Dombey and Son"

    * Mr Paul Dombey – the wealthy owner of the shipping company
    * Mrs Fanny Dombey – Mr Dombey's first wife, mother of Florence and Paul, dies soon after Paul is born
    * Master Paul Dombey (Little Dombey) – the son, is weak and often ill
    * Miss Florence (Floy) Dombey – the elder daughter whom Mr Dombey neglects
    * Mrs Louisa Chick – Mr Dombey's sister
    * Mr Chick – husband of Mrs Chick
    * Miss Tox – friend of Mrs Chick, great admirer of Mr Dombey, and neighbor of Major Joseph Bagstock
    * James Carker (Mr Carker the Manager) – devious manager in Mr Dombey's business
    * John Carker (Mr Carker the Junior) – disgraced older brother of James, lower level employee in Dombey's business
    * Miss Harriet Carker – sister of James and John
    * Mr Morfin – assistant manager in Mr Dombey's business
    * Mr Perch – messenger in Mr Dombey's business
    * Solomon (Uncle Sol) Gills – ships' instrument maker and owner of shop "Wooden Midshipman"
    * Walter Gay – nephew of Gills, friend to Florence, employee of Mr Dombey, sent away by Carker the Manager
    * Captain Edward (Ned) Cuttle – retired sea captain, friend of Gills
    * Major Joseph Bagstock – conceited retired army major, admirer of Miss Tox, friend of Mr Dombey
    * Briggs – schoolmate of Paul's
    * Tozer – schoolmate of Paul's
    * Mr P. Toots – schoolmate of Paul's, later a dandy in love with Florence
    * The Game Chicken – rowdy companion of Mr Toots
    * Miss Susan Nipper – Florence's loyal nurse, later marries Mr. Toots
    * Mrs Skewton – infirm former lover of Bagstock
    * Edith Granger – proud widowed daughter of Mrs Skewton, becomes second Mrs Dombey
    * Mr Toodle – a railway engineer
    * Polly Toodle (Mrs Richards) – wife of Mr Toodle, engaged as nurse to Paul under the name Mrs Richards (by Mr Dombey's order)
    * Robin Toodle (Rob the Grinder, Biler) – son of Mr Toodle and Polly, sent to Charitable Grinders school, later engaged in service to Captain Cuttle and Mr. Carker the Manager
    * Good Mrs. Brown – an elderly rag dealer
    * Alice – daughter of Brown, former lover of Carker's, recently returned from transportation
    * Jack Bunsby – commander of a ship, and regarded as an oracle by Captain Cuttle
    * Mrs MacStinger – Captain Cuttle's landlady and nemesis
    * Mrs Pipchin – stern widow who keeps an 'infantine Boarding-House of a very select description' in Brighton, where Paul is sent for his health
    * Master Bitherstone – a fellow-boarder at Mrs. Pipchin's, much later a student at Doctor Blimber's
    * Miss Pankey – a fellow-boarder at Mrs. Pipchin's
    * Sir Barnet Skettles –
    * Lady Skettles –
    * Master Skettles –
    * Doctor Blimber – runs a school in Brighton which Paul briefly attends
    * Mrs Blimber – Doctor Blimber's wife
    * Miss Cornelia Blimber – Doctor Blimber's daughter, teacher at the school
    * Mr Feeder, B.A. – Doctor Blimber's assistant, teacher at the school
    * Diogenes (Di) – A dog from the school, befriended by Paul and adopted by Florence after Paul's death