Mr. Dickens And His Carol

As Dickens finishes the next Chuzzlewit story, his servant Topping enters the study with food and tells Dickens that his publishers, Chapman and Hall, are downstairs. They tell Dickens that Chuzzlewit is underperforming severely and that his American audience does not like it. Predicting that William Thackeray will usurp Dickens’s place as the top English novelist, they tell Dickens to write a Christmas book. They also encourage him to include a ghost because people love ghost stories at Christmastime. Dickens refuses, but they warn him that if he does not write the book, they will reduce his pay, for the failure of Chuzzlewit will damage both his career and theirs.

As Catherine’s labor continues, Dickens finds himself bored and unable to distract himself from his worries about his financial situation and his book’s commercial failure. He walks through London, an activity that he enjoys. He has grown familiar with the city and explores both its beautiful, affluent areas and its impoverished and bleak areas. Overwhelmed by his financial worries, he recalls his past popularity and fears that his audience will abandon him. When the sun rises, he finds himself at Covent Garden, where he observes the market and admires the sights and smells. Suddenly, he recalls that his wife is about to give birth.

Dickens notes the connection between the births of his children and the publications of his stories. Each year, the children impatiently await the arrival of the winter weather and their annual trip to Mr. Bumble’s toy store, to which their parents always take them before Christmas. They wonder why their parents have not taken them yet, and the oldest daughter, Katey, considers the solution when the youngest son Frank starts crying.

When Dickens returns home, Katey tells him that the new child is a boy before stating that all the siblings prefer girls. She has the other children pretend to cry with her. Charles plays along and tells her that he agrees. Dickens reflects on his children’s desire for attention in the midst of the excitement surrounding the birth of their brother. Katey mentions that Mr. Bumble wants to see them. Despite the warnings of Catherine’s housekeeper, Doreen, that Catherine wants to be alone, Dickens goes up to see his wife and the new baby.

In the room, Dickens kisses his wife and holds their baby, overwhelmed with joy and amazement. Catherine remarks on the fact that the child was born before the upcoming Christmas party. This reminds Dickens of Chuzzlewit’s failure, but he cannot bring himself to tell Catherine of these troubles. He thinks about her taste for fine things and his own spending habits, which have led to the growth of their family and their budget each Christmas. Catherine reminisces about their first Christmas together at Furnival’s Inn. Dickens remembers their early times together after Maria Beadnell broke his heart. He and Catherine met at Furnival’s Inn, became friends, and soon fell in love. He remembers her wishing for a home, happiness, children, and “that every Christmas [would] be more splendid than the last” (24). Her wishes have all come true, despite whatever debts or troubles the family had. Catherine tells him now that she believes they have just enough children; she says this every time they have another child. She reminds Dickens to take the children to Bumble’s Toy Shop. This causes Dickens to worry anew, but he hopes that his new Chuzzlewit publication will tide the family over financially.

Dickens meets his close friend and representative, John Forster, and tells him about Chuzzlewit’s underperformance and the Christmas book. Dickens asks for his advice and recalls that Forster always stood up for him and helped Dickens to get a fair wage for his work and remain financially stable. Forster supports Dickens’s decision to decline the Christmas book assignment and remain focused on Chuzzlewit. He also advises Dickens to tighten his budget until he regains his literary success.

Having taken his children with him to see Forster, Dickens then takes them to Bumble’s Toy Shop. He tells his children that they will only be looking inside the shop this time, and that Christmas is “about feeling” (30). Once they enter, Dickens and the children are amazed by the marvelous toys there. Mr. Bumble wants to sign Dickens up for the Field Lane Ragged School’s Christmas fund, which he had passionately supported for years. Dickens tries to decline, but Mr. Bumble misinterprets his hesitation and still plans to sign him up for it, which Dickens understands. A customer enters the shop and Dickens sees a business card reading: “Fezziwig and Cratchit” (32). He is immediately inspired and makes a mental note to use the names in his writing. The man, whose real name is Smith, remarks that Cratchit is not truly a name, but Dickens insists it is to him. Mr. Bumble worries about the effect of putting Cratchit in a book, and Dickens says he will use Fezziwig in that case. When Dickens’s son Walter asks for a conjuring set, Dickens gives in and decides to buy it.

Outside, a poor, ragged boy watches Dickens with a sketchpad and studies him and his children carefully. Meanwhile, Dickens’s other children are now demanding toys as their fair due, given that Walter now has a conjuring set. Dickens initially tells his children that they cannot always get what they want despite their disappointment, but he soon relents and buys them all toys. Mr. Bumble tells Dickens that he will save him a spot for the fund, and Dickens chastises himself for not tightening his budget.

On their way home, the children spot Mudie’s bookstore, where they see the Martin Chuzzlewit book being given away for free with a purchase of tea. This frustrates Dickens, and his daughter Mamie tries to reassure him. A man named Jacob Marley taps on Dickens’s shoulder and asks for his autograph, claiming that he has read all of the author’s works, which Dickens appreciates. However, when Marley sees his signature, he realizes that he has mistaken Dickens for William Thackeray and throws the autograph away. After he leaves, Dickens tells his children that he will have a Jacob Marley in his next book and kill the character off, but his oldest son Charley tells him to have Marley dead from the very beginning, which Dickens agrees to do. As they walk away, five unhoused children approach the area, and their leader watches Dickens intently.

Over the following week, Dickens tries to write the next Martin Chuzzlewit book, but he finds himself unmotivated. In frustration, he throws a small desk clock out the window. His servant Topping enters the study, giving him his bills and various financial requests from charities, as well as an invitation from the Ebenezer Temperance Society. Dickens declines the invitation, disliking their desire to take away one of the few pleasures that struggling people have.

Topping then tells Dickens that his father, John, wants to see him, and although Dickens tells Topping to get rid of him, his father appears in the doorway. Putting on an upbeat personality despite his constant financial troubles, his father begins with a charitable inquiry about his newborn grandson but soon asks Dickens for money to pay his rent. Dickens begrudgingly agrees to help his father but tells him that he must stop asking for money. Though his father agrees to pay him back, Dickens observes that he always has to pay his father’s debts. John wishes him a merry Christmas, and although Dickens reminds him that it is still only November, his father states that Christmas “begins […] In the heart” (43).

Near the end of November, Dickens is both amazed and concerned by Catherine’s decision to move to the chair and plan Christmas rather than continue to rest in bed. A socially active and restless woman, she finds the postpartum stage to be a distressing period, and she wants to be active. As Catherine arranges the plans for the Christmas party, Dickens tries to mention his financial and career concerns. She supports his refusal to write a Christmas book but disagrees with his insistence on decreasing the family’s Christmas expenses. She gathers that his father has asked for money again, which he confirms, but she observes that this Christmas is the most frugal one the family has ever had and tells him that he needs more Christmas spirit. Catherine tells him that Christmas plays an important part in improving her mood after having the baby, and he understands this. As his youngest son Frank loudly plays the piano, his frustration and a growing headache cause him to snap at the boy, which upsets his son and angers Catherine.

Dickens goes upstairs and eats alone in his study. Later, he watches his children prepare for bed and augment their usual prayer with a prayer for Christmas presents. Hearing this, Catherine stresses the importance that Christmas holds for the children, and he agrees. She tells him that it might be a good idea to write the Christmas book, and he concedes that writing it will be necessary to keep the family financially stable.

Dickens prepares to write his Christmas book but has trouble choosing a title. Topping arrives with his lunch, which he refuses, and then appears later with the latest bills and letters from relatives asking for money. The letters include one from his brother Fred, who is constantly creating new schemes and inventions. Topping also shows Dickens an invitation to dine with Forster, which Dickens declines. He then receives a perfumed letter from Mrs. Winter, the married name of Maria Beadnell, and is reminded of his old feelings for her. As the children play with the dogs, he goes into the hallway to tell them to quiet down, but he steps in the dogs’ droppings, which adds to his irritation.

Suddenly, there is a knock at the door and Dickens sees Fred, who has brought the family a Christmas tree from Germany. This further annoys Dickens, who is still scraping the dog excrement from his shoe. Amused, Catherine tells Topping to put the tree in the parlor. The children then approach him and tell him of their Christmas wishes. Frustrated, Dickens accuses them of only caring about themselves and announces that he is leaving. He goes out through the back to avoid Fred, and the children express confusion and sadness at his outburst, which angers Catherine. Outside, the leader of the children on the streets asks Dickens for alms. Dickens notices that the boy was waiting for him. The street urchin tells Dickens that he knows all about him and shows him the autograph that he gave to Marley. Unsettled, Dickens gives him a coin and leaves.

Dickens goes to Forster’s house, where Forster is hosting dinner with other literary men, including William Thackeray and Wilkie Collins. Thackeray is a burgeoning author who has not yet reached Dickens’s level of prominence or fame but is showing great promise. When Thackeray and the Carlyles start insulting Dickens’s work, Forster defends him, calling for his housekeeper Mary to bring more food and clean their plates. This encourages Dickens. He goes into the pantry, where the housekeeper Mary happens upon him. Flustered, as she is a fan of his work, she drops the dishes in a panic. Later, Forster privately tells Dickens that Thackeray and Collins are jealous of him and that Thackeray will never be a better writer than Dickens.

Shortly after, Forster leaves the dinner party and takes a walk with Dickens, who vents his frustrations with his publishers, his children, and Catherine. He also shows Forster the letter from Maria Beadnell, which he is afraid to open. Forster opens and reads it, telling Dickens that Maria wants to see him. Dickens remembers his love for her and his heartbreak after her rejection, which helped inspire him to write. He hopes that seeing Maria again now will inspire him to complete his book. Forster warns him not to visit her, but he insists, so Forster arranges their meeting.

Dickens goes to Artillery Place and waits for Maria in the parlor. He remembers their earlier relationship and her rejection of him in favor of the wealthy Henry Winter. Dickens initially worked to become more financially stable and regain her love, and he feels nostalgic for the man he was when he was in love with her. He finally meets Maria and finds her the same as she always was, except for a new nasal quality to her voice that she did not have in the past. She then sneezes, revealing that she has a cold. She is interested in his fame as a writer and asks him questions about his career, Thackeray, and his current life. She then invites him to sit with her.

The following day, having caught Maria’s cold, Dickens complains to Forster about her materialism and shallowness. Dickens wonders if she might be somewhat in love with him, but Forster doubts it, noting that Henry Winter is bankrupt and that she is likely working up to asking him for money. He recommends that Dickens avoid her. Dickens regrets his decision to visit Maria and his behavior toward Catherine.

When Dickens returns home, he finds Catherine and the children stepping into a carriage. The children reveal that they are traveling to Scotland to stay with Catherine’s mother. Dickens asks Catherine if her mother is sick, but she tells him that he is the reason she is leaving for Scotland. She reveals that Maria visited and told her about his visit. Dickens insists that there is nothing between him and Maria. Catherine asks him why he visited her and agrees when he admits that it was a foolish decision. She then confronts him about his treatment toward her and the children, and his nagging about her Christmas planning, defending her Christmas planning and accusing him of having forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. She says it would be best for her to leave indefinitely and announces her intention to give the family the Christmas they desire whether he is involved or not. After they leave, Dickens finds himself alone, frustrated, and overwhelmed.