It is refreshing to see Dickens’ characters with such human qualities; qualities which apply to both past and present.
- As Twemlow is sitting with the Veneerings, he is listening to the ramblings of the wedding to take place. What is the most interesting part of the entire event are his thoughts on the matter of their dear, family friends. He thinks to himself, as they are talking about those important enough to participate in the ceremony, there are only three close…no wait, four close…no wait, six total close friends. Even after the wedding he claims the two Reverends are now to be the Veneerings dear friends. While I read this particular statement to be rather sarcastic regarding the Reverends, I found his thoughts during the discussion to ring true in many humans. There are times when I evaluate close friends and I often find myself somewhat jealous of those who are considered close to friends without merit. I don’t consider myself a possessive person or even an overly jealous person; there are simply times when a close friend of a friend crosses my mind in a negative way. It makes me think of my place in the group. While I don’t feel Twemlow is genuine in his friendship, I can understand his thinking process of counting the Veneerings’ circle. There is something human in his thoughts; almost emotional that I related to as I read.
Revenge
- And now to the juicy stuff! I was immediately awake when Alfred arrived on scene and was described as looking like Mephistopheles, also known as Mephisto. I must note, way to go Dickens! Only one word needed for a description which gets the mind gears turning. As a lover of German literature, my mind automatically went to Goethe’s Faust. (More on Faust) Since Mephisto is a demon in both the Marlowe and the Goethe renditions, I sensed some foreshadowing which made my mouth water. And I was pleasantly surprised when the “demon” presented itself on the beach with his new wife. Since I’m not overly fond of the Veneerings, I am dying to know what revenge is taken upon them by Sophronia and Alfred. They were scammed by the Veneerings and are now legally bound to one another. Revenge is another human trait that presents itself in various forms. While I may not always act on my thoughts of pay back, I do have them. As I left the beach, there was one quote that stuck out in my mind, “Don’t be betrayed into doing so again, because I have a Devil of a temper myself.” I understand he was speaking about Sophronia’s outburst of emotion; I can’t help but put this quote to the Veneerings. Here we go Mephisto. Show us whatcha got!
Random thoughts
- I enjoyed the reference to the Rocky Mountains in the past few chapters. Am I seeing the influence of the US tour?
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