Between Physical or Psychological Suffering: The Importance of Achieving Higher Social Standards in Dickens 'Our Mutual Friend'

Abstract

The industrialization of England during the Victorian era had an impact not only on society's structures but also on people's moral ideals. Charles Dickens sought to demonstrate that the power of the surroundings outweighed the power of people and that certain values and standards were more essential than a human being. This study illustrates how people in Charles Dickens' novel Our Mutual Friend (1864-65) are caught between society's immoral and corrupt values and moral standards that lead to death or imprisonment. By placing Philip Collins's Dickens and Crime as a framework, this study demonstrates how individuals and society are intertwined, as well as how traditional ideals can lead to people's incrimination. The presentation of parallel worlds in the characters’ striving to gain societal acceptance produces an ill environment which rejects who does not submit to its rules. The study attempts to demonstrate that morality and criminality are frequently controlled by societal principles and people's needs, resulting in various types of suffering by presenting different plots of good and evil and different backgrounds of characters. Keywords: Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend, Victorian era, Crime, morality. DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/88-01 Publication date: May 31 st 2022