Dickens, his parables, and his reader

Abstract

Charles Dickens once commented that in each of his Christmas stories there is an express text preached on . . . always taken from the lips of Christ. This preaching, Linda M. Lewis contends, does not end with his Christmas stories but extends throughout the body of his work. In Dickens, His Parables, His Reader, Lewis examines parable allegory in nine of Dickens s novels as an entry into understanding the complexities of the relationship between Dickens his reader.Through the combination of rhetorical analysis of religious allegory cohesive study of various New Testament parables upon which Dickens based the themes of his novels, Lewis provides new interpretations of the allegory in his novels while illuminating Dickens s religious beliefs. Specifically, she alleges that Dickens saw himself as valued friend moral teacher to lead his dear reader to religious truth.Dickens s personal gospel was that behavior is far more important than strict allegiance to any set of beliefs, it is upon this foundation that we see allegory activated in Dickens s characters. Oliver Twist and Old Curiosity Shop exemplify the Victorian cult of childhood blend two allegorical texts: Jesus s Good Samaritan parable John Bunyan s ThePilgrim s Progress. In Dombey Dickens chooses Jesus s parable of the Wise Foolish Builders. In the autobiographical David Copperfield, Dickens engages his reader through an Old Testament myth a New Testament parable: the expulsion from Eden the Prodigal Son, respectively.Led by his belief in desire to preach his social gospel broad church Christianity, Dickens had no hesitation in manipulating biblical stories sermons to suit his purposes. Bleak House is Dickens s apocalyptic parable about the Day of Judgment, while Little Dorrit echoes the line Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors from the Lord s Prayer, illustrating through his characters that only through grace can all debt be erased. The allegory of the martyred savior is considered in Hard Times A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens s final completed novel, Our Mutual Friend, blends the parable of the Good Faithful Servant with several versions of the Heir Claimant parable.While some recent scholarship debunks the sincerity of Dickens s religious belief, Lewis clearly demonstrates that Dickens s novels challenge the reader to investigate develop an understanding of New Testament doctrine. Dickens saw his relationship with his reader as a crucial part of his storytelling, through his use manipulation of allegory parables, he hoped to influence the faith morality of that reader.