Pickwick Papers

Tracy Tupman, Augustus Snodgrass, and Nathaniel Winkle make up the remainder of the Pickwick Club’s primary members. Although each has his own personality traits, as a whole, these men are friends and confidants to Pickwick who reflect and support his interests throughout their travels. Tupman is the closest in age to Pickwick and, despite his age and the text’s mocking description of his looks, he’s depicted as a romantic who takes every chance to flirt with the women around him and frequently falls in love. The irony of Tupman’s primary trait is mirrored in the other Pickwickians as well, yet Tupman seems to endure the most fallout because of the disparities between his goals and his character. Early in the novel, he falls in love with Rachael Wardle, but the nefarious Jingle plots against them and they’re never married, as they hope. Tupman flirts with various other women, often the younger companions of his friends, considering himself worthy of their reciprocation. Tupman ends up alone, having never proposed again, yet the text hints at the possibility of him finding love because he has “the admiration of the numerous elderly ladies of single condition” (1013).

“The poetic Snodgrass” (13) is another Pickwickian whose character description and habits seem to be at odds with one another. Although much of what Snodgrass does is considered “poetic,” such as how he is “poetically enveloped in a mysterious blue cloak” (14) or has a “‘poetic turn’” (24) or “a poetical depression of spirits” (44), Snodgrass is never depicted actually writing poetry or reading it to his friends. What appears to be his main character trait is entirely absent from the papers curated for the novel; the text makes more of his love story with Emily Wardle. Although not as scandalous as Winkle and Arabella’s relationship, Emily and Snodgrass’s relationship is nonetheless forbidden by her father, who wants Emily to marry someone of higher standing. However, the close friendship of all the Pickwickians and the Manor Farm company, as well as the couple’s openness about their relationship, lead the two to a marriage that all bless. Snodgrass and Emily are married in Pickwick’s new house the first day he takes possession of it, and the two return to Dingley Dell to settle down and have a family.

Winkle is primarily known as a sportsman who enjoys shooting, riding, and other athletic pursuits. However, much like his friends, he’s rarely able to do the things he’s most known for. When the friends go out shooting together, Winkle accidentally shoots Tupman and never hits his targets. In addition, he loses his horse when the Pickwickians try to make their way to Dingley Dell, forcing the whole company to walk. Although good-natured, Winkle often gets into trouble and is frequently accused of having affairs with the wives of his friends because of farcical misunderstandings. Despite these claims, Winkle is steadfastly devoted to Arabella Allen, who has been essentially promised to another man. The other Pickwickians help keep Arabella and Winkle’s relationship secret, yet Winkle secretly elopes with Arabella, and their marriage is ultimately blessed by everyone, most of all Pickwick. This diverse cast of characters, though seemingly disparate from one another, are united by their shared interests in travel and expanding their minds as well as their devotion to Pickwick and his ideas. As a whole, the Pickwickians, though very different from Pickwick himself, reflect his core views and exemplify his mindset.

While working as a bootblack at an inn, Sam Weller meets Pickwick, who recognizes his exemplary qualities and almost immediately hires him as his valet. Although many characters can’t see past Sam’s lowly station and Cockney attributes, Pickwick quickly notices Sam’s particular brand of wisdom along with his hard work and honesty. In many of Dickens’s novels, some of the “lowest-born” characters are the wisest, as is the case with Sam, whose idiosyncratic aphorisms often guide Pickwick and his followers through their most challenging moments. Significantly, Sam also exhibits elements of the Pickwickian mindset and has traveled more than any of the Pickwickians and extensively noted the habits and behaviors of the people around him just as the Pickwickians do.

Sam’s other most prominent characteristic is his loyalty to Pickwick. When Pickwick is imprisoned and tells Sam to find work elsewhere, Sam responds, “This here sort o’ thing won’t do at all” (746) and gets his father to arrest him for his debt so that he’ll be forced to stay with Pickwick until he leaves the prison. Sam even refuses to leave Pickwick once his adventures are over and he no longer needs a valet, staying beside him even when Pickwick insists on providing for Sam so that he can marry the woman he loves. Sam reciprocates the loyalty Pickwick shows his friends and, in this way and others, Sam is somewhat of a parallel to Pickwick. Not only do the men share the same first name, but they also value honesty, wisdom, and loyalty above all else. Although they have vastly different backgrounds, Sam’s morals match those highly valued by Pickwick, and the younger man is often even more generous and attentive than his employer. Not only is Sam a frequent hero figure during the predicaments in the novel, but he also highlights how the Pickwickian mindset transcends class or social standing but is instead based on virtues that anyone can embrace.