Appearance
Excerpt
Excerpt from The Chimes, by Charles Dickens
CHAPTER I—First Quarter.
There are not many people—and as it is desirable that a story-teller and
a story-reader should establish a mutual understanding as soon as
possible, I beg it to be noticed that I confine this observation neither
to young people nor to little people, but extend it to all conditions of
people: little and big, young and old: yet growing up, or already growing
down again—there are not, I say, many people who would care to sleep in a
church. I don’t mean at sermon-time in warm weather (when the thing has
actually been done, once or twice), but in the night, and alone. A great
multitude of persons will be violently astonished, I know, by this
position, in the broad bold Day. But it applies to Night. It must be
argued by night, and I will undertake to maintain it successfully on any
gusty winter’s night appointed for the purpose, with any one opponent
chosen from the rest, who will meet me singly in an old churchyard,
before an old church-door; and will previously empower me to lock him in,
if needful to his satisfaction, until morning.
For the night-wind has a dismal trick of wandering round and round a
building of that sort, and moaning as it goes; and of trying, with its
unseen hand, the windows and the doors; and seeking out some crevices by
which to enter. And when it has got in; as one not finding what it
seeks, whatever that may be, it wails and howls to issue forth again: and
not content with stalking through the aisles, and gliding round and round
the pillars, and tempting the deep organ, soars up to the roof, and
strives to rend the rafters: then flings itself despairingly upon the
stones below, and passes, muttering, into the vaults. Anon, it comes up
stealthily, and creeps along the walls, seeming to read, in whispers, the
Inscriptions sacred to the Dead. At some of these, it breaks out
shrilly, as with laughter; and at others, moans and cries as if it were
lamenting. It has a ghostly sound too, lingering within the altar; where
it seems to chaunt, in its wild way, of Wrong and Murder done, and false
Gods worshipped, in defiance of the Tables of the Law, which look so fair
and smooth, but are so flawed and broken. Ugh! Heaven preserve us,
sitting snugly round the fire! It has an awful voice, that wind at
Midnight, singing in a church!
Explanation
Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Chimes by Charles Dickens
Context of The Chimes
The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells That Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In (1844) is one of Charles Dickens’s five Christmas books, written shortly after A Christmas Carol (1843). While A Christmas Carol focuses on redemption through personal transformation, The Chimes critiques social inequality, particularly the treatment of the poor in Victorian England. The story follows Toby "Trotty" Veck, a working-class messenger who, after losing faith in humanity, is visited by spirits (the "Chimes") that show him visions of the future to restore his hope.
This excerpt opens the novel, setting a haunting, atmospheric tone that contrasts with the later themes of redemption and social justice. Dickens often used gothic and supernatural elements to engage readers while underscoring moral and social messages.
Analysis of the Excerpt
1. The Unsettling Premise: Sleeping in a Church
The passage begins with a provocative claim:
"There are not many people… who would care to sleep in a church. I don’t mean at sermon-time in warm weather… but in the night, and alone."
- Tone & Audience Engagement: Dickens directly addresses the reader ("I beg it to be noticed"), creating an intimate, conversational style. This was common in Victorian literature, where authors often "spoke" to their audience to draw them into the narrative.
- Irony & Humor: The parenthetical remark about people sleeping during sermons ("when the thing has actually been done, once or twice") is a wry jab at churchgoers’ occasional hypocrisy or boredom, lightening the mood before the darker turn.
- Challenge to the Reader: Dickens dares skeptics to test his claim by meeting him in a churchyard at night, locking themselves in until morning. This playful yet sinister invitation sets up the supernatural tone of the story.
2. The Personification of the Night-Wind
The bulk of the passage is a vivid, almost cinematic description of the wind’s behavior in a church at night. Dickens personifies the wind as a restless, malevolent entity:
"The night-wind has a dismal trick of wandering round and round a building of that sort, and moaning as it goes; and of trying, with its unseen hand, the windows and the doors; and seeking out some crevices by which to enter."
- Gothic Imagery: The wind is given human-like qualities—it "moans," has an "unseen hand," and "seeks" entry like a ghost or intruder. This aligns with Gothic literature’s fascination with the supernatural and the uncanny.
- Sensory Immersion: Dickens appeals to sound (moaning, wailing, howling), touch (trying the windows), and even implied sight (unseen hand) to make the scene visceral. The reader "hears" the wind’s eerie movements.
- Psychological Effect: The wind’s actions mirror human restlessness and despair. It "soars up to the roof, and strives to rend the rafters; then flings itself despairingly upon the stones below"—suggesting a tormented, almost suicidal energy.
3. The Wind as a Spectral Storyteller
The wind doesn’t just move—it interacts with the church’s history and the dead:
"Anon, it comes up stealthily, and creeps along the walls, seeming to read, in whispers, the Inscriptions sacred to the Dead. At some of these, it breaks out shrilly, as with laughter; and at others, moans and cries as if it were lamenting."
- Symbolism of the Dead: The wind "reads" tombstones, reacting with "laughter" or "lamenting"—implying that the dead have stories, some tragic, some perhaps ironic or unjust. This foreshadows The Chimes’ themes of memory, regret, and the weight of the past.
- Moral Judgment: The wind’s behavior suggests a supernatural awareness of human sins. It "chaunts… of Wrong and Murder done, and false Gods worshipped" near the altar, evoking biblical transgressions (the "Tables of the Law" refers to the Ten Commandments, "flawed and broken" by human failings).
- Social Critique: Dickens often used gothic elements to highlight real-world injustices. Here, the wind’s "awful voice" singing of "Wrong and Murder" could symbolize the societal sins (poverty, exploitation) that The Chimes will address.
4. The Final Exclamation: A Return to the Reader
"Ugh! Heaven preserve us, sitting snugly round the fire! It has an awful voice, that wind at Midnight, singing in a church!"
- Contrast & Comfort: The abrupt shift from the wind’s horror to the reader’s cozy fireside ("sitting snugly") creates a jarring contrast. Dickens reminds us that while we are safe, others (like Trotty) are not—reinforcing the novel’s social conscience.
- Dramatic Effect: The exclamation "Ugh!" is a visceral reaction, breaking the fourth wall to make the reader share the narrator’s dread. The final line lingers like a ghostly echo, leaving an unsettling impression.
Themes in the Excerpt
- The Supernatural and the Uncanny: The wind as a spectral force blurs the line between the natural and supernatural, a common device in Dickens’s Christmas stories to explore moral dilemmas.
- Memory and the Past: The wind’s interaction with tombstones suggests that the past is never truly dead—it lingers, judges, and influences the present (a key theme in The Chimes).
- Social Injustice: The gothic atmosphere hints at deeper societal "hauntings"—poverty, exploitation, and broken moral laws that the novel will confront.
- Fear and Comfort: The passage plays on the contrast between the terror of the unknown (the wind) and the safety of the familiar (the fireside), a tension that drives the story’s emotional impact.
Literary Devices
- Personification: The wind is given human traits (moaning, laughing, lamenting) to heighten its eerie presence.
- Imagery: Vivid sensory details (sound, movement) immerse the reader in the scene.
- Foreshadowing: The wind’s behavior hints at the novel’s themes of guilt, redemption, and the weight of history.
- Irony: The contrast between the narrator’s playful dare and the genuine horror of the wind’s actions.
- Direct Address: Dickens breaks the fourth wall to engage the reader, a technique that creates intimacy and urgency.
Significance of the Passage
- Setting the Tone: The excerpt establishes The Chimes as a darker, more morally complex story than A Christmas Carol. The gothic atmosphere prepares the reader for a tale that grapples with despair before offering hope.
- Social Commentary: By framing the church (a symbol of moral authority) as a place of haunting, Dickens critiques institutional failures—churches and societies that preach virtue but allow suffering to persist.
- Narrative Hook: The unsettling description ensures the reader is both intrigued and unsettled, eager to see how the supernatural elements will unfold in Trotty’s story.
Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters
This opening is a masterclass in atmospheric writing. Dickens doesn’t just describe a windy night in a church; he transforms it into a metaphor for human guilt, societal neglect, and the lingering presence of the past. The passage serves as a microcosm of The Chimes’ broader themes: that ignorance and injustice haunt us like ghosts, and that redemption requires confronting these specters—both literal and figurative. By inviting the reader to "lock themselves in" with the wind’s horrors, Dickens challenges them to engage not just with a story, but with the moral questions it raises.