Excerpt

Excerpt from Sketches by Boz, Illustrative of Every-Day Life and Every-Day People, by Charles Dickens

Mr. Whiffler and his friend are left alone together, but Mr. Whiffler’s
thoughts are still with his family, if his family are not with him.
‘Saunders,’ says he, after a short silence, ‘if you please, we’ll drink
Mrs. Whiffler and the children.’ Mr. Saunders feels this to be a
reproach against himself for not proposing the same sentiment, and
drinks it in some confusion. ‘Ah!’ Mr. Whiffler sighs, ‘these children,
Saunders, make one quite an old man.’ Mr. Saunders thinks that if they
were his, they would make him a very old man; but he says nothing. ‘And
yet,’ pursues Mr. Whiffler, ‘what can equal domestic happiness? what
can equal the engaging ways of children! Saunders, why don’t you get
married?’ Now, this is an embarrassing question, because Mr. Saunders
has been thinking that if he had at any time entertained matrimonial
designs, the revelation of that day would surely have routed them for
ever. ‘I am glad, however,’ says Mr. Whiffler, ‘that you are a
bachelor,—glad on one account, Saunders; a selfish one, I admit. Will
you do Mrs. Whiffler and myself a favour?’ Mr. Saunders is
surprised—evidently surprised; but he replies, ‘with the greatest
pleasure.’ ‘Then, will you, Saunders,’ says Mr. Whiffler, in an
impressive manner, ‘will you cement and consolidate our friendship by
coming into the family (so to speak) as a godfather?’ ‘I shall be proud
and delighted,’ replies Mr. Saunders: ‘which of the children is it?
really, I thought they were all christened; or—’ ‘Saunders,’ Mr.
Whiffler interposes, ‘they are all christened; you are right. The
fact is, that Mrs. Whiffler is—in short, we expect another.’ ‘Not a
ninth!’ cries the friend, all aghast at the idea. ‘Yes, Saunders,’
rejoins Mr. Whiffler, solemnly, ‘a ninth. Did we drink Mrs. Whiffler’s
health? Let us drink it again, Saunders, and wish her well over it!’

Doctor Johnson used to tell a story of a man who had but one idea,
which was a wrong one. The couple who dote upon their children are in
the same predicament: at home or abroad, at all times, and in all
places, their thoughts are bound up in this one subject, and have no
sphere beyond. They relate the clever things their offspring say or do,
and weary every company with their prolixity and absurdity. Mr.
Whiffler takes a friend by the button at a street corner on a windy day
to tell him a bon mot of his youngest boy’s; and Mrs. Whiffler,
calling to see a sick acquaintance, entertains her with a cheerful
account of all her own past sufferings and present expectations. In
such cases the sins of the fathers indeed descend upon the children;
for people soon come to regard them as predestined little bores. The
couple who dote upon their children cannot be said to be actuated by a
general love for these engaging little people (which would be a great
excuse); for they are apt to underrate and entertain a jealousy of any
children but their own. If they examined their own hearts, they would,
perhaps, find at the bottom of all this, more self-love and egotism
than they think of. Self-love and egotism are bad qualities, of which
the unrestrained exhibition, though it may be sometimes amusing, never
fails to be wearisome and unpleasant. Couples who dote upon their
children, therefore, are best avoided.

THE COOL COUPLE

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Explanation

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens

Context of the Source

Sketches by Boz (1836) is a collection of short pieces by Charles Dickens, published early in his career under the pseudonym "Boz." The work consists of humorous, satirical, and observational sketches of London life, capturing the quirks, follies, and social dynamics of ordinary people. The excerpt in question, "The Cool Couple" (sometimes titled "The Whifflers" in later editions), is a comic critique of obsessive parental doting, a theme Dickens revisits in later works like Dombey and Son (where Mr. Dombey’s fixation on his son leads to tragedy) and David Copperfield (where the Murdstones’ harsh parenting contrasts with the Whifflers’ smothering affection).

Dickens’ satire here targets the self-absorbed, child-obsessed parents—a type he likely encountered in Victorian society, where the cult of domesticity and sentimentalized family life often led to excessive parental pride. The sketch blends humor with subtle social commentary, exposing the egotism beneath apparent familial devotion.

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Themes in the Excerpt

1. Obsessive Parental Doting and Social Nuisance

   • The Whifflers embody the excesses of parental pride, where love for their children becomes a monomania (a single, all-consuming idea, as referenced in the Doctor Johnson anecdote).
   • Their fixation is socially alienating: they impose their domestic concerns on others (e.g., Mr. Whiffler’s repeated toasts, his cornering friends to share his children’s bon mots), making them bores rather than endearing figures.
   • Dickens suggests that such parents objectify their children, reducing them to props for their own vanity.

2. Egotism Disguised as Affection

   • The narrator argues that the Whifflers’ devotion is not truly altruistic but rooted in self-love. Their pride in their children is an extension of their own egos.
   • They underrate other children, revealing their "love" as possessive and exclusionary—a critique of Victorian parental competitiveness.

3. The Burden of Social Expectations

   • Mr. Saunders, the unwilling audience to Mr. Whiffler’s monologue, represents the trapped bystander in such conversations. His internal reactions (e.g., thinking marriage would make him "a very old man") highlight the exhaustion such parents inflict on others.
   • The godfather request is a comic climax: Mr. Whiffler doesn’t just share his joy—he recruits Saunders into his familial orbit, ensuring his friend’s future entanglement in Whiffler family affairs.

4. Satire of Victorian Domestic Ideals

   • The sketch mocks the sentimentalized family of the era, where children were often idealized in literature (e.g., Wordworth’s "child as father of the man") but, in reality, could be sources of stress and social embarrassment.
   • The ninth child revelation is a grotesque punchline, exaggerating the Whifflers’ fertility to absurdity and implying their lack of self-awareness (they see no issue with adding yet another child to their brood).

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Literary Devices and Style

1. Irony and Understatement

   • Mr. Whiffler’s solemnity about his ninth child ("Did we drink Mrs. Whiffler’s health? Let us drink it again") contrasts with the absurdity of the situation.
   • The narrator’s dry observation that such parents "cannot be said to be actuated by a general love for... children" is sarcastic, implying their "love" is narcissistic.

2. Dialogue as Characterization

   • Mr. Whiffler’s speech patterns reveal his self-absorption:
     • He answers his own questions ("what can equal domestic happiness?").
     • His rhetorical flourishes ("cement and consolidate our friendship") mask his manipulation of Saunders.
   • Saunders’ minimal responses ("with the greatest pleasure") show his polite resignation, a common Victorian social reflex.

3. Hyperbole and Exaggeration

   • The ninth child is a comic exaggeration, pushing the Whifflers’ fertility to farce.
   • The comparison to Doctor Johnson’s man with "one idea" frames the Whifflers as intellectually limited, their minds colonized by parenthood.

4. Direct Address and Moralizing Tone

   • The narrator breaks the fourth wall to lecture the reader:
     • "Couples who dote upon their children... are best avoided."
     • This didactic interjection is typical of Dickens’ moralizing style, blending humor with social instruction.

5. Contrast Between Appearance and Reality

   • The Whifflers appear devoted, but their behavior is self-serving.
   • Their domestic happiness is performative, meant to impress others rather than nurture their children.

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Significance of the Excerpt

1. Social Critique of Victorian Parenting

   • Dickens challenges the romanticized family of the era, exposing how parental pride could become social tyranny.
   • The sketch reflects Victorian anxieties about overpopulation and the burdens of large families, especially among the middle class.

2. Precursor to Later Dickensian Themes

   • The Whifflers foreshadow characters like:
     • Mr. Dombey (Dombey and Son), whose obsession with his son destroys his family.
     • Mrs. Gamp (Martin Chuzzlewit), whose verbal excesses mirror the Whifflers’ social insensitivity.
   • The godfather trope reappears in Great Expectations (Pip’s convoluted guardianship) and A Christmas Carol (Scrooge’s neglected role as a paternal figure).

3. Humor as a Tool for Satire

   • Dickens uses comedy to critique, making the Whifflers ridiculous rather than malicious.
   • The exaggeration (nine children, the forced godfather role) invites laughter at societal norms, a hallmark of Sketches by Boz.

4. Relevance to Modern Readers

   • The sketch remains timeless in its depiction of:
     • Over-sharing parents (today’s "humblebrag" social media posts).
     • Social obligations (the unwilling godfather mirrors modern peer pressure in friendships).
     • The performativity of family life (e.g., "perfect parent" personas on Instagram).

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Line-by-Line Analysis of Key Passages

1. ‘Saunders,’ says he, after a short silence, ‘if you please, we’ll drink Mrs. Whiffler and the children.’

   • Tone: Mr. Whiffler commands rather than suggests, framing the toast as a moral duty.
   • Saunders’ reaction ("some confusion") shows he feels guilty for not initiating it, though he likely didn’t want to.

2. ‘Ah!’ Mr. Whiffler sighs, ‘these children, Saunders, make one quite an old man.’

   • Irony: He complains about aging due to children, yet celebrates them in the same breath.
   • Saunders’ unspoken thought ("if they were his, they would make him a very old man") reveals the gap between Whiffler’s self-pity and Saunders’ horror.

3. ‘And yet, what can equal domestic happiness? what can equal the engaging ways of children!’

   • Rhetorical questions demand agreement, but the hyperbole ("what can equal") makes his sentiment overbearing.
   • Contrast: His idealized view clashes with the reality of his exhausting family life.

4. ‘Will you cement and consolidate our friendship by coming into the family (so to speak) as a godfather?’

   • Manipulative language: "cement and consolidate" makes the request sound noble, but it’s self-serving (he needs a godfather, not a friend).
   • Saunders’ trap: His polite acceptance ("proud and delighted") is socially mandatory, despite his internal resistance.

5. ‘Not a ninth!’ cries the friend, all aghast at the idea.

   • Comic timing: The sudden revelation of a ninth child is absurd, undercutting Whiffler’s sentimental toasts.
   • Saunders’ reaction ("aghast") mirrors the reader’s shock, breaking the façade of domestic bliss.

6. ‘Did we drink Mrs. Whiffler’s health? Let us drink it again, Saunders, and wish her well over it!’

   • Repetition as farce: The second toast is ridiculous, emphasizing Whiffler’s obsession.
   • "Wish her well over it": A euphemism for pregnancy, but the cheerfulness feels forced, hinting at denial about the burden of another child.

7. Doctor Johnson’s anecdote: "a man who had but one idea, which was a wrong one."

   • Parallel: The Whifflers’ single-mindedness is their flaw.
   • Satirical edge: Their "wrong idea" isn’t just parental love—it’s the selfish performance of it.

8. ‘The couple who dote upon their children cannot be said to be actuated by a general love for these engaging little people...’

   • Cynical twist: Their "love" is exclusive and possessive, not universal.
   • Implication: They use their children for social validation.

9. ‘Self-love and egotism are bad qualities... never fails to be wearisome and unpleasant.’

   • Moral judgment: Dickens condemns such behavior as socially toxic.
   • Victorian context: In an era of politeness and restraint, the Whifflers’ lack of self-awareness is unforgivable.

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Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Matters

Dickens’ sketch is a masterclass in comic satire, using exaggeration, irony, and sharp dialogue to expose the hypocrisy behind parental pride. The Whifflers are not evil—they’re ridiculous, their egotism disguised as devotion. The excerpt critiques:

• The performativity of family life (love as a social act).
• The burden of social expectations (Saunders’ trapped politeness).
• The narcissism beneath sentimental ideals (children as extensions of the self).

Ultimately, Dickens warns against unchecked self-love, whether in parenting or any other sphere. The Whifflers are amusing but cautionary—a reminder that even virtues, when distorted by ego, become vices.

Would you like a deeper dive into any specific aspect, such as comparisons to other Dickens works or the historical context of Victorian family dynamics?