Excerpt

Excerpt from Sketches of Young Couples, by Charles Dickens

‘I do believe,’ he says, taking the spoon out of his glass, and tossing
it on the table, ‘that of all the obstinate, positive, wrong-headed
creatures that were ever born, you are the most so, Charlotte.’
‘Certainly, certainly, have it your own way, pray. You see how much I
contradict you,’ rejoins the lady. ‘Of course, you didn’t contradict me
at dinner-time—oh no, not you!’ says the gentleman. ‘Yes, I did,’ says
the lady. ‘Oh, you did,’ cries the gentleman ‘you admit that?’ ‘If you
call that contradiction, I do,’ the lady answers; ‘and I say again,
Edward, that when I know you are wrong, I will contradict you. I am not
your slave.’ ‘Not my slave!’ repeats the gentleman bitterly; ‘and you
still mean to say that in the Blackburns’ new house there are not more
than fourteen doors, including the door of the wine-cellar!’ ‘I mean to
say,’ retorts the lady, beating time with her hair-brush on the palm of
her hand, ‘that in that house there are fourteen doors and no more.’
‘Well then—’ cries the gentleman, rising in despair, and pacing the room
with rapid strides. ‘By G-, this is enough to destroy a man’s intellect,
and drive him mad!’

By and by the gentleman comes-to a little, and passing his hand gloomily
across his forehead, reseats himself in his former chair. There is a
long silence, and this time the lady begins. ‘I appealed to Mr. Jenkins,
who sat next to me on the sofa in the drawing-room during tea—’ ‘Morgan,
you mean,’ interrupts the gentleman. ‘I do not mean anything of the
kind,’ answers the lady. ‘Now, by all that is aggravating and impossible
to bear,’ cries the gentleman, clenching his hands and looking upwards in
agony, ‘she is going to insist upon it that Morgan is Jenkins!’ ‘Do you
take me for a perfect fool?’ exclaims the lady; ‘do you suppose I don’t
know the one from the other? Do you suppose I don’t know that the man in
the blue coat was Mr. Jenkins?’ ‘Jenkins in a blue coat!’ cries the
gentleman with a groan; ‘Jenkins in a blue coat! a man who would suffer
death rather than wear anything but brown!’ ‘Do you dare to charge me
with telling an untruth?’ demands the lady, bursting into tears. ‘I
charge you, ma’am,’ retorts the gentleman, starting up, ‘with being a
monster of contradiction, a monster of aggravation, a—a—a—Jenkins in a
blue coat!—what have I done that I should be doomed to hear such
statements!’

Expressing himself with great scorn and anguish, the gentleman takes up
his candle and stalks off to bed, where feigning to be fast asleep when
the lady comes up-stairs drowned in tears, murmuring lamentations over
her hard fate and indistinct intentions of consulting her brothers, he
undergoes the secret torture of hearing her exclaim between whiles, ‘I
know there are only fourteen doors in the house, I know it was Mr.
Jenkins, I know he had a blue coat on, and I would say it as positively
as I do now, if they were the last words I had to speak!’

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Explanation

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Sketches of Young Couples by Charles Dickens

Context of the Work

Sketches of Young Couples (1840) is a collection of satirical vignettes by Charles Dickens, originally published in The Miscellany, a magazine he edited. The sketches humorously depict various types of married couples, exposing their quirks, conflicts, and social absurdities. Dickens, known for his sharp social commentary, uses these sketches to critique Victorian marital dynamics, gender roles, and the petty disputes that often arise in domestic life.

This particular excerpt portrays a Young Couple (later named Mr. and Mrs. Edward Blossom in the full sketch) engaged in a trivial yet escalating argument. Their dispute—over the number of doors in a house and the identity of a man’s coat—serves as a microcosm of broader marital tensions, highlighting how pride, stubbornness, and miscommunication can turn minor disagreements into dramatic conflicts.

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Themes in the Excerpt

1. The Absurdity of Domestic Conflict

   • The argument is comically trivial: the number of doors in a house and whether Mr. Jenkins wore a blue coat are objectively unimportant matters. Yet, both characters treat these as moral and intellectual battles, revealing how pride and the need to "win" can distort perspective.
   • Dickens satirizes how married couples often argue not over substance but over control—who is "right" becomes more important than the truth itself.

2. Gender and Power Dynamics

   • Edward’s frustration stems from his expectation that Charlotte should defer to him. His outburst—"I am not your slave!"—is met with his bitter repetition ("Not my slave!"), suggesting he views her independence as a personal insult.
   • Charlotte’s defiance ("I will contradict you when I know you are wrong") challenges Victorian gender norms, where women were often expected to be submissive. Her insistence on being heard, even in tears, underscores her refusal to be silenced, though her methods are just as stubborn as his.
   • The performative nature of their conflict (e.g., Edward’s dramatic pacing, Charlotte’s tearful declarations) reflects how gender roles were often "acted out" in Victorian marriages, with both parties playing scripted parts.

3. The Illusion of Rationality

   • Neither character engages in genuine dialogue. Instead, they:
     • Interrupt each other (e.g., "Morgan, you mean").
     • Misrepresent each other’s words (e.g., Edward twists Charlotte’s contradiction into an accusation of foolishness).
     • Appeal to false authority (Charlotte cites Mr. Jenkins, but Edward dismisses her memory entirely).
   • Their "debate" is circular and illogical, showing how emotion overrides reason in domestic disputes.

4. Theatricality and Performative Suffering

   • Both characters dramatize their distress:
     • Edward clenches his hands, looks upward in agony, and storms off with a candle—a classic melodramatic exit.
     • Charlotte bursts into tears, murmurs about her "hard fate," and threatens to involve her brothers, framing herself as a victim.
   • Their exaggerated reactions mock how Victorian couples often turned private spats into public performances of martyrdom.

5. The Futility of "Winning"

   • The argument ends without resolution. Edward pretends to sleep while Charlotte reaffirms her position in a tearful soliloquy, showing that neither has truly listened.
   • The last line—"I know there are only fourteen doors... I would say it as positively as I do now, if they were the last words I had to speak!"—is darkly humorous, suggesting that pride persists even in the face of absurdity.

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Literary Devices

1. Dialogue as Conflict

   • The entire scene is driven by rapid, interruptive dialogue, creating a sense of escalation. Dickens uses short, sharp exchanges to mimic real-life arguments where neither party truly listens.
   • Repetition (e.g., "Not my slave!", "Jenkins in a blue coat!") emphasizes obsession and frustration, making the dispute feel cyclical and inescapable.

2. Hyperbole and Exaggeration

   • Edward’s over-the-top reactions ("this is enough to destroy a man’s intellect, and drive him mad!") highlight the absurdity of his anger.
   • Charlotte’s tearful declarations ("consulting her brothers") frame the argument as a life-or-death struggle, when in reality, it’s about a coat color.

3. Irony and Satire

   • Situational Irony: The couple argues over meaningless details while claiming moral high ground.
   • Dramatic Irony: The reader sees how petty the fight is, while the characters treat it as earth-shattering.
   • Social Satire: Dickens mocks Victorian marital expectations, where domestic harmony was performative, and power struggles were disguised as rational debates.

4. Physical Comedy

   • Edward’s actions (tossing the spoon, pacing, clenching his hands) are theatrical and exaggerated, like a farce.
   • Charlotte’s hair-brush beating adds a visual, almost slapstick element to her defiance.

5. Symbolism

   • The spoon: Edward tosses it aside at the start, symbolizing his dismissal of domestic harmony.
   • The candle: His dramatic exit with a candle represents the light of reason extinguishing as emotion takes over.
   • The fourteen doors: The arbitrary number symbolizes how couples fixate on irrelevant details to avoid deeper issues.

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Significance of the Excerpt

1. Critique of Victorian Marriage

   • Dickens exposes how married life was often a battleground of egos, where trivial disputes masked deeper power struggles.
   • The sketch suggests that many couples were mismatched in temperament, yet societal norms forced them into performative roles (the dominant husband, the submissive wife).

2. Universal Truth About Human Nature

   • While set in the Victorian era, the dynamic is timeless: people often argue to assert dominance rather than seek truth.
   • The refusal to concede—even on something as small as a coat color—reflects human stubbornness and pride.

3. Dickens’ Style and Influence

   • This excerpt showcases Dickens’ knack for dialogue and characterization. In just a few lines, he makes the couple vivid and relatable.
   • His satirical edge influenced later writers who critiqued domestic life, such as Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw.

4. Humor as a Tool for Social Commentary

   • By making the conflict ridiculous, Dickens invites laughter while delivering a critique. The reader laughs at the couple’s pettiness but also recognizes their own arguments in the mirror.

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Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Resonates

This passage is a masterclass in comedic conflict, using dialogue, exaggeration, and irony to expose the absurdity of marital spats. Dickens doesn’t just mock Edward and Charlotte—he holds up a mirror to all couples, showing how pride, miscommunication, and the need to "win" can turn molecules into mountains.

The genius of the sketch lies in its balance of humor and insight: it’s funny because it’s true. Even today, readers recognize the universal frustration of arguing over nothing—making this 180-year-old satire feel fresh and relevant.

Would you like a deeper dive into any specific aspect, such as how this compares to other Dickensian couples (like the Boffins in Our Mutual Friend or the Cratchits in A Christmas Carol)?