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''Our Mutual Friend'' (written in the years 1864–65) is the last novel completed by Charles Dickens and is one of his most sophisticated works, combining psychological insight with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. Hillis Miller, "money, money, money, and what money can make of life", but is also about human values. In the opening chapters a body is found in the Thames and identified as that of John Harmon, a young man recently returned to London to receive his inheritance. Were he alive, his father's will would require him to marry Bella Wilfer, a beautiful, mercenary girl whom he had never met. Instead, the money passes to the working-class Boffins, and the effects spread into various corners of London society. ==Characters== ===Major characters=== * ''John Harmon'' – heir to the Harmon estate, only under the condition that he marry Bella Wilfer; presumed dead throughout most of the novel; in fact living under the name ''John Rokesmith'' and working as a secretary for the Boffins in an attempt to better get to know Bella, the Boffins, and people's general reaction to John Harmon's "death"; also uses the alias ''Julius Handford'' upon first returning to London. Harmon's "death" and subsequent resurrection as Rokesmith/Handford is consistent with Dickens's recurring themes of rebirth from the water,〔Thurley, Geoffrey. ''The Dickens Myth: Its Genesis and Structure.'' London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1976.〕 and his upward social mobility through his own means is portrayed as favourable, in contrast with Headstone, Hexam, and the Lammles.〔Ihara, Keiichiro. "Dickens and Class: Social Mobility in ''Our Mutual Friend''." 17 April 2009 * ''Bella Wilfer'' – born into poverty, but retains the hope of marrying into wealth and receiving the inheritance of Old Mr. Harmon – until her intended husband, John Harmon, is (reportedly) killed, leaving her without future prospects; learns of the troubles money can bring when taken in by the newly-rich Boffins; rejects Rokesmith's proposal at first but later accepts. Initially described as a "mercenary young woman",〔Dickens, Charles. ''Our Mutual Friend.'' Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989.〕 with "no more...character than a canary bird",〔 Bella undergoes a significant moral change in the novel. Although originally completely preoccupied with money, her complexity is eventually displayed in her ability to defy the societal pressures in order to achieve happiness unrelated to wealth; praised as a character for her "vivacity and lifelikeness",〔Romano, John. ''Dickens and Reality.'' New York: Columbia University Press, 1978.〕 with greater complexity than some of the other, more static characters. Her relationship with her father is almost that of a mother and son, as she consistently dotes upon him, calling him her "cherub"〔 and treating him like a child; this provides a stark contrast to the strained and resentful relationships between Bella and her mother and sister. * ''Nicodemus (Noddy) Boffin'', aka ''the Golden Dustman'' – becomes a member of the nouveaux-riches when Old Mr. Harmon's heir is considered dead; illiterate, but wants very much to fit the image of a wealthy man, and so hires Silas Wegg to read to him in hopes of gaining more intelligence and worldliness; nearly blackmailed by Wegg. Assumes the role of a miser to show Bella the dangers of wealth, but eventually admits this behaviour was an act and gives his money to Bella and John. Boffin's innocence, naïve curiosity, and desire to learn contrast with his "elaborate performances as Boffin the miser";〔 critics speculate that Dickens's decision to have Boffin playing a part may not have been planned, as it was not very convincing for a man who has shown his simplistic ignorance on several occasions.〔Hawes, Donald. ''Who's Who in Dickens.'' London: Routledge, 1998.〕 Boffin's inheritance of old Harmon's money is appropriate because Harmon had attained it by combing the dust heaps, thus suggesting a mobility of class. He represents a wholesome contrast to such wealthy characters as the Veneerings and Podsnaps and was probably based on Henry Dodd, a ploughboy who made his fortune removing London's rubbish. * ''Mrs. Henrietta Boffin'' – Noddy Boffin's wife, a very motherly woman; convinces Mr. Boffin to take in an orphan boy called Johnny, which shows "another progressive development for Dickens as his female characters undertake a more active role in social reform";〔Swifte, Yasmin. "Charles Dickens and the Role of Legal Institutions in Moral and Social Reform: ''Oliver Twist, Bleak House'' and ''Our Mutual Friend''." 16 April 2009. * ''Lizzie Hexam'' – daughter of Gaffer Hexam and sister of Charley Hexam; an affectionate daughter, but knows that Charley must escape their living circumstances if he is to succeed in life; gives Charley her money and helps him leave while their father is away; later rejected by Charley after she remains in poverty. Pursued romantically by both Bradley Headstone and Eugene Wrayburn; fears Headstone's violent passion and yearns for Eugene's love, while acutely aware of the difference in their classes; saves Eugene from Headstone's attack and the two are married. Lizzie acts as the moral centre of the story; by far the "most wholly good character ... almost bereft of ego";〔 Dickens carries over her moral superiority into her physical characterisation. Her "capacity for self-sacrifice ... is only slightly more credible than her gift for refined speech",〔 making her slightly unbelievable as a character when compared with her uneducated father and Jenny Wren. Lizzie's concern about social class reveals her reasoning for ensuring her brother's escape from poverty and ignorance, though she remains humble about her own situation. However, the conventions of the moral character attract Eugene and thus her inherent goodness is rewarded with marital happiness. * ''Charley Hexam'' – son of Jesse "Gaffer" Hexam and brother of Lizzie; originally a very caring brother though this eventually deteriorates as he rises above Lizzie in class and must remove himself from her to avoid the shame of poverty-by-association; born into poverty, receives schooling and becomes a teacher under Headstone's mentoring; used by Dickens to simultaneously critique the schooling available to the poor (often crowded and noisy, making it difficult to learn anything)〔Watt, Kate Carnell. "Educators and Education in ''Our Mutual Friend''." University of California. 17 April 2009. * ''Mortimer Lightwood'' – lawyer, acquaintance of the Veneerings and friend of Eugene Wrayburn. It is through him that the reader and the other characters learn about Harmon's will. Lightwood acts as the "storyteller";〔 however, under the "mask of irony"〔 he assumes in telling his stories, he feels true friendship for Eugene, respect for Twemlow, and concern for the issues in which he is involved. In addition, he also serves as the "commentator and a voice of conscience"〔 with sarcasm sometimes covering his concern. Through Lightwood's reason and advice, the reader is better able to judge the characters' actions. * ''Eugene Wrayburn'' – seen as the second hero of the novel; a barrister, and a gentleman by birth, but characterised as roguish and insolent; close friends with Mortimer Lightwood; involved in a love triangle with Lizzie Hexam and Bradley Headstone, both of whom act as foils, Lizzie providing contrast to Eugene's more negative traits and Headstone making Eugene appear virtuous in comparison; nearly killed by Headstone but, like Harmon/Rokesmith, "reborn" after his incident in the river.〔 Though he appears morally grey throughout most of the novel, by the end he is seen as a moral, sympathetic character and a true gentleman, after choosing to marry Lizzie in order to save her reputation, even though she is below his class.〔Ihara, Keiichiro. "Dickens and Class: Social Mobility in ''Our Mutual Friend''." 17 April 2009 * ''Jenny Wren'' – real name ''Fanny Cleaver''; dolls' dressmaker, with whom Lizzie lives after her father dies; crippled with a bad back, though not ugly in her deformities; very motherly towards her drunken father whom she calls her "bad child"〔 (somewhat like the nearly mother–son relationship between Bella and her father); later cares for Eugene while he recovers from Headstone's attack on his life; shares the presumed beginnings of a romance with Sloppy at the end of the book, which the reader may assume will end in marriage. Although her mannerisms give her a certain "strangeness",〔 Jenny is very perceptive, identifying Eugene Wrayburn's intentions towards Lizzie in his small actions. Her role is a creator and a caretaker, and her "pleasant fancies" of "flowers, bird song, numbers of blessed, white-clad children"〔 reflects the mind's ability to rise above adverse circumstances. * ''Mr Riah'' – Jewish money-lending manager; cares for and assists Lizzie Hexam and Jenny Wren and has a very kindly relationship with them when they have no one else; portrayed very sympathetically. Critics believe that Riah was meant as an apology for the stereotypical character of Fagin in Oliver Twist, particularly in response to Mrs. Eliza Davis, an upstanding Jewish woman who wrote to Dickens saying that "the portrayal of Fagin did 'a great wrong' to all Jews." Some critics still take issue with Riah, asserting that he is "too gentle to be a believable human being."〔Morse, J. Mitchell. "Prejudice and Literature." ''College English'' 37:8 (Apr. 1976): 780–807.〕 * ''Bradley Headstone'' – rose from his childhood as a "pauper lad"〔 to become Charley Hexam's schoolmaster and the love interest of Miss Peecher, whom he ignores; falls in love with Lizzie Hexam and pursues her passionately and violently, though his advances are rejected; develops an insane jealousy towards Eugene Wrayburn, whom he follows at night like an "ill-tamed wild animal"〔 in hopes of catching Eugene and Lizzie together; dresses as Rogue Riderhood and almost succeeds in drowning Eugene. After Riderhood realises that Headstone is impersonating him to incriminate him for Eugene's murder, he attempts to blackmail Headstone, leading to a fight that ends with both men drowning in the river. Described repeatedly as "decent" and "constrained",〔 Headstone's personality splits between "painfully respectable"〔Collins, Philip. ''Dickens and Crime.'' Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1968.〕 and "wild jealousy"〔Collins, Philip. ''Dickens and Education.'' New York: St. Martin's Press, 1964.〕 with "passion terrible in its violence".〔 The image of an animal in the night contrasts sharply with that of the respectable, "mechanical"〔 schoolteacher during the day; a possible explanation for this dichotomy rests in Headstone's "intellectual insecurity"〔 that manifests itself in violence after Lizzie's rejection. This "disguise"〔 is an interesting device, because the "most complex of Dickens's villain-murderers are presented as double-figures", casting Headstone as more of a "psychological study and not a whodunit".〔 As such, Dickens demonstrates the way identity can be manipulated for the public. Headstone also serves as a foil to Eugene, and his evil nature antagonises Eugene as much as Lizzie's goodness helps him, as demonstrated in the scene in which Headstone attempts to kill Eugene but he is rescued from the river by Lizzie. * ''Silas Wegg'' – ballad-seller with a wooden leg; "social parasite";〔 hired to read for the Boffins and teach Mr. Boffin how to read despite not being entirely literate himself; finds Harmon's will in the dust heaps and he and Venus attempt to use it to blackmail the Boffins; wishes to buy back his own leg as soon as he has the money, which is seen by some critics as an attempt to "complete himself";〔 Wegg claims to want the leg so that he can be seen as respectable. Some critics find the juxtaposition of Wegg's villainy and his sense of humour to be inconsistent. * ''Mr Venus'' – a taxidermist and articulator of bones; in love with Pleasant Riderhood, whom he eventually marries. He meets Silas Wegg after having procured his amputated leg and he pretends to join Silas in blackmailing Mr. Boffin regarding Harmon's will, while really informing Boffin of Silas's scheme. Dickens is said to have based Mr. Venus on a real taxidermist named J. Willis, though Venus's "defining obsession"〔 renders him "among Dickens's most outlandish, least realistic"〔 characters. * ''Mr Alfred Lammle'' – married to Sophronia Lammle. Each of them, at the time of their marriage, was under the impression that the other was fairly wealthy. Both were mistaken and are then forced to use their overabundance of charm and superficiality in attempts to make influential acquaintances and gain money through them. They play into the image of the Veneerings, depending upon flattery and plots against their supposed friends to achieve their ends. * ''Mrs. Sophronia Lammle'' – referred to in the first several chapters as "the mature young lady" and portrayed as a proper young woman, though this turns out to be ironic as she is later shown to be greedy, cold, and manipulative; married Alfred Lammle because she believed he had money, and when it turned out he did not, the two of them formed a partnership around conning money from others; conspires to trap Georgiana Podsnap in a marriage with Fledgeby, but repents before this plan can come to fruition. * ''Georgiana Podsnap'' – daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Podsnap; portrayed as very sheltered, shy, trusting and naïve and, as such, is taken advantage of by the more manipulative upper-class characters such as Fledgeby and the Lammles, who scheme to "befriend" her to take her money; courted by Fledgeby through Alfred Lammle, though not with honourable intentions, and nearly finds herself trapped in a marriage with Fledgeby until Sophronia Lammle suffers a change of heart. * ''Mr Fledgeby'' – called ''Fascination Fledgeby''; friend of the Lammles; owns Mr. Riah's moneylending business; greedy and corrupt; makes his money through speculation; provides a contrast with Mr. Riah's gentleness, and underlines the point that "a Jew may be kindly and a Christian cruel";〔Dark, Sidney. ''Charles Dickens.'' T. Nelson & Sons, Ltd., 1919. 16 April 2009 * ''Roger "Rogue" Riderhood'' – "Gaffer" Hexam's partner until Gaffer rejects him after he is convicted of theft. In revenge for that slight he falsely turns Gaffer in as the murderer of John Harmon in the hope of receiving a reward. Later, Riderhood becomes a lock-keeper, and Headstone attempts to frame him for the murder of Eugene Wrayburn. After attempts to blackmail Headstone, the two men fall in the river Thames during a fight and both drown. In his "literally irredeemable villainy",〔 Riderhood represents an opportunistic character who will change his behaviour according to whatever suits his needs best at any given moment. * ''Reginald Wilfer'' – Bella Wilfer's doting father; gentle, innocent and kindly, despite his querulous wife and daughter and thankless work as a clerk; described by Dickens in almost childish terms; often called "the Cherub". It is possible his exceptionally affectionate relationship with Bella was Dickens's attempt to live vicariously after his own daughter cut him out of her life following her marriage.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Our Mutual Friend」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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