Community Ethics In Dombey And Son

There is a tendency in the academic world to approach Charles Dickens’s Dombey and Son from the perspectives of feminism, family and capitalism, whereas his intention in community building is by and large overlooked. My thesis argues that in Dombey and Son, Dickens intends to present an ideal ethical model of community, which manifests itself in his detailed depiction of some ethically admirable characters, in contrast to a group of personalities with grotesquely distorted ethical values. As Dickens’ quest for community, the novel closes with a sketch of a harmonious community in the Wooden Midshipman neighborhood.Therefore, this thesis intends to explore the above-mentioned theme in three parts: 1) analysis of the time when the events and major plots happened, providing a historical context of industrial revolution against which the main characters live and work,2) analysis of grotesques, especially Antagonist Dombey, Carker and Edith, with hideous ethical values and outlandish ways of doing business, and 3) analysis of ethically admirable characters in the novel, especially Protagonist Florence, the Wooden Midshipman fellows and the loyal friends from "the corner", to explore Dickens’s perspective of a moral and harmonious community.In short, through close reading and detailed analyses, the author hopes to explore Dickens’s core of community ethics, from maintenance of sincere interpersonal relationship to sound feeling of community where societal barriers of class, money and prejudice can be potentially overcome, ultimately leading to an ideal community.