Charles Dickens

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DOMBEY AND SON



Paul Dombey and his SisterDombey and Son is a novel by Charles Dickens, which was published in serial form from 1846 to 1848. Paul Dombey is the wealthy owner of a shipping company. He dreams of passing his business on to his son. Dombey dotes on his son, and neglects and mistreats his daughter.

The son is however incapable of assuming control of the business. The son is weak and sickly and does not socialize normally. Eventually he dies when only six years old.

After the death of his son, Dombey pushes his daughter away, even as she tries to earn his love.

Eventually Dombey remarries, to a woman that he essentially purchased from her father. The marriage is a loveless one and his new wife despises him. Eventually she runs away with Dombey's firm's manager, and Dombey once again characteristically blames his daughter whom he strikes, causing her to run away as well.

Within a year of his wife and daughter's departure, Dombey's business collapses and Dombey ends up half mad, living alone in his decaying house.

However all eventually ends well and Dombey is finally reconciled with his daughter.

As with all of Dickens' novels, Dombey and Son deals with a number of social issues including the practice of arranged marriages for financial gain, and cruelty within the family.

Paul Dombey's catchphrase "When found, make a note of", later became the motto of the literary publication Notes and Queries which was founded in 1849.



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CONTENTS

1. Dombey and Son
2. In which Timely Provision is made for an Emergency that will sometimes arise in the best-regulated Families
3. In which Mr Dombey, as a Man and a Father, is seen at the Head of the Home-Department
4. In which some more First Appearances are made on the Stage of these Adventures
5. Paul's Progress and Christening
6. Paul's Second Deprivation
7. A Bird's-eye Glimpse of Miss Tox's Dwelling-place; also of the State of Miss Tox's Affections
8. Paul's further Progress, Growth, and Character
9. In which the Wooden Midshipman gets into Trouble
10. Containing the Sequel of the Midshipman's Disaster
11. Paul's Introduction to a New Scene
12. Paul's Education
13. Shipping Intelligence and Office Business
14. Paul grows more and more Old-fashioned, and goes Home for the holidays
15. Amazing Artfulness of Captain Cuttle, and a new Pursuit for Walter Gay
16. What the Waves were always saying
17. Captain Cuttle does a little Business for the Young people
18. Father and Daughter
19. Walter goes away
20. Mr Dombey goes upon a journey
21. New Faces
22. A Trifle of Management by Mr Carker the Manager
23. Florence solitary, and the Midshipman mysterious
24. The Study of a Loving Heart
25. Strange News of Uncle Sol
26. Shadows of the Past and Future
27. Deeper shadows
28. Alterations
29. The Opening of the Eyes of Mrs Chick
30. The Interval before the Marriage
31. The Wedding
32. The Wooden Midshipman goes to Pieces
33. Contrasts
34. Another Mother and Daughter
35. The Happy Pair
36. Housewarming
37. More Warnings than One
38. Miss Tox improves an Old Acquaintance
39. Further Adventures of Captain Edward Cuttle, Mariner
40. Domestic Relations
41. New Voices in the Waves
42. Confidential and Accidental
43. The Watches of the Night
44. A Separation
45. The Trusty Agent
46. Recognizant and Reflective
47. The Thunderbolt
48. The Flight of Florence
49. The Midshipman makes a Discovery
50. Mr Toots's Complaint
51. Mr Dombey and the World
52. Secret Intelligence
53. More Intelligence
54. The Fugitives
55. Rob the Grinder loses his Place
56. Several People delighted, and the Game Chicken disgusted
57. Another Wedding
58. After a Lapse
59. Retribution
60. Chiefly Matrimonial
61. Relenting
62. Final




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