Dickens

The Chimes Dickens

Classics for Your Collection: goo.gl/U80LCr --------- The main character, Trotty Veck, is a very poor man who works as a ticket porter on the streets of London. He adores his daughter Meg who is on the verge of marrying her love named Richard. Meg and Richard are going to get married on New Year's Day. Trotty loves the church chimes and he and Meg feel the chimes have always been their constant friend. On New Year's Eve, Trotty, Meg and Richard have an encounter with some arrogant terrible men who are a higher social class than Trotty & co. These men make Trotty, Meg and Richard feel like they do not have a right to exist because they are so poor and a burden on society. Throughout the day, Trotty begins to wonder if the poor are naturally wicked and a plague on society and he feels perhaps, he himself is unknowingly wicked. Midway through the book, Trotty encounters a man and his little orphaned niece. The man is very poor and has no home and is on the verge of going to jail for some petty crime. Trotty invites the man and child home and spends all his money (which is not much money at all) on a New Year's Eve dinner for them. He gives the man his bed and his little daughter sleeps with Meg. During the night, Trotty has a dream that the Chimes call to him and they are actually goblins that are very disappointed in him for losing faith in humanity. They tell Trotty he is dead and he must learn about the true nature of humankind by watching his daughter's life unfold. Trotty is once again convinced that people are indeed innately good and circumstances drive them to desperation and the poor are not a plague on society and they do have a right to exist. He also learns that poor like their "betters" are constantly trying to improve their lives... just like Trotty did during his life. Yet, the poor seem to always be fighting a losing battle because of the structure of society. In his dream, Trotty sees the fate of all the people in his life. Even his next door neighbor, Mrs. Chickenstalker whom he owes money too (she owns a shop). He sees that she is very compassionate and not greedy by any means. Trotty thanks the chimes for these lessons and then wakes up a new man. Scroll Up and Grab Your Copy!