Little Dorrit Literary Elements

Victorian fiction; realist fiction; social problem novel.

The action of the novel starts in approximately 1820 and the action takes place in England, France and Italy.

The story is told from a third person point of view, and the narrator is an omniscient one who recalls events subjectively.

The tone of the novel, created by the narrator's interjections and commentary, is often frustrated, sarcastic, and critical. Much of the novel is devoted to pointing out problems in English society, including incompetent and corrupt political institutions, so the tone is usually critical of either the behavior of specific characters, or the failures of larger systems. The mood is sometimes quite dark, but can also be compassionate and pitying, such as when virtuous characters are shown suffering and being mistreated.

The protagonist of the novel is Arthur Clennam. The antagonist is Rigaud/Blandois

The major conflict is for Arthur to reconcile his relationship with his past, the Clennam family history, and the financial and business legacy he inherits. Even though the full details of this conflict aren't always clear, Arthur knows from the very start of the novel that he is in conflict with his family and their business, and that some sort of dark legacy hangs over him.

The story reaches its climax when Arthur is imprisoned in the Marshalsea because of his debts, and Little Dorrit comes to see him.

The night Arthur spends in the debtors’ prison when he gets accidentally locked inside foreshadows the time he will spend inside the same prison later.

The writer included some autobiographical elements in the novel, so Little Dorrit can be considered as being an allusion to the writer’s life and childhood. Just like Amy, Charles Dickens experienced seeing his father imprisoned for debt. His father’s situation changed the way Dickens saw the world in general and the way he considered government.

See the section on imagery

The novel uses paradox to show experiences yielding unexpected results. Although Amy spends most of her life in a prison, she does not feel unhappy or trapped until the Dorrits are set free and become wealthy. Paradoxically, once Amy is no longer impoverished and in prison, she begins to feel isolated, aimless, and unhappy. The same paradox works in reverse for Arthur: he spends much of the novel being independent, able to make his own choices, and do what he thinks is best. However, he is also in denial for most of this time, and it is only once he is imprisoned that he becomes more self-aware, and realizes that he is in love with Amy.

A parallel is drawn between Dorrit and Arthur to show that everyone, regardless of their initial financial situation, can end up in prison. Arthur has the same fate as Dorrit had, ending up being locked down in the same prison, even staying in the same room and both being locked away even though they were innocent. What is more, they both get out of prison after they are helped by a benevolent person.