Summary
The action resumes in a monastery in the Swiss Alps, where a number of travelers have gathered, including Henry Gowan, his wife Pet, Mr. Dorrit and his children, and Blandois. The Dorrits are now also accompanied by a woman named Mrs. General, who was hired by Mr. Dorrit as a kind of chaperone and governess for his daughters to help shape them to fit into their new social status. There is tension and posturing between the travelers, and Pet falls ill. Amy nurses her, and explains that she knows Pet is the woman Arthur was in love with. Rather than creating a rivalry, this bonds the two women, and Amy promises to write and tell Arthur that Pet is doing well.
The next day, the Dorrits move on, and both Tip and Fanny worry that their sister's behavior in nursing Pet was inappropriate for her social station. In general, Amy is considered to be socially embarrassing by her family, and Frederick Dorrit is the only person who stands up for her. The Dorrits arrive in Venice and by chance encounter Mrs. Merdle and her son Edmund Sparkler at the inn where they will be staying. Mrs. Merdle is surprised by Fanny's new wealth and social status and tactfully does not acknowledge ever having met her before. As the family settles into Venice, Fanny thrives in high society, but Amy feels aimless and overwhelmed. She chronicles these feelings in a letter to Arthur while also trying to reassure him about Pet. It is clear, however, that Amy does not think Henry is being a good husband. Mr. Dorrit becomes concerned about his younger daughter, and after consulting with Mrs. General, the two of them advise Amy to try harder to be cheerful and refrain from mentioning their past. She promises to do so.
Trying to avoid social errors, Amy asks permission to spend time with Pet Gowan, which is granted after the family realizes that Mrs. Gowan (now Pet's mother-in-law) is good friends with Mrs. Merdle. Tip has also been spending time with Sparkler and hints to Fanny that he still has feelings for her. Amy later observes Fanny putting on a show in front of Sparkler and Fanny explains that she intends to tease Sparkler and his mother by encouraging them to think she is considering marriage, but has not yet decided on her ultimate goal. As time passes, Fanny plays hot and cold with Sparkler, while trying to outmaneuver his mother in social climbing. She also informs Amy that she suspects Mrs. General aspires to marry their father, which shocks Amy.
Fanny and Amy go to visit Pet, where they witness a disturbing scene: while Blandois is posing for one of Henry's paintings, Henry's dog attacks him, and Henry violently beats the animal. They later learn from Blandois that someone poisoned the dog. Despite these suspicious signs, Blandois starts to visit the Dorrit household and acts as a go-between in setting up a commission for Henry to paint a portrait of Dorrit. Henry is increasingly bitter about having to work for money, and feels he married beneath himself. Meanwhile, both Pet and Amy are becoming more and more frightened of Blandois. The whole group of travelers, including the Dorrit household, the Gowan household, and Mrs. Merdle and her son eventually move on to Rome and reassemble there.
Analysis
The novel's second part indicates that the plot has shifted by also enacting a geographic shift. Most of the first part was confined to a few specific places in London, echoing the themes of imprisonment and claustrophobia. After so many years trapped behind stone walls, it is hardly surprising that Mr. Dorrit longs to explore the world now that he has the freedom and means to do so. However, traveling also serves several other purposes. The Dorrit family now has wealth, but they need to acquire social position, and they certainly can't do so by revealing the tawdry story of their past. Going abroad, they can rebrand themselves as a wealthy English family and not be subject to invasive questions about the origins of their family or their money.
The new setting heightens the divide between the family members. Fanny and Mr. Dorrit, and to a lesser degree, Tip, shine in their new positions because they have keen instincts about how to perform socially appropriate behavior and are very comfortable advertising their own importance. Because they have always believed they deserved to occupy a high position in society, they transition seamlessly to behaving like haughty aristocrats. Like characters such as Mrs. Gowan and Mr. Merdle, Fanny and Mr. Dorrit show that appearances matter more than reality in terms of achieving social prestige and power. Fanny is so good at strategically manipulating social situations to her advantage that running into Mrs. Merdle and Edmund Sparkler becomes an opportunity rather than a threat. Now that Fanny is wealthy, she is actually a desirable match, and Mrs. Merdle makes a tacit agreement to not reveal her origins.
For Amy, however, much of her new life is traumatic. She is overwhelmed by the large and foreign world she encounters, and she has too much honesty and integrity to play the games of manipulation that her social position now requires. While the Dorrits were imprisoned, Amy functioned as an adult figure who could ensure the long-term welfare of the family. Now, she is positioned as a child who is constantly being rebuked for failing to learn and enact the lessons of how to occupy her new status. As Jeff Nunokawa writes, referring to the respective titles of the two parts of the novel, "While the Dorrits live off the labor of their youngest member in “Poverty,” her work on their behalf becomes embarrassing in “Riches.” Her father’s effort to expunge all traces of acquisitive activity from Little Dorrit take shape as an attempt to make her a mirage" (Nunakawa p. 28).
Amy is so used to patient obedience that she continues to try and please everyone around her. Nonetheless, she often feels aimless and alone. In addition to her confusion about trying to appear as a well-bred lady, Amy struggles to transition to no longer being needed. Her grief at being supplanted by the servants the Dorrit family can now afford to employ reveals the somewhat masochistic pleasure she has derived from her self-abnegation. Rather than being relieved that she can spend her time as she likes, Amy feels lost without anyone to care for.
This compulsive need to take on a nurturing and caregiving role might explain Amy's affection for Pet Gowan. Her behavior towards Pet mirrors the patient resignation Arthur has previously shown to Henry: both Amy and Arthur put compassion and kindness before jealousy. In fact, knowing that Pet has been Arthur's beloved seems to make Amy more eager to care for her. Moreover, even as a wife and soon-to-be-mother, Pet hardly seems more mature or competent. Henry is a disappointing husband and Pet can no longer enjoy a comfortable or affectionate life. Amy's talent for finding those who can't care for themselves is called upon when she takes on the role of being a loyal companion to the young woman who is now left helpless by her husband's neglect.
