72 pages • 2 hours read
Charles DickensThe Old Curiosity Shop
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1840A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Literary Devices
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Tools
BetaChapters 38-41Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 38 Summary
Kit is doing well at the Garlands’ household. He sends money home to his family and visits when he is in their neighborhood on errands. One afternoon, Kit is called into the notary’s office. An older gentleman is there asking after Nell and her grandfather. In his questioning of Kit, the old man reveals himself to be the single gentleman staying at the Brasses’ house. The gentleman took up lodgings at the Brasses’ specifically because the Curiosity Shop is under their legal discretion. Dick, who is across the street, sees Kit and the gentleman as Kit is leaving. Dick asks Mr. Chuckster as well as Kit if they know the man’s identity, but neither does.
Chapter 39 Summary
Kit’s first payday approaches. He and Barbara get paid at the same time, so their families celebrate together. Kit and Barbara’s mothers bond over the fact that they are both widows. Barbara’s mother’s comments suggest that Barbara has taken an interest in Kit. The group attends a play. Afterwards, Barbara asks Kit about how pretty Nell is, and Kit’s answer demonstrates how oblivious he is to Barbara’s crush on him.
Chapter 40 Summary
The next day, Kit and Barbara return to the Garlands’. Mr. Garland tells Kit that the single gentleman wants Kit to come work for him; if the gentleman successfully recovers Nell and her grandfather, Kit may very well return to his old position with the Trents. The Garlands understand that the money the gentleman can offer is very appealing, but they urge Kit to be careful making any decisions about his work and his livelihood. Kit reassures them that he does not want to leave their household. They agree not to part ways, but that if the gentleman wants to borrow Kit from time to time, they will loan him out.
Mr. Chuckster comes to visit for lunch; afterwards, he and Kit return to the notary’s office. The single gentleman arrives, claiming that he has located Nell and her grandfather on a tip from Jerry the dog trainer and that he must pursue the lead right away. He wants Kit to go with him, but Kit refuses, as he feels the falling-out he had with the Trents might make his presence do more harm than good. Kit suggests his mother go instead, so that they will still see someone they trust.
Chapter 41 Summary
Kit runs home to prepare his mother for the trip, but she is not there. One of their neighbors confirms that she is at Little Bethel, a small local place of worship. Kit goes to retrieve his mother from the chapel. He spots Quilp in the crowd, and—after a brief shouting match with the pastor—leads his mother outside. They pack clothes and other necessities for Nell and her grandfather, and the carriage pulls away, leaving Kit to wonder whether or not Nell even remembers him.
Chapters 38-41 Analysis
It is unclear how the single gentleman came to learn of Kit’s close bond with the Trent family, especially since the gentleman’s own identity still remains unknown to everyone around him. That said, he is able to track down Jerry and his dancing dogs because, as previously noted, he is willing to do the work of searching rather than waiting for clues to fall into his lap. This is why he is much more successful than Quilp—one spies and snoops, which gains him nothing (except the occasional well-deserved thrashing), while the other talks to people openly, engages with them as equals, and engenders trust and frank conversation that leads him to the truth.
One thread in these chapters is how similar Kit and Barbara’s families are. Their mothers are both widows, and both children grew up without their fathers. For Kit, this meant having to learn the responsibilities of an adult man long before he was ready to. The reader does not see much of how Barbara’s fatherlessness affected her childhood, but she clearly is insecure about Kit’s regard for her, especially when he talks fondly of Nell. Barbara reads this as love, or at least an infatuation—in either case, she feels she will never measure up to Nell in beauty or in character.
When Kit learns of the single gentleman’s offer of employment, his frank conversation about it with the Garlands is refreshing. His sense of honor and duty is almost chivalrous, and this attitude carries over into his personal relationships as well as professional ones. He clearly felt the same (or greater) duty toward Nell and her grandfather. He did not want to leave their service, but their departure from London meant that he had to. He still carries a sense of duty and responsibility to Nell and does not comprehend how Barbara could interpret that to be romantic interest, especially since the two do not talk about their obvious interest in one another.
Related Titles
By Charles Dickens
