The Old Curiosity Shop

The proprietor of the titular Curiosity Shop, Nell’s grandfather carries with him a lifetime of loss and heartache, from his brother leaving him in their youth to his daughter dying young just like his wife did. He raised their daughter alone from infancy, and even though he saw her husband’s shortcomings and recklessness with money, he gave him the benefit of the doubt. Consequently, the husband misused the family’s money and landed them in desperate poverty. After both Nell’s parents died, the grandfather raised her from infancy, along with her older brother Fred.

Nell reminded the grandfather of her mother and of his wife, and through her their memory lived on. Fred, however, turned out to be like his father, and his financial irresponsibility once again landed the family in poverty, so the grandfather shunned him. However, the grandfather displays his own fair share of irresponsibility with money. He depletes the little money Nell’s parents left behind, becomes addicted to gambling, and falls deep in debt to Quilp. In trying to save Nell from her mother’s misfortunes, he leads her right into them, and this irony lends his character an element of tragedy. That the grandfather owns an antique shop is quite telling—he holds on tightly to the past, but all his efforts to avoid it led him directly to repeating it.

Though the grandfather’s primary concern is money, he is not actively malicious like Quilp or Fred. Rather, his greed feeds on his love for Nell, driving him to a gambling addiction and causing a complete mental break when he thinks Kit revealed his secret. The most tragic aspect of all is that even when he was mentally present, he never saw (or he refused to see) his role in their hardships. He readily points the finger of blame at others (Kit, Quilp, Nell’s father, etc.) but takes no responsibility of his own.

Kit initially serves as the Trents’ servant, and his dedication to Nell is apparent from the start. When her grandfather goes out at night to gamble, Kit keeps a watchful eye over the shop, often not leaving until he is sure Nell is safe in bed. His sense of duty is the strongest out of all other characters in the novel (except Nell). Even after being dismissed from the Trents’ household, he still speaks kindly of them, praising Nell and her unwavering goodness. Having to grow up without a father around no doubt made Kit mature beyond his age, as his integrity and sense of responsibility exceed that of some adult characters in the novel.

Although his mother jokingly characterizes his attachment to Nell as romantic, Kit’s devotion is akin to what he feels for his mother, younger brothers, and his later employers, the Garlands. Kit even turns down a job offer from the single gentleman, which illustrates his sense of duty even more clearly: He would rather stay in a lower-paying job with people he cares for than work for a complete stranger, no matter the wage. His unwavering faith and loyalty inspire respect from everyone except Mr. Quilp, who sees these values as obstacles blocking his schemes.

At first, Dick seems little more than a somewhat comedic tag-along to Fred Trent and Daniel Quilp’s schemes. He owes money to many different shops and eateries, and he seems to be headed down the same path as Fred and Quilp. However, his last name hints at his malleability, and once Quilp occupies himself with torturing Kit and his family, Dick does in fact “turn” towards the good. His over-the-top theatrical behavior makes the Marchioness uncomfortable, so he changes his behavior to make her feel more at ease, which suggests that his prior persona was just a front to keep a distance between himself and others. Once he starts to let the Marchioness in, the reader sees more behavioral changes indicative of his true nature.

These actions pay off when Swiveller begins working to restore Kit’s good name and free him from prison. The Marchioness repays his kindness to her with her testimony, helping him accomplish his goals and rewarding him for his virtue. He also uses his inheritance to secure the Marchioness’s future, lifting her out of poverty and giving her a truly comfortable life. His actions are a fully realized version of what Nell’s grandfather hoped to accomplish for her. The main difference is that Dick had the means to live out of poverty before he received his inheritance, whereas the Trents never seemed able to escape their debts.

Arguably one of Dickens’s most iconic villains, Daniel Quilp lives in the grimy center of London in a neighborhood characterized by industrialization and personal and commercial greed. Quilp is abusive and cruel to his wife, his mother-in-law, his so-called “friends,” and even to animals. He asserts himself through violence and uses psychological and emotional manipulation to maintain his power in his relationships with other characters. Being a little person, he stands out as “other,” and this difference supports his status as the novel’s villain; he is the constant outsider working against the protagonists. He thus embodies the popular Victorian prejudice linking moral goodness to outward appearance.

Quilp’s death is ruled as a suicide even though his drowning was accidental. When he is buried, he is buried at a crossroads with a stake in his heart. This burial practice was common for suicides or executed criminals; since the manner of death excluded them from being buried on consecrated ground, a cross in the road was deemed the next best thing. The stake through the heart stems from a superstition that suicides were more likely to return from the dead and haunt the living; the stake prevented their rising again.