Our Mutual Friend

Both Bella and Eugene undergo redemption arcs. Compare and contrast their journeys as characters. What does each learn, and how do their stories play off of one another’s?

What is the overall tone of Our Mutual Friend? What stylistic choices contribute to this effect, and why is it important in conveying the novel’s meaning?

Literacy plays an important role in the novel (Silas reading to Boffin, Lizzie and Jenny learning to read, etc.). What is the novel’s message about education?

Consider the decision to reveal “Rokesmith’s” identity midway through the novel. Why does Dickens choose to do so here? How does it impact the narrative going forward?

Mortimer often plays the role of storyteller in social gatherings. What is the significance of this? What is his overall role in the novel?

Dickens is famous for creating memorable and evocative character names. Choose two or three secondary characters and analyze the significance of their names.

The Boffins spend much of the novel as the wealthiest characters, yet they are never treated as anything other than working class. How does their treatment reveal the difference between wealth and social class?

Headstone is often associated with the color red (his nosebleed, his handkerchief, etc.). How does this motif develop his character?