Text A Father and Daughter

—from Dombey and Son(Chapter 18)

Charles Dickens

[1] It was a wet night; and the melancholy rain fell pattering and dropping with a weary sound.A sluggish wind was blowing, and went moaning round the house, as if it were in pain or grief.A shrill noise quivered through the trees.While she sat weeping, it grew late, and dreary midnight tolled out from the steeples.

[2] Florence was little more than a child in years – not yet fourteen—and the loneliness and gloom of such an hour in the great house where Death had lately made its own tremendous devastation, might have set an older fancy brooding on vague terrors.But her innocent imagination was too full of one theme to admit them.Nothing wandered in her thoughts but love—a wandering love, indeed, and castaway—but turning always to her father.There was nothing in the dropping of the rain, the moaning of the wind, the shuddering of the trees, the striking of the solemn clocks, that shook this one thought, or diminished its interest.Her recollections of the dear dead boy—and they were never absent—were itself, the same thing.And oh, to be shut out: to be so lost: never to have looked into her father’s face or touched him, since that hour!

[3] She could not go to bed, poor child, and never had gone yet, since then, without making her nightly pilgrimage to his door.It would have been a strange sad sight, to see her now, stealing lightly down the stairs through the thick gloom, and stopping at it with a beating heart, and blinded eyes, and hair that fell down loosely and unthought of; and touching it outside with her wet cheek.But the night covered it, and no one knew.

[4] The moment that she touched the door on this night, Florence found that it was open.For the first time it stood open, though by but a hair’s breadth: and there was a light within.The first impulse of the timidchild—and she yielded to it—was to retire swiftly.Her next, to go back, and to enter; and this second impulse held her in irresolution on the staircase.

[5] In its standing open, even by so much as that chink, there seemed to be hope.There was encouragement in seeing a ray of light from within, stealing through the dark stern doorway, and falling in a thread upon the marble floor.She turned back, hardly knowing what she did, but urged on by the love within her, and the trial they had undergone together, but not shared: and with her hands a little raised and trembling, glided in.

[6] Her father sat at his old table in the middle room.He had been arranging some papers, and destroying others, and the latter lay in fragile ruins before him.The rain dripped heavily upon the glass panes in the outer room, where he had so often watched poor Paul, a baby; and the low complainings of the wind were heard without.

[7] But not by him.He sat with his eyes fixed on the table, so immersed in thought, that a far heavier tread than the light foot of his child could make, might have failed to rouse him.His face was turned towards her.By the waning lamp, and at that haggard hour, it looked worn and dejected; and in the utter loneliness surrounding him, there was an appeal to Florence that struck home.

[8] “Papa! Papa! Speak to me, dear Papa!”

[9] He started at her voice, and leaped up from his seat.She was close before him with extended arms, but he fell back.

[10]“What is the matter?”he said, sternly.“Why do you come here? What has frightened you?”

[11]If anything had frightened her, it was the face he turned upon her.The glowing love within the breast of his young daughter froze before it, and she stood and looked at him as if stricken into stone.

[12]There was not one touch of tenderness or pity in it.There was not one gleam of interest, parental recognition, or relenting in it.There was a change in it, but not of that kind.The old indifference and cold constraint had given place to something: what, she never thought and did not dare to think, and yet she felt it in its force, and knew it well without a name: that as it looked upon her, seemed to cast a shadow on her head.

[13]Did he see before him the successful rival of his son, in health and life? Did he look upon his own successful rival in that son’s affection? Did a mad jealousy and withered pride, poison sweet remembrances that should have endeared and made her precious to him? Could it be possible that it was gall to him to look upon her in her beauty and her promise: thinking of his infant boy!

[14]Florence had no such thoughts.But love is quick to know when it is spurned and hopeless: and hope died out of hers, as she stood looking in her father’s face.

[15]“I ask you, Florence, are you frightened? Is there anything the matter, that you come here?”

[16]“I came, Papa—”

[17]“Against my wishes.Why?”

[18]She saw he knew why: it was written broadly on his face: and dropped her head upon her hands with one prolonged low cry.

[19]Let him remember it in that room, years to come.It has faded from the air, before he breaks the silence.It may pass as quickly from his brain, as he believes, but it is there.Let him remember it in that room, years to come!

[20]He took her by the arm.His hand was cold, and loose, and scarcely closed upon her.

[21]“You are tired, I dare say,”he said, taking up the light, and leading her towards the door, “and want rest.We all want rest.Go, Florence.You have been dreaming.”

[22]The dream she had had, was over then, God help her! And she felt that it could never more come back.

[23]“I will remain here to light you up the stairs.The whole house is yours above there,”said her father, slowly.“You are its mistress now.Good-night!”

[24]Still covering her face, she sobbed, and answered “Good-night, dear Papa,”and silently ascended.Once she looked back as if she would have returned to him, but for fear.It was a momentary thought, too hopeless to encourage; and her father stood there with the light—hard, unresponsive, motionless—until the fluttering dress of his fair child was lost in the darkness.

[25]Let him remember it in that room, years to come.The rain that falls upon the roof: the wind that mourns outside the door: may have foreknowledge in their melancholy sound.Let him remember it in that room, years to come!

[26]The last time he had watched her, from the same place, winding up those stairs, she had had her brother in her arms.It did not move his heart towards her now, it steeled it: but he went into his room, and locked his door, and sat down in his chair, and cried for his lost boy.

[27]Diogenes was broad awake upon his post, and waiting for his little mistress.

[28]“Oh, Di! Oh, dear Di! Love me for his sake!”

[29]Diogenes already loved her for her own, and didn’t care how much he showed it.So he made himself vastly ridiculous by performing a variety of uncouth bounces in the ante-chamber, and concluded, when poor Florence was at last asleep, and dreaming of the rosy children opposite, by scratching open her bedroom door: rolling up his bed into a pillow: lying down on the boards, at the full length of his tether , with his head towards her: and looking lazily at her, upside down, out of the tops of his eyes, until from winking and winking he fell asleep himself, and dreamed, with gruff barks, of his enemy.

After You Read

Knowledge Focus

1.Pair work: Discuss the following questions with your partner.

1)What is the setting? How does it help to foreshadow what is going to happen?

2)What happens to the family recently?

3)How does Florence feel after the family loss?

4)Why does Florence make it her ritual to repeat the secret visits to her father’s room at night?

5)Why does Florence hesitate on the staircase when going down from her room?

6)What does it signify to repeatedly emphasize Florence’s eyes as “blinded”?

7)How does Mr.Dombey react to his daughter’s visit?

8)How does Mr.Dombey feel when recalling to see Florence once going up the stairs with Paul in her arms?

9)What might be the reasons for this terrible father-daughter relationship?

10)What do you think about the father and daughter? Are they typical characters in Victorian society?

2.Solo work: Decide whether the following statements are true or false according to what you learned and tell why.

____ 1)On this rainy night, the Dombey family is drowned in pain and grief.

____ 2)Florence is eager to get comfort from her loving father.

____ 3)Florence’s attempt to approach her father with love proves to be rewarding.

____ 4)Mr.Dombey feels jealous of his own daughter.

____ 5)Mr.Dombey is a bit moved by the daughter’s affectionate visit.

____ 6)Florence is asked to go back to her room upstairs because the father is concerned about her health.

____ 7)Mr.Dombey is immersed in his own grief over the loss of her beloved son.

____ 8)Both Florence and Mr.Dombey are in a state of complete isolation.

____ 9)The house across the street where “the rosy children lived” is the embodiment of a happy family to Florence.

____ 10)Florence is an angelic character who is blinded by her unconditional love to her undeserving father’s faults.

Language Focus

1.Fill in the blanks with the following words or expressions you have learned from the text.

sluggish　brood　tread

gleam

relent

spurn

wane　haggard　uncouth　tether

1)He made the most ______ and clumsy gestures of delight.

2)We should ______ at the difficulties but not look down upon them.

3)Her whole face had changed in that instant, becoming almost ______.

4)The pressure on us to finish this task will not ______.

5)Her enthusiasm for him was beginning to ______.

6)There is a ______ of luminous gold, where the sinking western sun has found a first direct interstice in the clouds.

7)Circulation is much more ______ in the feet than in the hands.

8)A policeman walked by with a slow, measured ______.

9)The cow had broken her ______ and was in the cornfield.

10)We would construct alternative scenarios, and ______ about them.

2.Complete the following sentences with the proper forms of the given words.

1)In a condition of emotional______ (devastate), immune function is impaired.

2)Chances of getting the job were slim, so the young man felt ______ (gloom) about the future.

3)It was the shrine to which most ambitious young writers of the era made their______ (pilgrim).

4)She lives in______ (retire), neither making nor receiving visits.

5)He shows an almost childlike ______ (timid) in talking with strangers.

6)Shall we gather strength by ______ (resolute) and inaction?

7)______ (immerse) in another country’s educational system enhances their academic and personal growth.

8)The servants showed somewhat ______ (constrain) in the master’s presence.

9)In a world too often cold and ______ (respond), such notes bring warmth and reassurance.

10)It was only a ______ (moment) glance, full of contempt and dislike.

3.Find the appropriate prepositions that collocate with the neighboring words.

1)It would have been a strange sad sight, to see her now, stealing lightly down the stairs ______ the thick gloom, and stopping at it ______ a beating heart, and blinded eyes, and hair that fell ______ loosely and unthought of.

2)She turned back, hardly knowing what she did, but urged ______ by the love ______ her, and the trial they had undergone together, but not shared.

3)He sat with his eyes fixed ______ the table, so immersed _______ thought.

4)He started ______ her voice, and leaped up ______ his seat.She was close before him with extended arms, but he fell back.

5)The glowing love ______ the breast of his young daughter froze before it, and she stood and looked at him as if stricken ______ stone.

6)She never thought and did not dare to think, and yet she felt it ______ its force, and knew it well without a name: that as it looked upon her, seemed to cast a shadow ______ her head.

7)He took her ______ the arm.His hand was cold, and loose, and scarcely closed ______ her.

8)I will remain here to light you ______ the stairs.The whole house is yours ______ there.

9)The last time he had watched her, from the same place, winding ______ those stairs, she had had her brother ______ her arms.

10)Diogenes was broad awake ______ his post, and waiting ______ his little mistress.

4.Error correction: Each of the following sentences has at least one grammatical error.Identify the errors and correct them.

1)A sluggish wind was blowing, and went moan round the house, as if it was in pain or grief.

2)The moment which she touched the door in this night, Florence found that it was open.

3)The first impulse of the timid child—and she yielded for it—was retire swiftly.

4)By the waning lamp, and in that haggard hour, it looked worn and dejected; and in the utter loneliness surround him, there was an appeal to Florence that struck home.

5)Did a mad jealousy and withering pride, poison sweet remembrances that should endeared and made her precious to him?

Comprehensive Work

1.Pair work: Read the Victorian theories of sex and sexuality in the following passage.Then summarize the arguments in it and analyze them critically with your partner.

What exactly differentiated men from women and why the species evolved into the two sexes, then, unsurprisingly confounded Victorian theorists such as Herbert Spencer and Patrick Geddes.Thus, they and other specialists constructed a stereotypical dyadic model.Other than the different sex organs and physical differences, men were considered the active agents, who expended energy while women were sedentary, storing and conserving energy.Victorian theories of evolution believed that these feminine and masculine attributes traced back to the lowest forms of life.A dichotomy of temperaments defined feminine and masculine: an anabolic nature which nurtured versus a katabolic nature which released energy respectively.

Such beliefs laid the groundwork for, or rather arose from, the separation of spheres for men and women.According to the model, since men only concerned themselves with fertilization, they could also spend energies in other arenas, allowing as Spencer says “the male capacity for abstract reason...along with an attachment to the idea of abstract justice...[which]was a sign of highly-evolved life.”On the other hand, woman’s heavy role in pregnancy, menstruation (considered a time of illness, debilitation, and temporary insanity), and child-rearing left very little energy left for other pursuits.As a result, women’s position in society came from biological evolution—she had to stay at home in order to conserve her energy, while the man could and needed to go out and hunt or forage.

Moreover, this evolutionary reasoning provided justification for the emotional and mental differences between men and women.Conway shows how the logic led Geddes to believe that: “Male intelligence was greater than female, men had greater independence and courage than women, and men were able to expend energy in sustained bursts of physical or cerebral activity...Women on the other hand...were superior to men in constancy of affection and sympathetic imagination...[they had]‘greater patience, more open-mindedness, greater appreciation of subtle details, and consequently what we call more rapid intuition.’”

2.Group work: Tips for a harmonious family.

Family is the nucleus of the society.It is the vital life nerve of every living.Consumerism and commercialism of the modern globalized world have corroded the very vital organs of social life.Families that once looked sturdy are being swept off their foundations, their structures being ripped to shreds...Is there any hope of survival for the modern family?

Discuss in groups of three or four the following tips to build a harmonious family and try to give more tips if you can.

1) Respect each other.

2) Treat each other as an individual.

3) Establish consistent family rules.

4) Communicate effectively.

...

3.Solo work: Writing activity.

Recall your most unforgettable experience with one of your parents and think how it changed your view about your parent.Then write about this experience and the lesson you learned from it in an essay titled “My Father/Mother and I”.

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