《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 wú lùn cóng xíng shì fāng miàn hái shì cóng nèi róng fāng miàn 'ér lùn， dōuzài dí gèng sī de zuò pǐn zhōng zhàn jù tè bié zhòng yào de dì wèi， tā tū pò liǎo zǎo qī zuò pǐn zhōng liú làng hàn tǐ（ thepicaresque） de yǐng xiǎng， jǐn jǐn wéi rào yī gè zhōng xīn rén wù、 yī gè zhù dǎo guān niàn lái zhǎn kāi gù shì， zài dí gèng sī de xiǎo shuō zhōng shì dì yī bù jié gòu yán jǐn de dài biǎo zuò。 zuò zhě zài xù yán、 shū xìn zhōng duō cì tí dào， zài xiě《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 shí， tā shí kè zhù yì “ kòu jǐn gāi shū de yī bān mùdì yǔ shè jì， bìng yǐ cǐ yán gé shù fù zì jǐ ”。《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 xíng shì shàng de xīn tè diǎn shì gēn nèi róng fāng miàn de fā zhǎn xiāng lián xì de。 zài zhè yǐ qián， dí gèng sī zài xiǎo shuō zhōng céng pēng jī liǎo fù zhài rén jiān yù、 xīn de jì pín fǎ、 dì fāng shàng de suǒ wèi cí shàn shì yè yǐ jí dà chéng shì dǐ céng de zuì 'è yǔ hēi 'àn， duō duō shàoshào bǎ tā men dāng zuò gū lì de xiàn xiàng。《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 què shì tú zài gèng yán jǐn de xíng shì zhōng yǐ xiàn dài chéng shì wéi bèi jǐng， tōng guò yī gè zī chǎn zhě de diǎn xíng xíng xiàng biǎo dá chū duì zī běn zhù yì shè huì de zǒng tǐ guān， ér bù fù zài gè bié shè huì bì bìng shàng zuò wén zhāng。 dāng rán， zhè bìng bù yī dìng yì wèi zhe zuò zhě de xiǎo shuō yì shù xiàng zhe gèng gāo jí jiē duàn fā zhǎn héng héng jié gòu de yán jǐn zài měi xué shàng bù yī dìng bǐ liú làng hàn tǐ xiǎo shuō de sōng sàn gèng yōu yuè， tā men kě yǐ gè yòu gè zì de měi， dàn wú lùn rú hé，《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 dài biǎo liǎo zuò zhě sī xiǎng de shēn huà， biǎo xiàn liǎo tā duì shè huì wèn tí de jìn yī bù sī kǎo。
　　　　 yīng guó 19 shì jì xiǎo shuō zhuān jiā kǎi sè lín · dì luò xùn zài tā de xué shù míng zhù《 19 shì jì 40 nián dài de xiǎo shuō》 yī shū zhōng bǎ《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 liè wéi 40 nián dài de dài biǎo zuò bù shì 'ǒu rán de。《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 jù yòu xiān míng de shí dài tè sè： zuò zhě zài zhè lǐ biǎo xiàn yī gè xīn shí dài héng héng 40 nián dài gōng yè fā dá de yīng guó shè huì。 xiǎo shuō zhōng de lún dūn shì yī gè jīn róng hé shāng yè zhōng xīn、 yī gè dà gǎng kǒu， yòu shì shàng liú shè huì shè jiāo zhōng xīn。 dǒng bèi jiù shì chù zài zhè yàng shēng huó xuán wō zhōng de jù shāng。《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 yòng bù shǎo piān fú miáo xiě yī gè pò luò de háng hǎi yí qì shāng suǒ luó mén · jí 'ěr sī； tā de xiǎo diàn pū lǐ bǎi zhe xiē guò shí de yí qì， cóng lái méi yòu rén guāng gù， chú fēi shì jìn lái wèn lù huò duì huàn líng qián。 jí 'ěr sī bēi tàn dào：“ jìng zhēng、 bù tíng de jìng zhēng héng héng xīn fā míng、 céng chū bù qióng de xīn fā míng …… shì jiè bǎ wǒ pāo zài hòu biān liǎo”。 shí dài de luò wǔ zhě suǒ luó mén · jí 'ěr sī hé tā de xiǎo diàn pū zài xiǎo shuō zhōng yǔ dǒng bèi xiān shēng hé tā de dà gōng sī xíng chéng duì bǐ， yù jiā tū chū liǎo《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 nèi róng tí cái de shí dài tè sè。
　　　　 dí gèng sī jiù shì zài zhè yàng yī zhǒng bèi jǐng shàng sù zào liǎo yī gè zī chǎn zhě de diǎn xíng xíng xiàng。 guān yú《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 de chuàng zuò yì tú， dí gèng sī céng shuō， zài zhè lǐ tā yào chǔlǐ de shì“ ào màn” wèn tí， zhèng rú qián yī bù xiǎo shuō《 mǎ dīng · chái zé 'ěr wéi chí》 lǐ yào zhe zhòng miáo xiě“ zì sī zì lì”。 díquè， zài dǒng bèi xíng xiàng de sù zào shàng， zuò zhě shì cóng 'ào màn rù shǒu de。 xiǎo shuō yī kāi shǐ jiù xiě dào， zài dǒng bèi xiān shēng kàn lái，“ shì jiè shì wèile dǒng bèi fù zǐ jīng shāng 'ér chuàng zào de， tài yáng hé yuè liàng shì wéi liǎo gěi tā men guāng liàng 'ér chuàng zào de。 hé chuān hé hǎi yáng shì wéi liǎo ràng tā men háng chuán 'ér gòu chéng de； hóng ní shǐ tā men yòu féng dào hǎo tiān qì de xī wàng； fēng de shùn nì yǐng xiǎng tā men shí yè de chéng bài； xīng chén zài tā men de guǐ dào nèi yùn xíng， bǎo chí yǐ tā men wéi zhōng xīn de yī zhǒng bù néng qīn fàn de xì tǒng”。 dǒng bèi gōng sī chēng bà sì hǎi， zài dāng shí de zī běn zhù yì jīng jì tǐ xì zhōng jū yú zhōng xīn dì wèi， yú shì dǒng bèi xiān shēng jiù zì rèn shì shì jiè de zhōng xīn， tā de 'ào màn yóu cǐ 'ér lái。 tā de 'ào màn bù shì yóu yú zuò wéi yī gè rén yòu rèn hé yōu yuè yú tā rén de dì fāng， ér shì yóu yú tā de gōng sī de dì wèi、 tā de zī běn lì liàng。 zài dǒng bèi de xíng xiàng zhōng， dí gèng sī bù bǎ wèn tí jú xiàn yú yī bān de zì sī tān lán， shì shí shàng zài sī dé fāng miàn， dǒng bèi jī běn shàng shì 'ēn gé sī shuō de nà zhǒng“ jù yòu gè zhǒng sī dé de kě jìng rén wù”。 zhèng rú xī fāng mǎ kè sī zhù yì zhě A·T· jié kè xùn suǒ zhǐ chū de，“ dǒng bèi de 'ào màn shì tā zuò wéi yī jiā dà gōng sī de tóu mùdì dì wèi dài gěi tā de pǐn zhì”。 yīn cǐ， ào màn zhǐ shì qí biǎo， ér gēn běn wèn tí zài yú dǒng bèi zuò wéi rén， yǔ zī běn tóng yī liǎo。 tā shī qù liǎo rén de běn zhì， zhǐ shì zī běn de huà shēn， yì rú mǒu xiē xī fāng píng lùn suǒ shuō de， shì“ 19 shì jì qǐ yè jīng shén” de xiàng zhēng，“ yī zhǒng zhì dù、 jìng zhēng xīn lǐ hé lěng kù wú qíng” de diǎn fàn。《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 yǐ liánzǎi xíng shì wèn shì yǐ hòu， dāng shí biàn yòu píng lùn zhǐ chū：“ miáo huì dǒng bèi zhè lèi de rén wù jiǎn zhí shì dāng wù zhī jí héng héng lún dūn de shì jiè lǐ chōng mǎn liǎo lěng mò de、 zhuāng mó zuò yàng de、 jiāng yìng de、 xuàn yào jīn qián de rén wù， xiǎng fǎ gēn dǒng bèi yī mó yī yàng……” kě jiàn dǒng bèi de xíng xiàng zài dāng shí de yīng guó shè huì shì jù yòu dài biǎo xìng de。
　　　　 shǒu xiān dí gèng sī qiáng diào liǎo dǒng bèi zuò wéi yī gè zī chǎn zhě de fēi rén xìng。 tā bǎ gǎn qíng wán quán pái chú zài zì jǐ de shì yě zhī wài：“ dǒng bèi fù zǐ yī xiàng gēn pí huò dǎ jiāo dào， ér bù gēn gǎn qíng dǎ jiāo dào”。 shí jì shàng《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 hěn shǎo shè jí jù tǐ de shāng yè huó dòng， tā qí shí shì yī bù yǐ jiā tíng shēng huó wéi tí cái de xiǎo shuō， tōng guò jiā tíng guān xì， biǎo xiàn liǎo zuò wéi zhàng fū、 zuò wéi fù qīn de dǒng bèi， wéi qí rú cǐ， gèng jiā hōng tuō liǎo tā de lěng kù wú qíng。
　　 dǒng bèi fù zǐ - jù qíng
　　
　　　《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 yòu liǎng chù miáo xiě liǎo dǒng bèi xiān shēng jìng rán liú lù liǎo yī zhǒng tiān rán gǎn qíng。 dì yī cì shì zài tā tài tài shēng liǎo nán hái zhī hòu， tā dào wò shì qù kàn wàng，“ duì dǒng bèi tài tài jū rán yě jiā shàng liǎo yī gè qīn mì de chēng hū（ suī rán bù shì méi yòu yī xiē yóu yù， yīn wéi tā bì jìng shì yī gè bù guàn yú jiào chū nà zhǒng chēng hū de rén）， jiào dào： ‘ dǒng bèi tài tài， wǒ de héng héng wǒ de qīn 'ài de ’。” zài tā men fū qī zhī jiān zhè yī chēng hū shì nà yàng shēng shū， yǐ zhì“ nà wèi shēng bìng de tài tài tái qǐ yǎn jīng cháo tā wàng qù de shí hòu， dùn shí jiān liǎn shàng zhǎng mǎn liǎo wēi gǎn jīng yà de hóng yùn”。 qí shí jí shǐ zhè yī cì nán dé de gǎn qíng liú lù， yě bù shì yǔ gōng sī wú guān de。 dǒng bèi xiān shēng xiǎng dào zì jǐ dé liǎo 'ér zǐ， cóng cǐ yǐ hòu“ zán men de gōng sī， bù dàn míng yì shàng， ér qiě shì shí shàng， yòu gāi jiào zuò‘ dǒng bèi fù zǐ’ lā， dǒng héng héng bèi fù zǐ！” tā shì zài pǐn cháng zhè jǐ gè zì de tián měi zī wèi shí qíng bù zì jìn dì jiào liǎo yī shēng“ wǒ de qīn 'ài de”！ cóng tā de nèi xīn gǎn qíng lái shuō， wǒ men wú cóng pàn duàn zhè“ qīn 'ài de” shì zhǐ tā de tài tài hái shì gèng duō zhǐ tā de gōng sī。 tóng yàng， zài《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 yī shū zhōng wǒ men shǐ zhōng wú fǎ pàn duàn zhè“ dǒng bèi fù zǐ” shì zhǐ gōng sī hái shì zhǐ zhè yé 'ér liǎ de guān xì。 zhè zhǒng yòu yì wú yì de hán hùn zì rán shì yì wèi shēn cháng de。
　　　　 dǒng bèi xiān shēng dì 'èr cì gǎn qíng liú lù shì zài kàn zhe gāng chū shēng de 'ér zǐ shí， tā xiǎng dào“ tā dé chéng jiù yī fān mìng zhōng zhù dìng de shì yè nǎ。 mìng zhōng zhù dìng de shì yè， xiǎo jiā huǒ！” jiē zhe“ bǎ hái zǐ de yī zhǐ shǒu jǔ dào zì jǐ de zuǐ chún shàng wěn liǎo yī xià， rán hòu， hǎo xiàng shēn pà zhè zhǒng jǔ dòng yòu sǔn tā de zūn yán shìde， tā fēi cháng bù zì rán dì zǒu kāi liǎo”。 zǒng zhī， jiù shì zhè liǎng cì bù kě duō dé de gǎn qíng liú lù， dǒng bèi xiān shēng yě gǎn dào“ yóu yù”，“ bù xí guàn”，“ yòu sǔn zūn yán”， zǒng zhī shì“ bù zì rán”， jí bù hé hū tā nà“ zī běn huà” liǎo de běn xìng。
　　　　 zài duì dǒng bèi de miáo xiě zhōng， zuò zhě bǎ tā bǐ zuò“ diāo xiàng”、“ mù tóu rén”，“ quán shēn zhí tǐng tǐng de bù huì dǎ wān”， huò shì“ guā dé guāng guāng、 jiǎn cái zhěng qí de kuò shēn shì， guāng liù lì suǒ， xiàng gāng yìn chū lái de chāo piào”。 zuò zhě yòng yī xì liè bīng、 shuāng、 xuě zhī lèi de xíng xiàng lái xuàn rǎn dǒng bèi de tè diǎn， tā de zhù zhái yīn lěng， tā de bàn gōng shì qī liáng。 zài bǎo luó shòu xǐ lǐ de nà yī tiān， bù jǐn jiào táng lǐ hán qì bī rén， ér qiě zài dǒng bèi suí hòu jǔ xíng de yàn huì shàng bǎi zhe de shí wù dōushì bīng lěng de， yǔ xí shàng de zhěng gè qì fēn yī zhì， zuò zhě hái shuō， zuò zài shǒu xí shàng de dǒng bèi běn rén yóu rú yī gè“ bīng dòng shēn shì” de biāo běn。 zǒng zhī， zuò zhě tōng guò kuā zhāng de xì jié miáo xiě， bǎ dǒng bèi zhì yú yī céng céng bīng shuāng de bāo guǒ zhī zhōng， bǎ tā miáo xiě chéng yī wèi shí zú de méi yòu rén xìng de lěng xuè dòng wù。
　　　　 zhèng rú 'ēn gé sī suǒ shuō de， zī chǎn jiē jí“ chú liǎo kuài kuài fā cái yǐ wài， bù zhī dào shì jiè shàng hái yòu bié de kuài lè” yī yàng， jì chéng rén yì wèi zhe zī běn de yán xù， yě jiù shì zī chǎn jiē jí lǐ xiǎng zhōng tōng xiàng“ yǒng héng” yǔ“ bù xiǔ” de wéi yī dào lù， běn zhì shàng hái shì fā cái de kuài lè。《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 yī shū de zhù xiàn hé zǒng de shè jì dōushì wéi rào zhe dǒng bèi xiān shēng wéi zì jǐ， yě shì wéi gōng sī， xún zhǎo jì chéng rén de gù shì。 rú guǒ 'àn 19 shì jì xiǎo shuō zhuān jiā shǐ dì fēn · mǎ kē sī de huàfēn， bǎ zuò pǐn huàfēn chéng sì gè bù fēn， nà me kě yǐ kàn chū， dì yī bù fēn yǐ jì chéng rén xiǎo bǎo luó de dàn shēng kāi shǐ， yǐ tā de sǐ wáng gào zhōng； dì 'èr bù fēn miáo xiě liǎo dǒng bèi xiān shēng de bēi tòng yǐ jí tā de dì 'èr cì jié hūn， yì jí zài cì yào dé dào jì chéng rén； dì sān bù fēn biǎo xiàn liǎo dǒng bèi xiān shēng hūn hòu fū qī bù mù， zhōng yú dǎo zhì tā de fū rén sī bēn； dì sì bù fēn miáo xiě liǎo dǒng bèi xiān shēng jīng shén wǎ jiě、 qǐ yè dǎo bì， zuì hòu bèi tā gǎn chū jiā mén de nǚ 'ér fú luò lún sī yòng zì jǐ de 'ài gěi tā yǐ 'ān wèi hé lì liàng， shǐ lǎo nián de dǒng bèi zài shī qù zī běn、 shī qù jì chéng rén zhī hòu huī fù liǎo zì jǐ de rén xìng。 ér jù yòu fěng cì yì wèi de shì，“ suǒ wèi dǒng bèi fù zǐ”， rú shū zhōng yī gè rén wù shuō de“ guī gēn jié dì shì dǒng bèi fù nǚ”！ dàn kāi shǐ shí， dǒng bèi xiān shēng nǎ lǐ néng cāi dào děng dài tā de mìng yùn！ tā bǎ zì jǐ de gǎn qíng quán bù qīng zhù zài gōng sī de jì chéng rén、 gāng gāng dàn shēng de 'ér zǐ shēn shàng， zhì yú nǚ 'ér， jì rán bù shì jì chéng rén， duì dǒng bèi gōng sī méi yòu yì yì， duì tā běn rén yě jiù méi yòu yì yì， xiāng dāng yú“ bù néng tóu zī de yī kuài liè bì”。 qí shí， jiù shì duì yú tā de 'ér zǐ xiǎo bǎo luó， dǒng bèi xiān shēng yě zhǐ néng yǐ zì jǐ de fāng shì qù 'ài。 zhè shì yī zhǒng yì huà liǎo de gǎn qíng。 tā zhǐ bǎ bǎo luó dāng zuò jì chéng rén lái duì dài， dāng zuò“ dǒng bèi fù zǐ gōng sī” zhōng de“ zǐ” ér bù shì zuò wéi yī gè yòu dú lì shēng cún quán lì de rén、 yī gè yòu quán guò kuài yuètóng nián de 'ér tóng。 dǒng bèi bǎ bǎo luó cóng jiàng shēng dào chéng rén de shí qī dū kàn zuò shì nán 'áo de guò dù shí qī，“ tā jí yú jìn rù wèi lái， hèn bù dé kuài diǎn dǎ fā diào zhè zhōng jiān de shí guāng”。 dǒng bèi duì 'ér zǐ de gǎn qíng shì nà yàng de dú zhàn， tā bù xìn rèn nǎi niàn bō lì · tú dé 'ěr， shēng pà 'ér zǐ huì duì tā yòu gǎn qíng， cóng 'ér shòu dào“ xià děng rén” de zhān rǎn， hòu lái dǒng bèi hái shì yīn wéi tā shàn zì bǎ bǎo luó dài huí jiā 'ér bǎ zhè gè hǎo xīn de nǚ rén dǎ fā diào， zhì shǐ yīng 'ér tū rán duàn nǎi， cóng cǐ tǐ ruò duō bìng。 dǒng bèi xiān shēng“ wàng zǐ chéng lóng” xīnqiè， tā bǎ yòu xiǎo de bǎo luó sòng wǎng bù lín bó bó shì xué yuàn。 zhè shì yī zuò yǐ tiánsāi sǐ zhī shí zhù chēng de zhù sù xué xiào。 zài nà lǐ， hái zǐ men bái tiān bèi bī dé bèi sòng tiān shū yī yàng de gǔ dài diǎn jí， wǎn shàng zuò mèng dōushuō xī là wén！“ nà shì yī zuò dà nuǎn fáng， yī jià bù tíng dì yí dòng de bá miáo zhùzhǎng de jī qì， suǒ yòu de hái zǐ dū tí qián‘ kāi huā’， dàn shì bù zú sān gè lǐ bài jiù kū wěi diāo xiè”。 zài nà lǐ， kě lián de xiǎo bǎo luó de tóu nǎo bèi sài mǎn liǎo yī dà duī xī là luó mǎ de gǔ dǒng， tā kū zhe shuō，“ wǒ yào dāng 'ér tóng”， kě nà zài dǒng bèi péi yǎng jì chéng rén de jìhuà lǐ shì bù yǔn xǔ de。 bǎo luó zài zhè xiē cuī huà jì de zuò yòng xià jīng shén bèi shòu cuī cán， bù jiǔ yǐ hòu biàn sǐ qù。 jù yòu fěng cì yì wèi de shì， cóng jiě gù nǎi niàn dào tí qián sòng jìn xué xiào de zhěng gè guò chéng lái kàn， bù shì bié rén， zhèng shì dǒng bèi xiān shēng zì jǐ yī shǒu cù chéng liǎo 'ér zǐ de sǐ wáng。 tā wán quán 'àn zhào zì jǐ xìng gé de luó ji， àn zhào tā de“ yì huà” liǎo de gǎn qíng xíng shì， bù kě néng yòu qí tā zuò fǎ。 zhè bù néng bù shuō shì dǒng bèi de bēi jù。 zhí dé zhù yì de hái yòu， dǒng bèi bù jǐn zài 'ér zǐ huó zhe de shí hòu duì 'ér zǐ de gǎn qíng shì“ yì huà” de， ér qiě zài 'ér zǐ sǐ wáng yǐ hòu， tā de fǎn yìng yě shì“ yì huà” de， nà yǔ qí shuō shì shī qù qīn gǔ ròu de qièfū zhī tòng， dǎo gèng xiàng shì tā de“ zì wǒ” shòu dào dǎ jī、 ào màn shòu dào cuò zhé 'ér yǐn qǐ de tòng kǔ。 dāng lǎo nǎi niàn tú dé 'ěr de zhàng fū xiàng dǒng bèi biǎo shì 'āi dào shí， dǒng bèi bù jǐn bùwèi zhī gǎn dòng， fǎn 'ér yīn wéi bù xiāng gān de rén（ yǔ gōng sī bù xiāng gān） wàng xiǎng fēn dān tā de tòng kǔ 'ér gǎn dào qì fèn， hǎo xiàng zì jǐ shòu liǎo wū rǔ。 zhè bù shì bèi zī běn“ yì huà” liǎo de gǎn qíng yòu shì shénme ní？
　　　　 duì dǒng bèi lái shuō， gèng kě bēi de shì， yóu yú tā de gǔ bǎn、 lěng mò、 méi yòu rén qíng wèi， tā de 'ér zǐ yǔ tā gǎn qíng shū yuǎn 'ér zhōng xīn xǐ 'ài nà xiē dǒng bèi suǒ yàn 'è、 bǐ shì de rén héng héng jiě jiě fú luò lún sī、 nǎi niàn bō lì · tú dé 'ěr， hái yòu gōng sī lǐ de xiǎo gù yuán wò 'ěr tè · gài yī， zài zì jǐ yòu xiǎo shēng mìng de zuì hòu shí kè duì tā men liàn liàn bùshě 'ér bǎ zì jǐ de fù qīn pái chú zài wài。 zài sī xiǎng shàng fù zǐ 'èr rén gèng shì gé gé bù rù； dǒng bèi shì nà yàng jíqiè pàn wàng 'ér zǐ chéngzhǎng wéi jīng míng de shēng yì rén， ér yòu xiǎo de bǎo luó què wèn“ qián néng gànshénme？”， dāng fù qīn shuō qián kě yǐ bàn dào yī qiē， tā bìng bù xìn fú， shuō“ tā bù néng jiù huó wǒ mā mā”。“ tā bù shì cán kù de má？” dí gèng sī tōng guò 'ér tóng de yǎn guāng pī pàn liǎo dǒng bèi suǒ dài biǎo de jià zhí guān。
　　　　 bǎo luó suī rán nián jì yòu xiǎo， què zǒng xiàng shì shēng huó zài yī gè bǐ 'àn shì jiè， tā“ kě yǐ zài hú qiáng zhǐ shàng kàn chū wēi xíng de lǎo hǔ hé shī zǐ…… kàn jiàn yī xiē rén yǐng chòngzhe dì bǎn shàng de fāng kuài hé lēng xíng tú 'àn zuò guài liǎn， ér bié rén què shénme yě kàn bù jiàn”。 tā xiàng gè lǎo rén shìde cháng shí jiān zuò zài hǎi biān shàng， miàn duì zhe yī piàn tiān shuǐ máng máng chén sī bù yǔ。 tā nà mèn“ tā méi jié méi wán dì shuō xiē shénme yā？” héng héng“ wǒ zhī dào tā men yī zhí shì zài shuō xiē shénme de。 shuō de zǒng shì tóng yàng de shì qíng。 nà 'ér shì shénme dì fāng yā？” tā rèqiè dì níng wàng nà tiān shuǐ zhī jì， zài dà hǎi de xuān téng zhōng， tīng dào liǎo shí jiān lǎo rén de zhào huàn， gǎn dào liǎo sǐ wáng de yù zhào， zuì hòu zài hǎi tāo shēng zhōng tā 'ān rán yǔ shì cháng cí……。 kě yǐ shuō， xiǎo bǎo luó zài rèn hé yì yì shàng yě bù shì dǒng bèi de jì chéng rén。《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 de dì yī bù fēn， yě shì zuì jīng cǎi bù fēn， biàn yǐ dǒng bèi zài péi yù jì chéng rén fāng miàn de chè dǐ shī bài 'ér gào zhōng。《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 zuì chū liánzǎi fā biǎo shí， bǎo luó · luó bèi yāo wáng de yī zhāng zài dāng shí dú zhě zhōng yǐn qǐ qiáng liè fǎn xiǎng，“ jǔ guó shàng xià， gòng tóng 'āi dào”， jǐn cì yú“ zì jǐ jiā lǐ bàn sāngshì”。 dāng shí xǔ duō rén， bāo kuò zhèng jiè wén huà jiè zhù míng rén wù dū háo bù yǐn huì zì jǐ wéi xiǎo bǎo luó de sǐ 'ér tòng kū liú tì。 zhè dāng rán yǔ dāng shí shèng xíng de gǎn shāng zhù yì yuè dú qù wèi fēn bù kāi。 xiǎo bǎo luó de sǐ， yǔ《 lǎo gǔ wán diàn》 zhōng xiǎo nài 'ér de sǐ yī yàng， dōushì 19 shì jì xiǎo shuō zhōng gōng rèn de gǎn shāng zhù yì de diǎn fàn。 dàn shì， bù kě fǒu rèn， bǎo luó zhī sǐ de zhù míng piān zhāng chōng mǎn liǎo jīng yíng de shī yì héng héng“ xiǎo chuán zài bō shàng de piāo dàng yǐ jīng yǐn dé tā yào qù 'ān mián liǎo。 hé 'àn duō me cōng cuì， cháng zài hé 'àn shàng de huā cǎo duō me míng yàn， nà lú wěi yòu shì duō me tíng tíng niǎo niǎo！ zhè shí xiǎo chuán yǐ jīng shǐ dào hǎi lǐ， kě shì hái zài píng jìng dì xiàng qián huá qù”。 xiǎo bǎo luó qù liǎo， hǎo xiàng dé dào liǎo tā de tiān rán guī sù。 tā bù shǔ yú gōng sī， gèng yuǎn lí“ huò bì、 tōng huò、 chāo piào、 wài huì shuài” suǒ gòu chéng de nà gè tā mìng zhōng yào chéng jiù de“ shì yè”。 zài nà gè zī zī míng lì de fú huá shì jiè shàng， bǎo luó de sǐ xiǎn chū liǎo chāo chén bá sú de guāng cǎi， zài mò mò wú yán zhī zhōng duì yǐ“ dǒng bèi fù zǐ gōng sī” wéi dài biǎo de jīn qián lì yù zuò chū liǎo zuì yòu lì de pī pàn。
　　　　 jīng guò dì yī gè dǎ jī， dǒng bèi bìng méi yòu zǒng jié jiào xùn、 dá dào zì wǒ rèn shí。 bù jiǔ yǐ hòu， tā yòu chǔxīn jī lǜ dì wéi dé dào jì chéng rén 'ér shè fǎ。 tā gēn nián qīng měi mào de guǎ fù yī dí sī · gé lán jié jié hūn liǎo。 zhè chún cuì shì yī bǐ jiāo yì， dǒng bèi jiù xiàng zài luó mǎ shì shàng xiàngmǎ sì dì guān chá yī dí sī de cái huá yǔ jiào yǎng， zuì hòu jué dìng mǎi xià。 yī dí sī fèn rán duì tā mǔ qīn shuō“ shí nián yǐ lái， nú lì shì chǎng shàng de nú lì hé jí shì shàng de mǎdōu méi yòu xiàng wǒ zhè yàng bèi zhǎn lǎn chū shòu， xuàn yào gěi kàn kè。” zài zhè dì 'èr cì hūn yīn zhōng， dǒng bèi yòu shī bài liǎo。 zài yī dí sī shēn shàng， tā pèng dào liǎo duì shǒu， gēn tā yī yàng 'ào màn， gēn tā yī yàng qiáng yìng。 liǎng xià lǐ chōng tū de jiēguǒ， yī dí sī wéi bào fù zhàng fū 'ér yǔ gōng sī de jīng lǐ kǎ kè sī bēn， zào chéng liǎo lún dūn shàng liú shè huì de tóu hào chǒu wén。 cǐ wài， dǒng bèi gāng bì zì yòng， zài kǎ kè de zòng yǒng xià tóu zī bù dāng， zài jiā tíng wēi jī de tóng shí， tā de shāng chuán“ zǐ sì” hào zài hǎi shàng yùnàn， tā de gōng sī dǎo bì， tā běn rén xuān gào pò chǎn。 xī rì fù lì táng huáng de zhái dì bèi zhài jǐn rén bō dé yī gān 'èr jìng， lián lǎo shǔ dōubù yuàn dòu liú， zhǐ shèng xià yī gè dǒng bèi xiàng gè yōu líng sì dì zài kōng lóu zhōng yóu dàng。 zài tā jǔ dāo zì shā de nà yī chà nà， nǚ 'ér fú luò lún sī gǎn dào tā gēn qián， yòng zì jǐ de 'ài gǎn huà liǎo tā， shǐ dǒng bèi zhōng yú rèn shí dào， zì jǐ shì yòu zuì de，“ xū yào dé dào kuān shù”。 dǒng bèi nà wéi bèi tiān lǐ rén xìng de 'ào màn bèi fú luò lún sī de 'ài kè fú liǎo。 zài lǎo nián， tā zhōng yú kāi shǐ guò shàng yī zhǒng hé hū rén xìng de shēng huó。 dǒng bèi de mìng yùn， bìng bù qǔ jué yú wài bù shì tài de fā zhǎn； shì dǒng bèi zì jǐ xìng gé de nèi zài luó ji dǎo zhì tā de quán miàn bēng kuì。 tā shì zài zì jǐ chéng fá zì jǐ， bìng zài yīchóng yī zhòng de chéng fá zhōng yī céng yī céng dì bào lù chū zī chǎn jiē jí běn xìng zhōng nà xiē wéi fǎn tiān lǐ rén qíng de yīn sù。
　　　　 ruò zhǐ kàn gù shì qíng jié， wǒ men yě bù néng fǒu rèn《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 de jié jú shì qiǎn bó wú lì de。 fǎ guó zhù míng pī píng jiā tài nà shuō dǒng bèi de“ zhuǎn biàn” huǐ liǎo yī běn chū sè de xiǎo shuō。 yī wèi dāng dài píng lùn jiā yòng bù xiè de kǒu qì wèn dào： nán dào yào bǎ dǒng bèi fù zǐ gōng sī de shì jiè mào yì jiāo gěi yǎn lèi wāng wāng de fú luò lún sī qù jīng yíng má？ zài zhè lǐ， wǒ men yòu huí dào xiǎo shuō de shí dài tè sè wèn tí。 xiàng fú luò lún sī nà lèi de“ ān qí 'ér” shì 'àn zhào dāng shí shèng xíng de gōng shì miáo xiě de， běn lái jiù bù xiàn shí， ér dǒng bèi xiān shēng zài tiě lù sì tōng bā dá guó jì mào yì fā dá de shí dài shì gè zhēn shí de xíng xiàng、 yī gè jiē jí de dài biǎo。 fú luò lún sī zěn me kě néng yòng zì jǐ de yǎn lèi qù gǎn huà dǒng bèi de tiě shí xīn cháng ní？《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 yī shū de jià zhí bù zài yú zuò zhě xū gòu chū zěn me yàng de fāng 'àn qù jiě jué máo dùn， ér zài yú tā zài sì shí nián dài zī běn zhù yì jīng jì fā dá de lì shǐ shí qī sù zào liǎo yī gè zī chǎn jiē jí de diǎn xíng xíng xiàng， cóng 'ér shēn kè dì jiē shì liǎo guān yú nà gè jiē jí de zhēn lǐ。
　　　　 yě shì zài《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 yī shū zhōng， dí gèng sī dì yī cì cǎi yòng liǎo yī gè xiàng zhēng lái guàn chuān quán shū， yǐ chuán dá chū yī gè zǒng de shì jiè tú jǐng、 yī zhǒng duì shí dài、 duì shè huì de lǐ jiě。 tā céng yòng guò wù、 zhuó liú、 lā jī děng xíng xiàng zuò wéi zhè zhǒng xiàng zhēng， ér zài zhè lǐ shì tiě lù。 tiě lù héng héng huǒ chē、 tiě guǐ héng héng de xíng xiàng zài shū zhōng chū xiàn duō cì， wǎng wǎng zài guān jiàn shí kè xuàn rǎn qì fēn， hōng tuō zhù tí。 yòng tiě lù de xíng xiàng lái gài kuò sì shí nián dài gōng yè huà de yīng guó， dāng rán shì zuì qiàdàng bù guò de， zài 19 shì jì shàng bàn yè， tiě lù de fā zhǎn sù dù shì jīng rén de。 jù tǒng jì， 1825 nián hái zhǐ yòu 25 yīng lǐ de tiě lù xiàn， dào liǎo 1845 nián jiù fā zhǎn chéng 2200 duō gōng lǐ， jí zài bù dào 'èr shí nián de shí jiān lǐ biàn zēng jiā liǎo yī bǎi bèi。 chù zài huǒ chē、 diàn bào shí dài de dǒng bèi bǐ qǐ chéng yì chē de pǐ kè wēi kè xiān shēng jiǎn zhí shǔ yú liǎng gè wán quán bù tóng de shì jiè。 tiě lù de fā zhǎn gǎi biàn liǎo rén men de shēng huó fāng shì， gǎi biàn liǎo rén men duì kōng jiān hé shí jiān de gài niàn， hái chǎn shēng liǎo yī zhī xīn de láo dòng duì wǔ： tiě lù gōng rén。 tiě lù yì wèi zhuólì liàng、 yùn dòng hé sù dù， yì wèi zhe gèng kuài de shēng huó jié zòu。 zhè shí， tiě lù shì shè huì biàn gé de xiàng zhēng， tā gěi pò làn bù kān de jiù zhǐ dài lái liǎo xīn de shēng mìng。 shū zhōng xiě dào， yóu yú tiě lù de jiàn shè， bō lì · tú dé 'ěr yī jiā yuán lái zhù de pín mín qū“ sī tǎ gé sī huā yuán” yǐ bù fù cún zài héng héng“ tā cóng dì miàn shàng xiāo shī liǎo， yuán lái yī xiē xiǔ làn de liáng tíng cán cún de dì fāng， xiàn zài sǒng lì zhe gāo dà de gōng diàn； dà lǐ shí de yuán zhù liǎng biān kāi dào， tōng xiàng tiě lù de xīn shì jiè”。 shū zhōng hái xiě dào， yuán xiān duī fàng lā jī de kōng dì yǐ bèi tūn méi， dài zhī 'ér qǐ de shì“ yī céng céng kù fáng， lǐ miàn zhuāng mǎn liǎo fēng fù de wù zī hé guì zhòng de shāng pǐn”。 ér yuán shì huāng wú rén yān de dì fāng xiàn zài xiū qǐ liǎo huā yuán、 bié shù、 jiào táng hé lìng rén xīn kuàng shén yí de lín yìn dà dào。 guò qù yǐ jué méi wéi shēng de tú dé 'ěr， xiàn zài yě zài xīn jiàn shè qǐ lái de tiě lù shàngdàng shàng liǎo yī míng sī lú gōng。 cóng zhè gè jiǎo dù kě yǐ shuō， dí gèng sī shì zhàn zài zàn shǎng de lì chǎng qù kàn yǐ tiě lù wéi xiàng zhēng de gōng yè huà duì shè huì wù zhì fā zhǎn de jī jí yì yì。
　　　　 dàn shì， lìng yī fāng miàn， tiě lù、 huǒ chē zài dí gèng sī bǐ xià yòu chōng mǎn liǎo wēi xié， tā lì dà wú qióng 'ér yòu nán yǐ kòng zhì， tā zài jí chí zhōng sì yòu zì jǐ de mùdì 'ér bǎ rén de yì yuàn zhì yú bù gù。 dāng bǎo luó jiāng yào sǐ qù shí， shū zhōng miáo xiě liǎo huǒ chē de yùn dòng：“ rì rì yè yè， wǎng fǎn bù tíng， fān téng de rè làng yóu rú shēng mìng de xuè liú”。 bǎo luó zài fù qīn de péi yǎng xià zhèng zài qiāoqiāo sǐ qù， ér chē shēng lóng lóng zhèng yǐ léi tíng wàn jūn zhī shì shǐ lái， xiǎn dé nà yàng lěng kù wú qíng。 bǎo luó sǐ hòu， dǒng bèi chéng huǒ chē lǚ xíng， huǒ chē de jī xiè yùn dòng yǔ dǒng bèi de chén zhòng xīn qíng hù xiāng chèn tuō， hòu lái， dǒng bèi qù zhuī gǎn guǎi piàn tā qī zǐ sī bēn díkǎ kè， tā men yī gè zài táo， yī gè jǐn zhuī， zhè shí huǒ chē xiàng gè kě pà de guài shòu，“ hùn shēn mào huǒ de mó guǐ”， fèn nù dì bēn téng páo xiào， huó xiàng gè fù chóu shén， zhōng yú fēi cháng xì jù xìng dì bǎ kǎ kè niǎn sǐ。
　　　　 zhè lǐ， wèn tí bìng bù zài yú sǐ zài huǒ chē lún xià de kǎ kè shì zuì yòu yìng dé。 zhòng yào de shì， zài zhè lǐ， huǒ chē de xíng xiàng zhēng níng kě pà； tā de lái lín“ bàn suí zhe dà dì de zhèn xiǎng， zài 'ěr biān chàn dǒu de shēng làng， yǐ jí yáo yuǎn de jiān jiào shēng； yī piàn 'àn guāng yóu yuǎn 'ér jìn， chà nà jiān biàn chéng liǎng zhī huǒ hóng de yǎn jīng hé yī tuán liè huǒ， yī lù shàng diào zhe rán shāo de méi kuài； jiē zhe， yī gè páng rán dà wù páo xiào zhe、 kuò zhǎn zhe， yǐ bù kě kàng jù de qì shì yā guò lái”。 zhè gè xíng xiàng yuǎn yuǎn chāo tuō liǎo kǎ kè mìng yùn de qū qū xiǎo shì， ér tí chū liǎo gèng dà de wèn tí： jī xiè de wù zhì yùn dòng suǒ shì fàng chū lái de lì liàng duì yú rén lèi shè huì jiū jìng yì wèi zhe shénme？ zài zhè lǐ， dí gèng sī biǎo xiàn liǎo yī gè zhēn zhèng dà zuò jiā de qì bó。 tā tòu guò xiàn xiàng qù bǔ zhuō běn zhì， tōng guò tiě lù de xiàng zhēng duì zī běn zhù yì wù zhì wén míng de fā zhǎn biǎo shì liǎo shēn shēn de yōu lǜ； zhè bēn téng xiàng qián de lì liàng jiāng bǎ rén lèi shè huì dài wǎng hé chù？ zhè huái yí yǔ yōu lǜ shì gēn zuò zhě tōng guò dǒng bèi de xíng xiàng suǒ tí chū de wèn tí wán quán yī zhì de， tā mendōu huì wéi yī gè zǒng de duì shí dài de yí wèn： zī běn zhù yì de gōng yè héng héng tiě lù héng héng gǎi shàn liǎo rén men de shēng cún tiáo jiàn， dàn tā jiāng yǐn qǐ shénme yàng de shè huì biàn huà？ yī gè dǒng bèi xiān shēng shì bèi nǚ 'ér de lèi shuǐ gǎn huà liǎo， dàn yǐ tiě lù wéi biāo zhì de yīng guó zī běn zhù yì de fā zhǎn bù shì huì chǎn shēng gèng duō de dǒng bèi má？
　　　　《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 bù shì shè huì xué lùn wén。 dí gèng sī de mó lì jiù zài yú， tā tí chū liǎo dāng shí shè huì zuì běn zhì de wèn tí， tóng shí yòu xiě chū liǎo rén wù zhòng duō、 qíng jié fù zá、 qíng diào duō biàn de yī bù wǔ guāng shí sè de xiǎo shuō jù zhù。 zài zhè lǐ， yǐ dǒng bèi kě wàng zǐ sì de gù shì wéi zhōng xīn， yǎn chū liǎo nà me duō kòu rén xīn xián de bēi xǐ jù。 shè huì dì wèi yòu tiān rǎng zhī bié de rén wù， mìng yùn què nà me qū zhé dì jiāo zhì zài yī qǐ： dì 'èr rèn dǒng bèi fū rén yī dí sī gēn bèi liú fàng de chāng jì 'ài lì sī bù jǐn shì tóng fù yì mǔ de jiě mèi， ér qiě yě shì bèi tóng yī gè nán xìng héng héng kǎ kè jīng lǐ héng héng qī rǔ de nǚ xìng。 zhè zhǒng qíng jié xìng de bèi hòu bù zhèng shì wēi miào dì 'àn shì zhe yī dí sī yǔ dǒng bèi de hūn yīn de shí zhì？《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 hái chōng mǎn liǎo yīn móu hé xuán niàn。 kǎ kè jīng lǐ xiàng gè zhī zhū yī yàng zuò zài tā biān zhì de yīn móu gāng luò de zhōng xīn， wéi dǒng bèi xiān shēng、 yī dí sī， wéi fú luò lún sī hé wò 'ěr tè， shèn zhì wéi lǎo shí bā jié díkǎ tè 'ěr chuán cháng dū shè xià liǎo juàn tào， pài liǎo dīng shào。
　　　　 kě shì dào tóu lái， zhèng shì tā zhè gè xīn fù héng héng bù zhēng qì de shàonián luó bó héng héng chū mài liǎo tā， dǎo zhì tā fěn shēn suì gǔ zài chē lún zhī xià， kě wèi shì jiàn běn shēn de cháo fěng。 zài《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 zhōng， yǔ zhèng jù de zhù xiàn píng xíng， zǒng yòu xǐ jù nào jù de fù xiàn， shèn zhì xíng chéng yī huán kòu yī huán de mìng yùn de suǒ liàn。 rú zài dǒng bèi xiān shēng wù sè dì 'èr wèi fū rén de shí hòu， liù xū pāi mǎ dàn yòu kě lián kě xiào de tuō kè sī xiǎo jiě jì yú dǒng bèi fū rén de bǎo zuò， lěng luò liǎo yòu yì yú tā de bái gé sī tuō kè shàoxiào， ér lǎo jiān jù huá de bái gé sī tuō kè wèile cuò bài tuō kè sī xiǎo jiě de yě xīn， bǎ yī dí sī yǐn jiàn gěi dǒng bèi， dǎo zhì liǎo tā de dì 'èr cì zāinàn xìng de hūn yīn。
　　　　 zài《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 yī shū zhōng， dí gèng sī hái miáo xiě liǎo xǔ duō xiǎo rén wù hé tā men de shēng huó。 pò luò xiǎo shāng rén suǒ luó mén · jí 'ěr sī、 bǎo luó de nǎi niàn tú dé 'ěr yī jiā、 fú luò lún sī de tiē shēn nǚ pú sū shān děng zài gè fāng miàn dū yǔ dǒng bèi xíng chéng duì bǐ。 wǒ men zài shū zhōng kàn dào， yī fāng miàn shì dǒng bèi de huá guì fǔ dǐ， lìng yī fāng miàn shì tú dé 'ěr yī jiā zhù de pò làn bù kān de pín mín kū。 jìn guǎn rú cǐ， qián zhě lěng ruò bīng jiào， hòu zhě rè qì téng téng， chōng mǎn yǒu 'ài yǔ huān lè。 zài nà lěng kù de zī běn zhù yì shè huì， zhè xiē xiǎo rén wù shēn shàng tǐ xiàn liǎo rén qíng hé rén xìng zhōng shàn liáng měi hǎo de běn néng。 bō lì · tú dé 'ěr nà xīng wàng de jiā zú héng héng tā nà fēng fù de rǔ zhī hé zhòng duō de hái zǐ dū miáo xiě de shí fēn kuā zhāng、 fù yú xiàng zhēng yì yì， tǐ xiàn liǎo shēng de huān lè hé duì wèi lái de xī wàng。 yòu qù de shì， zài zuò zhě de qiǎo miào 'ān pái zhī xià， zhè xiē dì wèi dī jiàn de xiǎo rén wù yòu bù duàn gēn dǒng bèi“ zāo yù”。 rú suǒ luó mén · jí 'ěr sī de hǎo yǒu、 luò bó de chuán cháng nèi dé · kǎ tè 'ěr jìng páo qù yǔ dǒng bèi xiān shēng chēng xiōng dào dì， hái yǐ zì jǐ de táng xiá zǐ děng kě xiào de“ chuán jiā bǎo” lái dāng dǐ yā， yào dǒng bèi jiè kuǎn gěi tā。 zhè zài dǒng bèi kàn lái jiǎn zhí shì hài rén tīng wén。 tā bǎi chū zuì wēi fēng lǐn lǐn de jià shì， dàn zuì méi yòu xiàn shí gǎn díkǎ tè 'ěr chuán cháng duì cǐ háo wú chá jué， nòng dé dǒng bèi fǎn 'ér shǒu zú wú cuò。 hòu lái， nǚ pú sū shān yòu chéng dǒng bèi wò bìng de dāng 'ér gōng rán xiàng tā tiǎo zhàn， zhǐ zhe tā de bí zǐ shǔluò tā de bù shì， qì dé dǒng bèi xiān shēng mù dèng kǒu dāi。 zhè xiē xǐ jù xìng chǎng miàn hōng tuō chū liǎo láo dòng rén mín shēng dòng huó pō de xíng xiàng； shì tā men chuō pò liǎo dǒng bèi de 'ào màn， shǐ tā lù chū liǎo dǐ lǐ de kōng xū yǔ ruǎn ruò。 zài sì shí nián dài miáo xiě láo dòng rén mín xíng xiàng de zuò pǐn zhōng， zhè zhǒng xǐ jù huà de chǔlǐ shì bié jù yī gé de。
　　　　 zǒng zhī， chuān chā yú gù shì zhōng de zhòng duō de péi chèn rén wù dū tiān zhēn wú xié， bù shì shǎ dé kě 'ài jiù shì“ jiǎo huá” dé kě xiào。 tā men bù jǐn tuī dòng qíng jié fā zhǎn， ér qiě wéi quán shū dài lái liǎo huān lè qì fēn hé yōu mò qíng qù， shǐ《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》 chéng wéi dí gèng sī xiǎo shuō zhōng jì yòu shēn dù yòu ráo yòu qù wèi de dài biǎo zuò。 hái zài liánzǎi de shí hòu， bù shí zì de lǎo bǎi xìng zài yī tiān de láolèi zhī hòu jiù yào jù zài yī qǐ tīng rén lǎng dú《 dǒng bèi fù zǐ》， zhí zhì jīn tiān， tā hái shòu dào guǎng dà dú zhě de xǐ 'ài。

　　Dombey and Son is a novel by the Victorian author Charles Dickens. It was first published in monthly parts between October 1846 and April 1848 with the full title Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail and for Exportation. Dickens started writing the book in Lausanne, Switzerland, but travelled extensively during the course of its writing, returning to England to begin another work before completing Dombey and Son.
　　
　　Plot summary
　　
　　The story concerns Paul Dombey, the wealthy owner of the shipping company of the book's title, whose dream is to have a son to continue his business. The book begins when his son is born, and Dombey's wife dies shortly after giving birth. Following the advice of Mrs Louisa Chick, his sister, Dombey employs a wet nurse named Mrs Richards (Toodle). Dombey already has a daughter, Florence, whom he neglects. One day, Mrs Richards, Florence and her maid, Susan Nipper, secretly pay a visit Mrs Richard's house in Stagg's Gardens in order that she can see her children. During this trip, Florence becomes separated and is kidnapped for a short time by Good Mrs Brown before being returned to the streets. She makes her way to Dombey and Son's offices in the City and is guided there by Walter Gay, an employee, who first introduces her to his uncle, the navigation instrument maker Solomon Gill, at his shop the Midshipman.
　　
　　The child, also named Paul, is weak and often ill, and does not socialize normally with others; adults call him "old fashioned". He is intensely fond of his elder sister, Florence, who is deliberately neglected by her father as irrelevant and a distraction. He is sent away to Brighton, first for his health, where he and Florence lodge with the ancient and acidic Mrs Pipchin, and then for his education to Dr and Mrs Blimber's school, where he and the other boys undergo both an intense and arduous education under the tutelage of Mr Feeder, B.A. and Cornelia Blimber. It is here that Paul is befriended by a fellow pupil, the amiable Mr Toots.
　　
　　Here, Paul's health declines even further in this 'great hothouse' and he finally dies, still only six years old. Dombey pushes his daughter away from him after the death of his son, while she futilely tries to earn his love. In the meantime, Walter, who works for Dombey and Son, is sent off to work in Barbados through the manipulations of the firm's manager, Mr James Carker, 'with his white teeth', who sees him as a potential rival through his association with Florence. His boat is reported lost and he is presumed drowned. Walter's uncle leaves to go in search of Walter, leaving his great friend Captain Edward Cuttle in charge of the Midshipman. Meanwhile, Florence is now left alone with few friends to keep her company.
　　
　　Dombey goes to Leamington Spa with a new friend, Major Joseph B. Bagstock. The Major deliberately sets out to befriend Dombey in order to spite his neighbour in Princess's Place, Miss Tox, who has turned cold towards him owing to her hopes - through her close friendship with Mrs Chick - of marrying Mr Dombey. At the spa, Dombey is introduced via the Major to Mrs Skewton and her widowed daughter, Mrs Edith Granger. It is here that he develops an affection for Edith, encouraged by both the Major and the avaricious mother. After they return to London, Dombey remarries, effectively 'buying' the beautiful but haughty Edith as she and her mother are in a poor financial state. The marriage is loveless; his wife despises Dombey for his overbearing pride and herself for being shallow and worthless. Her love for Florence initially prevents her from leaving, but finally she conspires with Mr Carker to ruin Dombey's public image by running away together to Dijon. They do so after her last final argument with Dombey in which he once again attempts to subdue her to his will. When he discovers that she has left him, he blames Florence for siding with her step-mother, striking her on the breast in his anger, and she is forced to run away from home. Highly distraught, she finally makes her way to The Midshipman where she lodges with Captain Cuttle as he attempts to restore her back to health. They are visited frequently by Mr Toots and his boxing companion, the Chicken, since Mr Toots has been desperately in love with Florence since their time together in Brighton.
　　
　　Dombey sets out to find his wife. He is helped in this by Mrs Brown and her daughter, Alice, who, it turns out, was a former lover of Mr Carker. After being transported as a convict after he involved her in some criminal activities, she is seeking her revenge against him now she is returned to England. Going to Mrs Brown's house, Dombey overhears the conversation between Rob the Grinder - who is in the employment of Mr Carker - and the old woman as to the couple's whereabouts and sets off in pursuit. In the meantime, in Dijon, Mrs Dombey informs Carker that she sees him in no better a light than she sees Dombey, that she will not stay with him and she flees their apartment. Distraught, with both his financial and personal hopes lost, Carker flees from his former employer's pursuit. He seeks refuge back in England but, being greatly overwrought, accidentally falls under a train and is killed.
　　
　　After Carker's death, it is discovered that he had been running the firm far beyond its means. This information is gleaned by Carker's brother and sister, John and Harriet, from Mr Morfin, the assistant manager at Dombey and Son, who sets out to help John Carker. He often overheard the conversations between the two brothers in which James, the younger, often abused John, the older, who was just a lowly clerk and who is sacked by Dombey because of his filial relationship to the former manager. Meanwhile, back at the Midshipman, Walter reappears, having been saved by a passing ship after floating adrift with two other sailors on some wreckage. After some time, he and Florence are finally reunited - not as 'brother' and 'sister' but as lovers, and they marry prior to sailing for China on Walter's new ship. This is also the time when Sol Gills returns to the Midshipman. As he relates to his friends, he received news whilst in Barbados that a homeward-bound China trader had picked up Walter and so had returned to England immediately. He said he had sent letters whilst in the Caribbean to his friend Ned Cuttle c/o Mrs MacStinger at Cuttle's former lodgings, and the bemused Captain recounts how he fled the place, thus never receiving them.
　　
　　Florence and Walter depart and Sol Gills is entrusted with a letter, written by Walter to her father, pleading for him to be reconciled towards them both. A year passes and Alice Brown has slowly been dying despite the tender care of Harriet Carker. One night Alice's mother reveals that Alice herself is the [illegitimate]] cousin of Edith Dombey (which accounts for their similarity in appearance when they both meet). In a chapter entitled 'Retribution', Dombey and Son goes bankrupt. Dombey retires to two rooms in his house and all its contents are put up for sale. Mrs Pipchin, for some time the housekeeper, dismisses all the servants and she herself returns to Brighton, to be replaced by Mrs Richards. Dombey spends his days sunk in gloom, seeing no-one and thinking only of his daughter:
　　“ He thought of her as she had been that night when he and his bride came home. He thought of her as she had been in all the home events of the abandoned house. He thought, now, that of all around him, she alone had never changed. His boy had faded into dust, his proud wife had sunk into a polluted creature, his flatterer and friend had been transformed into the worst of villains, his riches had melted away, the very walls that sheltered him looked on him as a stranger; she alone had turned the same, mild gentle look upon him always. Yes, to the latest and the last. She had never changed to him - nor had he ever changed to her - and she was lost. ”
　　
　　However, one day Florence returns to the house with her son, Paul, and is lovingly reunited with her father.
　　
　　Dombey accompanies his daughter to her and Walter's house where he slowly starts to decline, cared for by Florence and also Susan Nipper, now Mrs Toots. They receive a visit from Edth's Cousin Feenix who takes Florence to Edith for one final time - Feenix sought Edith out in France and she returned to England under his protection. Edith gives Florence a letter, asking Dombey to forgive her her crime before her departure to the South of Italy with her elderly relative. As she says to Florence, 'I will try, then to forgive him his share of the blame. Let him try to forgive me mine!'
　　
　　The final chapter (LXII) sees Dombey now a white-haired old man, 'whose face bears heavy marks of care and suffering; but they are traces of a storm that has passed on for ever, and left a clear evening in its track'.. Sol Gills and Ned Cuttle are now partners at the Midshipman, a source of great pride to the latter, and Mr and Mrs Toots announce the birth of their third daughter. Walter is doing well in business, having been appointed to a position of great confidence and trust, and Dombey is the proud grandfather of both a grandson and grand-daughter of whom he dotes on, and the book ends with the highly moving lines:
　　“ 'Dear grandpapa, why do you cry when you kiss me?'
　　
　　He only answers, 'Little Florence! Little Florence!' and smooths away the curls that shade her earnest eyes.
　　 ”
　　Source
　　
　　Dombey and Son, Charles Dickens, Wordsworth Classics, 1995, ISBN 1 85326 257 9
　　Critical appreciation
　　
　　Dombey and Son was conceived first and foremost as a continuous novel. A letter from Dickens to Forster on 26th July, 1846 shows the major details of the plot and theme already substantially worked out. According to the critic George Gissing, 'Dombey was begun at Lausanne, continued at Paris, completed in London, and at English seaside places; whilst the early parts were being written, a Christmas story, The Battle of Life, was also in hand, and Dickens found it troublesome to manage both together. That he overcame the difficulty -- that, soon after, we find him travelling about England as member of an amateur dramatic company -- that he undertook all sorts of public engagements and often devoted himself to private festivity -- Dombey going on the while, from month to month -- is matter enough for astonishment to those who know anything about artistic production. But such marvels become commonplaces in the life of Charles Dickens.'
　　
　　As with most of Dickens' work, a number of socially significant themes are to be found in this book. In particular the book deals with the then-prevalent common practice of arranged marriages for financial gain. Other themes to be detected within this work include child cruelty (particularly in Dombey's treatment of Florence), familial relationships, and as ever in Dickens, betrayal and deceit and the consequences thereof. Another strong central theme, which the critic George Gissing elaborates on in detail in his 1925 work The Immortal Dickens, is that of pride and arrogance, of which Paul Dombey senior is the extreme exemplification in Dickens' work.
　　
　　Gissing makes a number of points about certain key inadequacies in the novel, not the least that Dickens's central character is largely unsympathetic and an unsuitable vehicle and also that after the death of the young Paul Dombey the reader is somewhat estranged from the rest of what is to follow. He notes that 'the moral theme of this book was Pride -- pride of wealth, pride of place, personal arrogance. Dickens started with a clear conception of his central character and of the course of the story in so far as it depended upon that personage; he planned the action, the play of motive, with unusual definiteness, and adhered very closely in the working to this well-laid scheme'. However, he goes on to write that,'Dombey and Son is a novel which in its beginning promises more than its progress fulfils' and gives the following reasons why:
　　“ Impossible to avoid the reflection that the death of Dombey's son and heir marks the end of a complete story, that we feel a gap between Chapter XVI and what comes after (the author speaks of feeling it himself, of his striving to "transfer the interest to Florence") and that the narrative of the later part is ill-constructed, often wearisome, sometimes incredible. We miss Paul, we miss Walter Gay (shadowy young hero though he be); Florence is too colourless for deep interest, and the second Mrs. Dombey is rather forced upon us than accepted as a natural figure in the drama. Dickens's familiar shortcomings are abundantly exemplified. He is wholly incapable of devising a plausible intrigue, and shocks the reader with monstrous improbabilities such as all that portion of the denouement in which old Mrs. Brown and her daughter are concerned. A favourite device with him (often employed with picturesque effect) was to bring into contact persons representing widely severed social ranks; in this book the "effect" depends too often on "incidences of the boldest artificiality," as nearly always we end by neglecting the story as a story, and surrendering ourselves to the charm of certain parts, the fascination of certain characters.' ”
　　
　　Characters in the novel
　　
　　Karl Ashley Smith (the University of St Andrews) in his Introduction to Wordsworth Classics' Dombey and Son makes some reflections on the novel's characters. He believes that Dombey’s power to disturb comes from his belief that human relationships can be controlled by money, giving the following examples to support this viewpoint:
　　“ He tries to prevent Mrs Richards from developing an attachment to Paul by emphasising the wages he pays her. Mrs Pipchin’s small talk satisfies him as ‘the sort of think for which he paid her so much a quarter’ (p.132). Worst of all, he effectively buys his second wife and expects that his wealth and position in society will be enough to keep her in awed obedience to him. Paul’s questions about money are only the first indication of the naivety of his outlook'. ”
　　
　　However, he also believes that the satire against this man is tempered with compassion.
　　
　　Smith also draws attention to the fact that certain characters in the novel 'develop a pattern from Dickens's earlier novels, whilst pointing the way to future works'. One such character is Little Paul who is a direct descendant of Little Nell. Another is James Carker, the ever-smiling manager of Dombey and Son. Smith notes there are strong similarities between him and the likes of Jaggers in Great Expectations and, even more so, the evil barrister, Mr Tulkinghorn, in Bleak House:
　　“ From Fagin (Oliver Twist) onwards, the terrifying figure exerting power over others by an infallible knowledge of their secrets becomes one of the author’s trademarks ... His gentlemanly businesslike respectability marks him out as the ancestor of Tulkinghorn in Bleak House and even of Jaggers in Great Expectations. And his involvements in the secrets of others leads him to as sticky an end as Tulkinghorn’s. The fifty-fifth chapter, where he is forced to flee his outraged employer, magnificently continues the theme of the guilt-hunted man from Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist and Jonas’s restless sense of pursuit in Martin Chuzzlewit. There is always a strong sense in Dickens of the narrative drive of discovery catching up with those who deal in darkness...' ”
　　
　　Gissing looks at some of the minor characters in the novel and is particularly struck by that of Edward (Ned) Cuttle.
　　“ Captain Cuttle has a larger humanity than his roaring friend [Captain Bunsby], he is the creation of humour. That the Captain suffered dire things at the hands of Mrs. MacStinger is as credible as it is amusing, but he stood in no danger of Bunsby's fate; at times he can play his part in a situation purely farcical, but the man himself moves on a higher level. He is one of the most familiar to us among Dickens's characters, an instance of the novelist's supreme power, which (I like to repeat) proves itself in the bodying forth of a human personality henceforth accepted by the world. His sentences have become proverbs; the mention of his name brings before the mind's eye an image of flesh and blood -- rude, tending to the grotesque, but altogether lovable. Captain Cuttle belongs to the world of Uncle Toby, with, to be sure, a subordinate position. Analyse him as you will, make the most of those extravagances which pedants of to-day cannot away with, and in the end you will still be face to face with something vital -- explicable only as the product of genius. ”
　　
　　The growth of the railways
　　
　　A strong theme is the destruction and degradation (of people and places) caused by industrialisation, illustrated in particular by the building of the new railway through Camden Town (assumed to represent the London and Birmingham Railway constructed between 1833 and 1837). This reflects Dickens's apparent antipathy towards railways[citation needed], later reinforced by his involvement in a train crash in 1865. Soon after this incident he wrote two short stories (Mugby Junction and The Signal-Man) which projected a morbid view of the railways.
　　
　　Final thoughts
　　
　　Gissing refers to Dickens's instinctive genius for reflecting the thoughts and morals of the common man in his writing. He observes that the author was in constant communication with Forster,
　　“ ... as to the feeling of his readers about some proposed incident or episode; not that he feared, in any ignoble sense, to offend his public, but because his view of art involved compliance with ideals of ordinary simple folk. He held that view as a matter of course. Quite recently it has been put forth with prophetic fervour by Tolstoy, who cites Dickens among the few novelists whose work will bear this test. An instinctive sympathy with the moral (and therefore the artistic) prejudices of the everyday man guided Dickens throughout his career, teaching him when, and how far, he might strike at things he thought evil, yet never defeat his prime purpose of sending forth fiction acceptable to the multitude. Himself, in all but his genius, a representative Englishman of the middle-class, he was able to achieve this task with unfailing zeal and with entire sincerity. ”
　　
　　Karl Smith, in his turn, gives his specific reasons for what makes Dombey and Son - and the works of Dickens as a whole - worth reading again and again. He observes that this is based in part on Dickens's 'recognition that solemn themes require humour and verbal vigour to accompany and complement them' and goes on to conclude:
　　“ Grim psychological realism, social commentary, comic absurdity and symbolic transcendence are here brought together more than in any previous novel with the possible exception of Oliver Twist. Dombey and Son not only prepares the ground for Dickens’s later masterpieces, but demands to be enjoyed for its own energy and richness. ”
　　Characters in "Dombey and Son"
　　The "Wooden Midshipman" of Uncle Sol's nautical instrument shop of the same name. Statue in the Charles Dickens Museum.
　　
　　 * Mr Paul Dombey – the wealthy owner of the shipping company
　　 * Edith Granger – proud widowed daughter of Mrs Skewton, becomes second Mrs Dombey
　　 * Mrs Fanny Dombey – Mr Dombey's first wife, mother of Florence and Paul, dies soon after Paul is born
　　 * Master Paul Dombey (Little Dombey) – the son, is weak and often ill
　　 * Miss Florence (Floy) Dombey – the elder daughter whom Mr Dombey neglects
　　 * Mrs Louisa Chick – Mr Dombey's sister
　　 * Mr Chick – husband of Mrs Chick
　　 * Miss Lucretia Tox – friend of Mrs Chick, great admirer of Mr Dombey, and neighbour of Major Joseph Bagstock
　　 * James Carker (Mr Carker the Manager) – devious manager in Mr Dombey's business
　　 * John Carker (Mr Carker the Junior) – disgraced older brother of James, lower level employee in Dombey's business
　　 * Miss Harriet Carker – sister of James and John
　　 * Mr Morfin – assistant manager in Mr Dombey's business
　　 * Mr Perch – messenger in Mr Dombey's business
　　 * Solomon (Uncle Sol) Gills – ships' instrument maker and owner of the "Wooden Midshipman", a shop
　　 * Walter Gay – nephew of Gills, friend to Florence, employee of Mr Dombey, sent away by Carker the Manager
　　 * Captain Edward (Ned) Cuttle – retired sea captain, friend of Gills
　　 * Major Joseph Bagstock (Josh, Joe, J.B., Old Joe) – conceited retired army major, admirer of Miss Tox, friend of Mr Dombey until his downfall
　　 * Briggs – schoolmate of Paul's
　　 * Tozer – schoolmate of Paul's
　　 * Mr P. Toots – schoolmate of Paul's, later a dandy in love with Florence
　　 * The Game Chicken – rowdy companion of Mr Toots
　　 * Miss Susan Nipper – Florence's loyal nurse, later marries Mr. Toots
　　 * Mrs Cleopatra Skewton – Edith Dombey's infirm mother and former lover of Bagstock
　　 * Mr Toodle – a railway engineer
　　 * Polly Toodle (Mrs Richards) – wife of Mr Toodle, engaged as nurse to Paul under the name Mrs Richards (by Mr Dombey's order)
　　 * Robin Toodle (Rob the Grinder, Biler) – son of Mr Toodle and Polly, sent to Charitable Grinders school, later engaged in service to Captain Cuttle and Mr. Carker the Manager
　　 * Good Mrs. Brown – an elderly rag dealer
　　 * Alice – daughter of Brown, former lover of Carker's, recently returned from transportation
　　 * Jack Bunsby – commander of a ship, and regarded as an oracle by Captain Cuttle. Eventually is wedded to Mrs MaacStinger.
　　 * Mrs MacStinger – Captain Cuttle's landlady and nemesis
　　 * Mrs Pipchin – stern widow who keeps an 'infantine Boarding-House of a very select description' in Brighton, where Paul is sent for his health
　　 * Master Bitherstone – a fellow-boarder at Mrs. Pipchin's, much later a student at Doctor Blimber's
　　 * Miss Pankey – a fellow-boarder at Mrs. Pipchin's
　　 * Sir Barnet Skettles –
　　 * Lady Skettles –
　　 * Master Skettles – Brighton school pupil
　　 * Doctor Blimber – runs a school in Brighton which Paul briefly attends
　　 * Mrs Blimber – Doctor Blimber's wife
　　 * Miss Cornelia Blimber – Doctor Blimber's daughter, teacher at the school
　　 * Mr Feeder, B.A. – Doctor Blimber's assistant, teacher at the school
　　 * Diogenes (Di) – A dog from the school, befriended by Paul and adopted by Florence after Paul's death
　　
　　Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
　　
　　The novel has been adapted for the screen at least three times:
　　
　　 * 1917 - a silent starring Norman McKinnel as Paul Dombey and Hayford Hobbs as Walter Gay
　　 * 1969 - a television mini-series starring John Carson as Paul Dombey and Derek Seaton as Walter Gay
　　 * 1983 - a television mini-series starring Julian Glover as Paul Dombey and Max Gold as Walter Gay
　　
　　There have also been BBC radio adaptations.
　　
　　In 2007, a two-part French miniseries, Dombais et Fils, was produced by France 3, directed by Laurent Jaoui and starring Christophe Malavoy as "Charles Dombais" (Paul Dombey).
　　
　　It was announced in September 2009 that Andrew Davies would no longer be writing a proposed television adaptation for the BBC.
　　Original publication
　　
　　Dombey and Son was originally published in 19 monthly instalments; each cost one shilling (except for the last, which cost two shillings, being a double issue) and contained 32 pages of text with two illustrations by Phiz:
　　
　　 * I - October 1846 (chapters 1-4);
　　 * II - November 1846 (chapters 5-7);
　　 * III - December 1846 (chapters 8-10);
　　 * IV - January 1847 (chapters 11-13);
　　 * V - February 1847 (chapters 14-16);
　　 * VI - March 1847 (chapters 17-19);
　　 * VII - April 1847 (chapters 20-22);
　　 * VIII - May 1847 (chapters 23-25);
　　 * IX - June 1847 (chapters 26-28);
　　 * X - July 1847 (chapters 29-31);
　　 * XI - August 1847 (chapters 32-34);
　　 * XII - September 1847 (chapters 35-38);
　　 * XIII - October 1847 (chapters 39-41);
　　 * XIV - November 1847 (chapters 42-45);
　　 * XV - December 1847 (chapters 46-48);
　　 * XVI - January 1848 (chapters 49-51);
　　 * XVII - February 1848 (chapters 52-54);
　　 * XVIII - March 1848 (chapters 55-57);
　　 * XIX-XX - April 1848 (chapters 58-62).
　　
　　Trivia
　　
　　 * The motto of the publication Notes and Queries, "When found, make a note of", comes from the novel.
　　 * In the illustrated plate, "Major Bagstock is delighted to have that opportunity," the lettering "HOTEL" on the central building in the background is written in mirror-writing. Phiz, the illustrator, evidently forgot to reverse the lettering so that it would read correctly when the plate was printed. (However, strangely, he got the other lettering in the same plate correct.)
　　 * Sir Harry Johnston wrote a sequel to Dombey and Son in about 1920, titled The Gay-Dombeys.
　　 * In the novel Velocity by Dean Koontz, the comatose wife of the main protagonist often makes incoherent references to the works of Dickens, the 'most mysterious' coming from Dombey and Son, "I want to know what it says, the sea. What it is that it keeps on saying."