Charles Dickens: Our Mutual Friend

Not strictly anything to do with my travels, but trying to keep my brain in gear a little.

Our Mutual Friend, by Charles Dickens.

Wilkie Collins once wrote of his story The Dead Secret that "I thought it most desirable to let the effect of the story depend on expectation rather than suspense (allowing) the reader (to be) all the more interested (in) the discovery of the secret, if he previously held some clue to the mystery in his own head." Such is the approach of Charles Dickens in Our Mutual Friend (written 1864-65 and his last major completed work) since the majority of major plot revelations take place in the final fifth of the story, resolving principally what occurred in Chapter One - the death in the River Thames of John Harmon, who was on his way to receive his fathers inheritance. The character development is a gentle one for the most part, with each one having their own reasons for their actions, although it often felt as if characters would change at their core relatively quickly later on in the story. However, given that Our Mutual Friend is at heart a story of lies, of deception and of manipulation, this is hardly a surprise. Characters turn on a sixpence and go in a direction previously seen as the last thing they would do - often in the sphere of romance. The lies - those of John Rokesmith as to his true identity; the untruths told by Mr and Mrs Boffin to teach Bella Wilfer what is important in life; and the general dishonesty of 'Rogue' Riderhood. Very few characters reveal the truth behind the motivations for their actions until very late on.

The characters that stand out in the novel are Silas Wegg, a one legged rascal and blackmailer with a cruel sense of humour, who is ultimately deceived by the Boffin's own fakery; Bradley Headstone, the headmaster who, failing to get the girl that his heart desires - Lizzie Hexam - attempts to kill her other suitor, the lawyer Eugene Wrayburn. His attempt to end his life drives Eugene and Lizzie together, defying the class barriers that previously forebade it, and they end up married, leaving Bradley a broken man, meeting a wet end in the Thames with Riderhood; Mr Boffin, the ultimate deceiver, playing the part of a miser just to teach an important lesson in life to someone with most of it still to live.

As with much of Dickens' work, there are many characters represented at every level of Society, and that money is one of the most important factors in which level you live. The higher class - the Veneerings and the Podsnaps, are insufferable, being as they are sniffy towards anyone of a lower class than they. Silas Wegg at one point comments upon how the division of labour, so crucial in the structure of society, has been of extremely beneficial use to those higher up the social scale. That is, they have to do very little work of any kind, and just live the high life. However, Our Mutual Friend shows that, whatever level of Society you live in, there are always lies, deception and cruelty in amongst the love, the friendship and the honesty. And how very true this is.

Wednesday November 18th - White Water Rafting, Queenstown

Up early and take the short walk into town at about 740. Check in at the the rafting centre and get an S in a circle written on my hand in marker pen to show I have paid. after a very quick briefing we are on the bus for a ten minute drive to the start point where, after another briefinf we begin to dress. First the wetsuit, without arms, followed by socks and shoes, and for the moment to finish a wetshuit jacket. In addition we carry an overcoat, a lifejacket and a helmet for later, as before we hit the water there is a 45 minute joureny up and through the hills on a one way road, although it would be much better described as a track. Very bumpy and dusty, it wound its way towards the start along the track with nothing to stop you plummeting over the edge if something were to go awry. On a couple of occasions I am less than a foot away from clean air. Finally we drop down to a rocky area from which we will begin.

After a short talk on all the possibilities of things that could go wrong we were split into groups of six , with the same number of boats in total. I end up in the front right position with Jason, an experienced Canadian rafter, to my left, two Aussie girls behind us and a Japanese honeymoon couple at the rear, with Tom, the senior guide for the day, at the back to talk us through the descent as we go. At first it is very gentle and we practice all the possible moves and variations of. It is quite some time before we come to the first rapids - Grade 2- which we roll through with ease.

As we drift along, the cliffs rise high above us; this was gold mining country from 1862 to 1992. Two mountain goats clamber up almost vertical rocks, and a duck slides along serenely. Under the water there are plenty of rocks, and occasionally a larger one will push its head above water, causing us to paddle around them. Soon we reach the second main set of rapids - six consecutively - one of which is called 'Oh Shit' but is actually not at all bad. These were Grade 3. After a brief stop with me out of the boat pulling it to the side to let the other boats through, we were off and into 'The Tunnel' which is, well, a tunnel, about three feet wider than the raft and about 10 feet high, and perhaps 200m long. Going through it everyone crocuhes down in the middle of the boat for safety, their paddles down in front of them across the boat. Except me. I am sat side on at the front of the boat to paddle if rquired, and twice I have to paddle furiously as we drift to the right. This was fantastic, and I felt like an adventurer! Once at the other end there was no time to enjoy it as we quickly plunged into the most dramatic Rapid of the day, a Grade 4 called "The Mother In Law" into which we plunged, a very large rock right in fron tof us. It is hard not to shut your eyes and hope - instead the paddling forwards continues. As we slide round the corner, the wright of the onrushing water against us feels like it's going to snap my right leg in half, jammed as it is to the front of the boat. It is a relief when, after about two seconds, the pressure abates and we slow to a halt. An exhilarating ride!

We drift the final few hundred metres to the get off point and after putting our paddles away and lifting the raft onto a trailer, we all trudge across the rocks to get back to the base, where we discard all the clothes, shower and get into the usn where I enjoy a glass of Oyster Bay Pinot Noir!

As the Ninth Doctor would say, "FANTASTIC!!!!!"