Little Dorrit, Chapter 18 summary

What happens

1. John Chivery imagines marrying Little Dorrit and sharing a life inside the Marshalsea, while his parents encourage the match.
2. Little Dorrit’s family uses his devotion to claim social importance, and her father accepts gifts and favors from the Chiverys.
3. On Sunday, John brings cigars to Mr. Dorrit, who tells him that Amy walks on the Iron Bridge.
4. John finds Amy alone, and his account of her father’s welcome makes her deeply distressed.
5. Amy asks John never to declare his love and urges him to abandon his belief in her family’s superiority.
6. John promises not to seek her on the bridge and returns home imagining an inscription recording his death from heartbreak.

In this chapter

What to notice

Amy turns John’s devotion into a request for restraint. She makes clear that respecting her wishes means leaving her chosen refuge undisturbed.

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