Reading a novel can be a weighty matter especially when the novelist looks at the more serious side of life. Expecting an instance of light hearted fun and comedy in a novel like ‘The Rainbow’ would be a misjudgment since the novel’s energy and force are vital to propel the characters ahead in a spiritual search and the dilution of the mood would be a potential disaster for the novel.
On the other hand, a novel by Dickens would miss that stamp of distinctive genius if it were devoid of its share of humor, irony and wit. Some of the most memorable characters in fiction have emerged from this particular form of writing, ‘Ironical humor.’ Iam not an expert on the fiction of Charles Dickens to examine the details, but even a cursory first time reading of his novels like ‘David Copperfield, Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickleby, Oliver Twist, Pickwick Papers gives an understanding as to the novelist’s preference for the humorous and the comic in his characters. He could see the humor in a serious situation and had the ability to see the tears behind a humorous face. His readers could smile out of exultation as the battered and the deprived, triumphed in the end. They would also wipe tears of sadness when they met his humble characters. His power of observation and his identification with the rough and tumble of society gives us a rich source of material to laugh, cry and rejoice with. The Termagant wife Ms Joe Gargery though of a bitter nature is the cause of some humor as she grips both Pip and Mr. Gargery in her power in the novel ‘Great Expectations.’ From the same novel, the pompous Mr. Pumblechook admonishes Pip about the kindness of Ms. Gargery who has taken care of the orphaned Pip. The irony is clear as we are aware of the bossy and irascible temper of Ms. Gargery whose care of Pip and even her husband Joe is far from kindness. The character of Micawber from the novel David Copperfield demonstrates the novelist’s optimistic vision and his sweeping survey of humanity. Mr.Micawber lives in eternal hope, always nurturing a belief that something better will turn up. 'Annual income 20 pounds, annual expenditure 19 [pounds] 19 [shillings] and six [pence], result happiness. Annual income 20 pounds, annual expenditure 20 pounds ought and six, result misery.” A person who has seen the gloomier side of life and yet preserved his kindness and dignity Micawber is a wonderful character portrait by Charles Dickens. Tramps, convicts, Taskmasters, Guardians, Lawyers, Clerks, Tradesmen, Brokers, Spoiled kids, Poor workmen, Maids, Butlers and many more characters come alive in the novels of Charles Dickens. His extraordinary and piercing power of observation fetches him what is the most obvious in their personality. He sees the pathetic and the comic and captures in sweeping frames of insight, memorable portraits to be enjoyed forever.
Another novelist who could paint a picture of life with natural ease was Mark Twain. His ironical twist in delineating the characters of the Duke and the King in the novel ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,’ who portray themselves as gentlemen of fortune making Huck and Ole Jim do errands for them, makes for humorous interludes as they describe themselves in vain and pompous terms, while they are really a set of cunning rascals. In the novel ‘Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ Tom makes the job of painting fences appear very enjoyable, thus escaping the hard labor and also netting some cool gifts from his gullible friends. The episode on Monday morning school where Tom overacts his grief and pain; the tearful farewells that he makes to his brother Sid, the belief and the subsequent realization by Aunt Polly when she brings out a tongs and silk thread to pluck the tooth out, are unforgettable and leave me chuckling whenever I go through them again, reviving my first foray into those glorious books. Mark Twain’s ‘The Prince and the Pauper’ and “Life on the Mississippi’ also carry the distinctive quality of his irony and humor. But more on them in the next edition( To be continued)