Voorjaar 2009 no.66
19
The Dutch Dickensian Volume XXIX
pared two pellets for the purpose.
In the scene that follows, the two wanderers
turn out to be Charley Hexam and Bradley
Headstone. Eugene ignores Charley an what
he says about his sister, and cruelly taunts and
condescends to Bradley. When Bradley accus
es Eugene of reproaching hi for his origin, his
up-bringing, his obscurity, Eugene replies:
"How can I reproach you with what is not
within my knowledge, or how can I cast stones
that were never in my hand?"
Mortimer knows that Eugene has been lying
to him about Lizzie; and we know his dishon
esty in another way, thanks to those pellets.
When Eugene protests that he doesn't
"design" to capture and desert Lizzie, That he
doesn't "design" to marry her, that he doesn't
"design" to pursue her, he is lying. He says, "I
don't design anything. I have no design what
ever. I am incapable of design." But we know
otherwise. We watch him design those pellets
for Charley and Bradley, to "bring them
down." As the scene closes, Eugene refuses to
take any responsibility for himself or what he
dies.
Bradley has accused Eugene of "meanness"
and shifty evasions" - and we must agree.
However dangerously passionate Bradley is,
however unattractive his personality and
demeanour are, he is not as bad as Eugene.
Bradley frightens Lizzie in the churchyard
scene; but when his passion overcomes his
restraint he harms himself, not Lizzie. His
hands are dangerous, but they don't threaten
her. They threaten Eugene, as do his words
and his "dark look of hared revenge" (2,15).
But before we can begin to worry for Eugene,
that young man appears, "loitering discontent
edly by." And in his careless "thoughtless
ness," he begins to insult Mr. Riah - irrele
vantly - for his Jewishness, as he insinuates
himself between Lizzie and her kind protector.
We can't like Eugene any more than we can
trust him. But he has "power" over Lizzie: "He
knew his power over her." And "he knew
whatever he chose to know of thoughts of her
heart" (2,15).
And going to her side, so gaily, regardless of
all that had been urged against him; so supe
rior in his sallies and self-possession so
faithful to her, as it seemed... what an
immense advantage, what an overpowering
influence, were his.
Agnes Wickfield told David Copperfield that
he had "power of doing good" and Mian
Woodcourt told Esther the same thing. In this
novel, John Rokesmith seeks power - but the
power he seeks is a noble one;: 'If, in his limit
ed sphere, he sought power, it was the power
of knowledge, the power derivable from a per
fect comprehension of his business" (1,16).
Power, for Eugene, is a different matter: it is
selfish, and mean.
When Lizzie tells Bella, her new friend, about
Eugene, Bella is moved by Lizzie's "deep,
unselfish passion" (3,9). Immediately follow
ing this, perhaps for comparison, we see
Eugene, "all idle and shiftless," with Jenny
Wren (3,10). She is distraught; her drunken
father is breaking her heart. Eugene is "sorry"
for her, "but his sympathy did not move his
carelessness to do anything but feel sorry."
Eugene doesn't really fell so very sorry for
jenny; he bribes her drunken father, paying
him for information about Lizzie's where
abouts and helping him drink himself to
death,
To Mortimer, Eugene is "the express picture
of discontented idleness" (3,10). Speaking of
Lizzie, he accuses Eugene: "you know you
don't really care for her.' Eugene replies, "I
don't know that." But he isn't sure that he
does care for her, and he speaks "with a per
plexed and inquisitive face, as if he actually
did not know what to make of himself." He
knows enough to want to find hr, however,
and to indulge himself - and his selfishness -
in doing so, "by whatever means that offer
themselves. Fair means or foul means, are all
alike to me." He has an "unprecedented glean
of determination" in his eyed as he says this.
And he says it again, knowing that he means
he has chosen "are foul."
Eugene is "reckless" and cruel in his enjoy
ment of tormenting Bradley. To "goad the
schoolmaster to madness" is his "amiable
occupation' (3,10). When he finds Lizzie, she
accuses him of "cruelty" in seeking her out. He
doesn't deny it; rather, he says "Heaven knows
I am not good" (4,6). The narrator says that
Eugene "would have been base indeed to have
stood untouched by her appeal"; but Eugene is
