I am going to study the setting and atmosphere of three short stories written in the Victorian era, I will attempt to understand how the Victorian society was based on these texts. Sikes and Nancy written by CHARLES DICKENS in 1869, The Black Cottage written by WILKIE COLLINS in 1859 and The Treasure In The Forest written by HERBERT GEORGE (HG) Wells in 1895. Sikes and Nancy This story was set in the dark gloomy streets of London near the London bridge. The bridge runs over the river Thames and the setting is around the docklands. A man called Fagin ran a crude gang of paupers that robbed people and did various other criminal deeds.
He was the leader but second in command was a man called Bill Sikes. Nancy was the name of Sikes`s girlfriend she was a working girl. Fagin expects unquestionable loyalty from Nancy but he has suspected that her loyalty has strayed to Sikes. Fagin wants Nancy to forget about her past and have no thought about her old life. Nancy found some new friends which Fagin was curious about. So much so that he sent a young man called Noah to “shadow” Nancy as she goes out to her meeting with her new friends.
Noah keeps caution and stealth at mind, which helped him avoid being detected. Nancy had finished her meeting with Rose and Mr Brownlow over the bridge. Noah’s footsteps were heard retreating after the meeting was over. Noah rushes as fast as his legs could manage and reports this news to Fagin. Fagin told bill repeat the news to Sikes. Sikes was infuriated and angry at Nancy, he goes to Nancy and confronts her about meeting with unauthorised people. Nancy was on her knees begging and clutching to a handkerchief that was given by Rose as a present before their parting. Sikes kills Nancy in cold blood and fled out of London.
When Sikes looks upon his dog Bullseye he is haunted by the memory of his actions, he decides he must do something to ease the guilt. Sikes tried to tie a rock around Bullseye`s collar but he wasn’t successful, his plan was to drown his dog. Bullseye sensed it and ran away from his master, a symbolism that every thing had gone and was still leaving him. The London streets were cobbled at Victorian times and some parts still are today. The streets were vast and winding through and around other streets, there is a lot of distance to be covered by travellers. The setting was urban with derelict housing around but never the less still housing. The bulk and important parts of the story was set at night. The lighting was very poor as the only lights available were a few weak oil lanterns and the moonlight if any.
The river Thames would have been almost like a mirror, reflecting every thing that stood in front of it. The night was relatively quiet as most people were asleep or stayed in. However there were a lot of people in the taverns so as the people were travelling in and out of them they would be using the streets. The dawn brings life to the streets with people being busy and bustling around. The river wakes up from its sleep and comes alive at dawn. The paupers that were the poor people were at the bottom of the social ladder, then it was the working class, middle and then ultimately the upper class.
The upper class were “gods among ants” (the paupers) the most richest and powerful people were admired and envied by the lesser. Victorians believed that paupers and criminals were evil at birth. Criminals may have an element of evil in there genes but they are not born evil. Paupers are just poor and for some reason working plus classes have come to the unfounded conclusion that they are all evil. The backward Victorian society thought this was the case. Even DICKENS thought this way. There isn’t any real evidence that they were born evil, maybe superficial. The surroundings of an individual have led to the outcome of a person’s choice to do right or wrong. The poor run down areas would have crime reeking through them, as there would be no choice for good because of corrupt influence from criminals.
The Black Cottage This story was written as a narrative, the events were told as if they were from Bessie’s mouth. The Black Cottage was set in the midst of a moor in the west of England and was about a girl called Bessie who lived with her farther a stonemason. The cottage was stoutly built with roughly cut stone but was lined and remained snug inside. The outside was covered by pitching and tar, this gave it a dingy effect, hence the name The Black cottage. The only close neighbours they had were a mile and a half away at Holme manor. Holme manor was grandeur to anybody’s eyes and even more compared to the cottage.
A letter arrived from their country town regarding a stone-estimating job for her father, it was for only for one day. So he left for town but Bessie was left alone in the cottage. Her family was poor and was getting by day to day somehow, people knew this so there was no conceivable chance of burglary, the windows were belted and had iron bars. The risk of any danger was very low as even a timid person could not apprehend a reason to be, the protection of being poor and so isolated was sufficient enough. Rich Valley was an ironic name as most of the people who lived there were working class and not rich at all, opposed to the country town were mainly wealthy people lived. Their worldly possessions were few but among the few they had only one valuable piece of furniture it was a little walnut bookcase that belonged to her mother.
The evening had come and the miners were going back to the moor farm from the mines, the black cottage was along their route. Bessie was outside her house when to men went up to her and asked for a drop of cider. Bessie said she didn’t have any not thinking of the consequences. Jerry and Shifty Dick went away and Bessie went inside. The ruffians returned later and talked to Bessie, she foolishly told them that she was alone. They picked up the stones and threw them at the door increasing in power and rate after each stone, they were trying to break the door down and enter forcefully. Bessie was very venerable at that stage and still she managed to keep her nerve. Bessie put more logs on fire and lit all the candles as this made her keep her nerve.
She saw her cat Polly crouched up and panic stricken in a corner, she felt so close to the little creature and wanted to ease its trouble. She went upstairs and put the little cat beside her bed. She kept on looking outside the window and there was a thick desperate tension in the air that made her think the end was inevitable. After the villains broke in and Bessie fled with the pocket book, she heard shouting as if they were going to apprehend her. The voices started to drown as she moved farther away from the cottage. The weather was unfavourable to the villains as it was raining heavily and there was a lot of mist in the air.
The sheer blanket of darkness that engulfed the moorland made it impossible for the thieves to see even a few feet in front their own eyes. Twenty thieves would have trouble finding Bessie let alone just two. Bessie was trying to get to the farmhouse, she used an ingenious method of navigating through the pitch black darkness. The wind was blowing from the farmhouse during the day, so she remembered to run against the wind. She reaches the farmhouse and the only person awake was the farmer’s son.
She collapsed and regained enough strength to tell this ill news to him. She collapsed again but this time when she woke up it was in a bed with Polly around her feet and her farther, Mr and Mrs Knifton beside her. The farmer’s son marries the stonemason’s daughter after some deliberation with the notion of class. She states that if she didn’t have this dangerous adventure she would have probably never married him.
