British author Charles Dickens, a notable figure in the canon of modern English literature, is a Victorian novelist famous for such stories as Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and A Christmas Carol. A prolific author who blends sentiment, comedy, and social realism with a satiric edge, Dickens was enormously popular in his lifetime and deeply influential in the development of the English novel. Dombey and Son is considered one of his more mature if less popular works, published serially in 1846-1848 and preceding such classics as Hard Times, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations.

The larger plot of the novel focuses on the titular Dombey, a rich London merchant who is concerned more with the quest for an heir than with the care of his daughter, Florence. Surrounding him is a lively cast of characters that illuminate the varied social strata of Dombey’s world, from sailors and military men to spinsters, widows, and the charming young clerk who wins Florence’s heart. The novel touches on many of Dickens’ favorite themes and obsessions, especially the conflicts between affection and ambition against the backdrop of an increasingly commercialized and industrialized society. 

This guide refers to The Modern Library paperback edition published by Random House in 2003, which contains select original illustrations by Phiz as well as an introduction by novelist Jonathan Lethem.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of emotional and physical abuse, gender discrimination, illness and death, including death of a child. There is also reference to suicidal ideation.

Language Note: The source material uses derogatory language to depict characters of color and characters with disabilities. 

Plot Summary

Mr. Dombey, head of the successful firm Dombey and Son, gazes with satisfaction on his infant son, Paul, who will be his heir. Dombey pays no attention to his six-year-old daughter, Florence, and finds his wife’s death an inconvenience because it means he must hire a nurse. His sister, Mrs. Chick, and her friend, Miss Tox, locate Polly Toodle, the mother of several children, who agrees to be Paul’s nurse, live in the Dombey residence, and be addressed as Mrs. Richards. Florence is fascinated by and feels protective of her brother.

Florence’s nurse, Susan Nipper, encourages Polly to visit her children even though Mr. Dombey wouldn’t like it. Florence gets separated from the nurses and has her clothes stolen by an old woman named Mrs. Brown. She wanders into the City of London where she encounters Walter Gay, a young man who works for Dombey and Son. Walter brings Florence to the shop run by his uncle, Solomon Gills, who makes nautical instruments, before returning her home. Walter becomes fascinated with Florence.

Paul is sent to Brighton, to the establishment of a woman named Mrs. Pipchin, and Florence goes with him. Paul is a solemn, fanciful child who often experiences ill health. When Paul is old enough, his father enrolls him in a school run by Dr. Blimber. Paul makes friends with an older classmate, Toots, but the highlight of his days is when he can see Florence. Back in the City, Dombey suggests to his manager, Carker, that Walter be sent to their office in Barbados. Solomon and his friend, Captain Cuttle, are sorry to see Walter go.

Paul falls ill and, while at home for a holiday break, passes away. Florence is devastated, as is Dombey, but when she tries to comfort her father, he sends her away, feeling resentful that Florence has survived instead of his precious son. Dombey travels to Leamington with Major Bagstock, who is a neighbor of Miss Tox’s. The Major introduces him to an older woman, Mrs. Skewton, who has a beautiful but proud daughter, Edith. Dombey, who is impressed by Edith’s beauty and accomplishments, invites Carker to meet her. Edith dislikes Carker and does not care for Dombey, but she accepts his proposal because he offers financial security for herself and her mother. Edith melts when she meets Florence and wants to be a real mother to her. Florence hopes Edith might help her win her father’s love.

Word comes that Walter’s ship has been lost at sea. Solomon leaves to search for him. Captain Cuttle takes over running the shop, helped by Rob, the Toodles’ eldest son. Florence grieves to hear that Walter is lost, for she was fond of him and thought of him as a brother. Dombey and Edith wed, but the marriage is not a happy one. Edith refuses to show Dombey the deference he believes he deserves, and he resents the affection she shows to Florence. Carker warns Edith that showing Florence attention risks angering Dombey. As the distance between her parents grows, Florence feels even more lonely. Mrs. Skewton falls ill and dies.

Mrs. Brown’s daughter, Alice, returns to London after being sent away as a convict. Alice meets the gentle and lovely Harriet Carker, who lives with her brother John Carker. Both are estranged from their brother, Carker the manager. Alice, too, hates Carker the manager because he previously had a sexual relationship with her, then cast her aside. Rob leaves Captain Cuttle to work for Carker the manager, of whom he is in awe. When Dombey is injured by a fall from a horse, Carker the manager visits his home every day, trying to ingratiate himself with Dombey and Edith.

Two years after their marriage, Dombey lays down an ultimatum that Edith must obey him. She refuses and runs away with Carker the manager. Florence, who is now 17, tries to console her father. He strikes her and orders her out of his sight. Distraught, Florence stumbles out of the house and goes to the instrument-maker’s shop. Captain Cuttle takes her in and consoles her. They are both astonished and overjoyed by the return of Walter, who was rescued from his shipwreck. Walter has loved Florence since they met, and she joyfully agrees to marry him.

Alice and Mrs. Brown arrange for Dombey to overhear them interviewing Rob about where Carker the manager went. Rob reveals that Carker is traveling to Dijon. Dombey sets out in pursuit, but Alice repents and goes to Harriet to ask if there is some way to warn Carker. In France, Carker meets with Edith, but she refuses to have anything to do with him and flees. Carker hears a pounding at the door and flees also. He travels back to England, but when he sees Dombey at the railway station, Carker falls onto the train tracks and is crushed by the train.

Solomon Gills returns to his shop just in time to see Florence and Walter marry. The newlyweds leave for a voyage abroad. In the ensuing year, the firm of Dombey and Son goes bankrupt. Dombey broods in his house and begins to feel remorse for the way he treated Florence. When she returns, now a mother, they reconcile, and Dombey is a changed man. He lives with Florence and Walter and dotes on his grandchildren, especially his granddaughter, Florence.