Things That You See Your Father Do
Charles Dickens had a way of creating characters utterly repulsive to the reader because they are such self-righteous hypocrites. One of these is Mr. Squeers in Nicholas Nickleby who in the novel owns a boys’ house with his wife. They are terribly cruel to the boys but put on airs to everyone else that they were like a loving father and mother to the poor boys. One of those boys whom they tormented was named Smike, and he escaped near the beginning of the novel with the help of Nicholas. Later on in the story Smike ran into Mr. Squeers and his son in the street in London. They grabbed onto Smike and would not let him go, taking him captive to drag him back to the boys’ house. Mr. Squeers was overjoyed to have his prisoner back, and once again started beating him in the coach, declaring, “I never threshed a boy in a hackney coach before, There’s inconveniency in it, but the novelty gives it a sort of relish, too!” After capturing Smike, his son, the little Wackford, proudly turned to h...