"Dombey and Son" tells the story Paul Dombey, the wealthy owner of the shipping company, whose dream is to have a son to continue his business. The story begins when his son is born, and Dombeys wife dies shortly after giving birth.
The child, also named Paul, is weak and often ill, and does not socialize normally with others. He is intensely fond of his elder sister, Florence, whom Mr. Dombey neglects as irrelevant and a distraction. The child is sent away first for his health, and then to a school near the sea, but he dies, still only six years old.
Dombey pushes his daughter away from him after the death of his son, while she futilely tries to earn his love. She also develops a close friendship with Walter Gay, who once rescued her when she had got lost and been kidnapped as a child.
Walter works for Dombey and Son, but through the manipulations of the firms manager, Mr Carker, he is sent off to work in Barbados. His boat is reported lost and he is presumed drowned.
Walters uncle, the navigation instrument maker Solomon Gills, leaves to go in search of Walter. Florence is left alone with few friends most of the time.
Dombey goes to Leamington with Major Bagstock, where he meets Mrs. Skewton and her daughter, Edith Granger. After they return to London, Dombey remarries; effectively he buys Edith in marriage.
The marriage is a loveless one; his wife despises him as greedy and herself as shallow and worthless. Her love for Florence initially prevents her from leaving, but finally she conspires with Mr Carker that they shall ruin Dombeys public image by running away together.
They do so after she fights with Dombey; when he discovers that she has left, he blames Florence, hits her in his anger, and makes her run away in fright.
After Carkers disappearance, it is discovered that he had been running the firm far beyond its means; within a year it collapses and is sold off and Dombey is left a shambles; nearly mad living alone in his decaying house.
Meantime Florence has found refuge with Captain Cuttle, who has been running Gills store in his absence. Walter Gay returns home after being fortuitously saved from his shipwreck.
He and Florence marry, and she reconciles with her father. Dombey finds happiness in the marriage of his daughter, and all ends well.
For many, Dombey and Son is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless pieces of classic literature, this gem by Charles Dickens is highly recommended.
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