Book II Chapter 14 “The Honest Tradesman”

Plot Summary: Jerry and his son (also Jerry) are sitting outside of Tellson’s Bank late one afternoon when a small crowd of people passes by the bank in a funeral procession. Young Jerry cheers for the oncoming funeral, but Jerry promptly boxes his ears because, even though a funeral may be exciting, one should still respect the dead. As it turns out, as the crowd gets closer, the Crunchers realize that the crowd is actually booing the deceased because he was thought to be a spy. The mob plans to overturn the funeral carriage, take the body out, and derail the parade, but instead decides to become part of the rowdy funeral procession. The spy is Roger Cly, who testified at Darnay’s trial. Cruncher and Son set out towards home and meet up with Mrs. Cruncher on the road. Jerry immediately tells his wife that if his business ventures as an "honest tradesman" go wrong tonight, he’ll know it was because she was "flopping" (or praying) against him. Mr. Cruncher announces that he’s going out tonight, to go fishing.

Jerry (the younger) immediately points out that his father’s fishing rod is pretty rusty, which is strange, considering all the times that it’s supposedly used. His father doesn’t answer. Late that night, Young Jerry waits until his father leaves the house, slips on his boots and follows his father down the road towards…the graveyard. Watching through a crack in the wall, Young Jerry sees the three men begin to "fish.“ They’re not using fishing rods; they’re using spades. And they’re digging up the grave. Jerry runs away. In the morning, Young Jerry awakens to the sound of his father beating his mother’s head against the table. Mr. Cruncher blames his wife for the failure from the night before. As Jerry Cruncher and Young Jerry walk to Tellson’s, Young Jerry asks his father what a "Resurrection-Man" is. Startled, Mr. Cruncher stops abruptly in the middle of the street. After thinking for a minute, he tells Jerry that a resurrection man is a tradesman. Young Jerry ponders this information over for awhile. Finally, he declares that he’d like to be a tradesman when he grows up. Relieved, Mr. Cruncher says that with hard work and a bit of luck, Young Jerry might just turn out to be a decent adult, after all.

Literary Devices: Simile: As Jerry Cruncher witnesses the funeral procession, a passer-by tells him it is for the spy, Roger Cly, whom he says is as dead as sheep’s meat. “‘I've seen him. Dead is he?’ ‘Dead as a mutton,’ returned the other” (161). Colloquialism: Dickens uses colloquial London speech and slang to illustrate the way Jerry Cruncher speaks to his family. “If, as a honest tradesman, my wenturs goes wrong to-night, I shall make sure that you’ve been praying again me, and I shall work you for it just the same as if I seen you do it.”(165) Iamgery: The items that Jerry Cruncher keeps locked in a cupboard are tools of his grave-robbing trade. “Towards that small and ghostly hour, he rose up from his chair, took a key out of his pocket, opened a locked cupboard, and brought forth a sack, a crowbar of convenient size, a rope and chain, and other fishing tackle of that nature. Disposing these articles about him in a skillful manner, he bestowed a parting defiance on Mrs. Cruncher, extinguished the light, and went out” (166).

Essential Quote “You are going out to-night?” asked his decent wife, when he took another bite. “Yes, I am.” “May I go with you, father?” asked his son, briskly. “No, you mayn’t. I’m a going—as your mother knows—a fishing. That’s where I’m going to. Going a fishing.” “Your fishing-rod gets rayther rusty; don’t it, father?” “Never you mind.” “Shall you bring any fish home, father?” (165)