I Like Knowing Nothing

The upper class that Charles Dickens creates in Our Mutual Friend is petty, superficial,  and ignorant. Their  one-dimensional understanding leads them to perpetuate an exclusive, elitist image that lacks a deeper meaning. The behaviour of the upper class in Our Mutual Friend is mirrored in the liberal intellectualism in tertiary education today; catering to these images eradicates the need or desire to analyse one's actions.

There is a specific image of what it means to be an open-minded liberal in tertiary education today. The tolerance of other races, creeds and cultures in indicative of an open-minded individual. The representation  of a tolerant person is limited because there are schools of thought that are instantly seen as close-minded and thus are not accepted within the pseudo-open minded ideology. For instance, conservative opinions are rarely taken into consideration because they represent the antithesis of open-mindedness. However, in dismissing these opposing ideas, the open-minded individuals become intolerant. They will not  entertain a viewpoint that goes against their  ideals. A less zealous approach teaches acceptance over tolerance. Acceptance allows a person to understand and appreciate differences without rejecting them. However, the images we are forced to maintain often exclude accepting behaviour.  

Conforming to societal roles reinforces dogmatic behavioural patterns. People make statements or behave in certain ways because they feel a need to prove that they fit into their image. This desire is similar to Mr.Veneering's political campaign in Our Mutual Friend. He decides to become a member of parliament and begins to "work" to this effect. The farcical nature of his campaign demonstrates the lengths to which a person will go to achieve an image without regard for the repercussions of their actions. The fact that readers find his display comical points to our own deficient understanding of how we perpetuate our cultural images. For instance, when talking of diversity most people talk about racial diversity and imply that differences in race equate to differences in opinion. While this is true to an extent, people of similar cultural and socio-economic  backgrounds, but  different races, have a certain level of commonality. There is a tendency to assume that diversity is all encompassing  and  as a result, the word "diversity" is misunderstood in the politically correct vernacular.

Bradley Headstone from Our Mutual Friend exemplifies the dangers in conforming to a societal narrative.  He strives to become his image of an educated man and to that end, hoards education and knowledge without understanding it. He thinks that an education is to know as much as possible without the necessity of comprehension.  Through performing his perceived role, he traps and prevents himself from achieving his ultimate goal.

The power of social expectations and roles to bewilder and ensnare individuals is constantly at play in the novel and in the modern world. Learning to identify and understand the deeper connotations and limitations of these roles is the first step to overcoming pettiness, superficiality and ignorance. Within the context of learning how to better oneself,  Socrates had this to say: " True wisdom comes to each of us when we realize how little we understand about life, ourselves, and the world around us."