Wade in the Water

The River Thames is a prominent symbol of life in the Our Mutual Friend. Those characters who live from the river and scavenge it are often referred to as some type of predatory animal, like a bird of prey. I want to focus on the associations that the River Thames has with life rather than with death even though they are incredibly intertwined. The River, as Gaffer explains to Lizzie, is the life blood of many people in London during this time. It literally sustains the masses and proves as a place of deposition for waste and an aggregation that can be benefitted from.

As important as the literal usage of the River thames is its figurative aspects. Akin with the idea of sustaining life, is producing life, or rather, reproducing it. I want to look directly at the idea of rebirth within the river. Baptism is a rebirth of ones soul. After having been blessed, a tainted soul is then washed away in the water and we see a couple character go through this process of rebirth through or closely related to involvement with the River Thames.

The two characters that are literally seen as reborn, one a successful rebirth and the other unsuccessful, are John Harmon and Rogue Riderhood. John Harmon is three characters in one. First, John Harmon, then, Julius Handford, and finally (maybe) John Rokesmith. The River killed off John Harmon then bore Julius Handford and John Rokesmith. New characters are created out of the wake of the river. When he reveals his plot to the reader, John's confession is prefaced with the assertion that "For John Rokesmith, too, was as like the same lost wanted Mr. Julius Handford as never a man was like another in this world"(Dickens, 359). This statement leads the reader into the divulging of rebirth. With his exit of the River, John Harmon adopts his new alias and essentially a new self. His rebirth is successful in creating a new literal identity.

His parallel so far in the book is Rogue Riderhood. His rebirth is much less successful. When he is trolling the river at night he is hit by a steamer and taken under. Those who are out to save him fear that it is too late for him but, because of a semi biological instinct, they try "Over and over again. No. No. But try over and over again, nevertheless" to revive him (Dickens, 440). The people trying to revive him hope that if he is revived, he will undergo a reformation of heart and "[Hope] he'll make better use of his life"(Dickens 442). Unfortunately when he is revived he is as wretched and mean as ever and thus his rebirth failed in the sense of reforming his personality.

The idea of rebirth and baptism within the river runs much deeper than these two instances. However, these instances are extremely important when added into the over arching theme of the Thames as the thing that gives and takes life in London. It is the all powerful center of this novel. So many prosper from the river and so many fall to it.