The Great Trouble

“You might say I was mired in my own murky thoughts.”

With this statement, Eel shows his capacity for metaphor. This knowledge of figurative language to express feelings more accurately highlights Eel’s education and intelligence: crucial talents that he will employ throughout the novel. Moreover, the comparison suggests the perpetual issue of Class Division in Victorian London, for just as Eel is stuck in his thoughts, he also sees himself as being “mired” in his limited capacity as a mudlark.

“I didn’t fancy getting scratched to shreds and having my arms turn bright red from dirty wounds. Last winter, another mudlark, a lad of only eight, had nearly lost his foot after stepping on a piece of sharp glass.”

Eel’s awareness that unclean injuries can lead to infection foreshadows the fact that he will be able to apply this understanding to discern the existing connection between sanitation and health within the context of the epidemic as well. With its focus on issues of safety, the novel brings attention to the changing attitudes around public health that took place in the Victorian era. However, Eel’s limited understanding of what constitutes “dirty” will develop as he learns more about the transmission of pathogens.

“It’s obvious when you think on it, ain’t it? Bad smells cause bad things.”

Thumbless Jake’s assessment about the “obvious” sources of disease is not entirely wrong, as bad smells do often signify rot or disease. However, the position is an oversimplified one. While this “obviousness” may be useful in naturally deterring people from handling dangerous substances or adopting unhygienic practices, it does not reflect the whole picture. Specifically, Jake’s assertion that the smells are the cause, rather than the result, of “bad things” correlates to the community’s refusal to believe that the good-tasting Broad Street water may be infected with cholera.

“It ain’t no good for my reputation if I’m left standing here on the road like a nursemaid.”

With this comment, Eel reveals that he is just as susceptible as anyone else to internalizing gendered prejudices. By believing that he, as a boy, is diminished by caring for children, he reinforces the notion that girl’s work is “lesser” than the work done by boys and men.

“My name is Eel, so I know exactly how these creatures think when they’re trying to wriggle away.”

Throughout the novel, several upper-class characters show distaste for Eel’s nickname. In this scene, however, Eel turns his chosen name into an asset by using it as proof of his cleverness and his willingness to work hard. This approach allows him to secure his first job with Dr. Snow.

“We must treat all creatures kindly, and be humane when doing experiments for the better of humanity, Eel.”

With this moment of instruction, Dr. Snow establishes an explicit standard for how to ethically pursue scientific inquiry. He suggests that being “humane” includes treating animals well in addition to caring for humanity, even when science is focused on helping just the human species. This assertion establishes Snow’s character as a lover of animals, which will be further emphasized by his fondness for Dilly.

“I thought Mr. Dickens had named his last book well: Hard Times.”

Eel’s knowledge of Charles Dickens’s writing, which was intensely popular in the Victorian era, suggests that he has continued to use his education even after circumstances have forced him to leave school. In the context of his frequent struggle to make ends meet, this comment suggests that learning is intensely important to Eel.

“I wasn’t scared so much for myself. But if I got sick, what would happen to Henry?”

Eel’s determination to prioritize the well-being of his younger brother over his own demonstrates the parental role he plays for his sibling. This dynamic demonstrates the ways in which Eel, still a child himself, has been forced to grow up quickly—a circumstance shared by the children of Golden Square, who must all face the harsh realities of poverty regardless of their family situations.

“The atmosphere in these crowded streets is unwholesome indeed. Miasma is the cause of this pestilence.”

The connection of the “atmosphere” of “crowded streets” with “unwholesomeness” constitutes an oblique reference to the prevailing miasma theory that equates the presence of illness with poor air quality. However, word “unwholesomeness” also alludes to a common view in the 19th century that the poor were somehow morally inferior to the middle and upper classes.

“Instead of looking with my eyes, I decided to see with my heart. I tried to remember that the corpses were just people.”

To overcome his disgust of helping the coffin man to transport bodies, Eel practices compassion for those who have died. This ability to think about the abstract value of helping others allows Eel to combine his emotions with his work and helps to keep him focused on the investigation that he will later undertake with Dr. Snow, even after he learns that his efforts will not help his friends directly.

“I believe the actions we take and the kindnesses we practice endure beyond our own lives.”

Reverend Whitehead’s comment about making an enduring impact foreshadows his later collaboration with Dr. Snow to better understand the dynamics of cholera outbreaks. His comment also underscores the novel’s emphasis on doing good deeds and working for the betterment of others, even in the absence of an immediate effect.

“If [Dr. Snow and Rev. Whitehead] knew it was just Henry and me (and him not even eight years old), they might think the best place for us was that very workhouse. It would feel like being in prison, stuck with hundreds of men, women, and children, all put in separate dormitories and made to do what everyone else did, day after day.”

Eel worries about the disparity about what the upper classes think are good for the poor and what he himself, as an impoverished child, thinks is best. Though workhouses were frequently framed as a social good in Victorian England, especially by those who had no risk of living there, the poor living conditions and the near-impossibility of bettering one’s financial status meant that many of London’s poor residents feared being sent to live there.

“‘It’s a beautiful microscope,’ I said […] ‘It’s a bit like a church organ, ain’t it, sir?’

Dr. Snow seemed surprised. ‘What makes you say that?’

‘Well, it’s mysterious-like,’ I said. ‘Just looking at it makes you scratch your head, trying to figure out exactly what to do. But I expect if you know how to use it, then it ain’t a mystery at all.’”

Eel’s comparison of Dr. Snow’s microscope to a church organ foreshadows the complementary roles that religion and science will play in the novel’s later chapters. Eel’s thoughtful and creative comparison also demonstrates his critical thinking and skill at creating abstract comparisons. These attributes make him a good investigator because he sees mysteries as being solvable.

“Trust. The word stuck with me like a good, hearty breakfast […] There was hardly anyone left who trusted me.”

Eel expresses his desire to have someone trust him, which emphasizes the fact that people often view him as an untrustworthy “urchin.” Contrary to this image, Eel aspires to overcome these class-based prejudices and show his value through hard work and intelligence. The simile comparing the wholesomeness of trust to a “hearty breakfast” also serves to emphasize his survival-based mindset. In his limited world, a solid meal is the ultimate good, and this comment implies that in the emotional world, trust itself is equally sustaining.

“First a cat, now a dog. I was beginning to wonder if I had an invisible sign around my neck that only four-legged creatures could see: Takes Unwanted Animals.”

Though Eel’s comment reflects an exasperated tone, he consistently proves himself to be willing to show kindness to those less fortunate, such as Dilly and Queenie. This capacity for compassion aids him in his investigation, for he is not only seeking personal gain; he also cares about improving his community.

“Writing was hard work.”

For Eel, who spends his days running about London and digging through the Thames for things he can sell, writing is a very different form of work. However, his claim that writing remains challenging even with the benefit of that experience suggests that he recognizes that work comes in different forms and that intellectual labor is not inherently easier than physical labor.

“I guess it’s hard for folks never to laugh, even in the midst of bad times.”

In this passage, Eel recognizes the perseverance of the human spirit even when the situation seems impossibly bleak. The novel’s repeated return to acts of friendship and love in the midst of tragedy creates a largely optimistic tone, leavening the heavy subject matter for the benefit of younger readers.

“To everyone else, it was a mystery why poor Mrs. Eley got the cholera out here in Hampstead. But not to me.”

Although Eel is largely community-minded, he nonetheless feels a form of personal triumph upon solving the mystery of the “uncommon case” of cholera. This moment indicates that it is acceptable to take personal satisfaction in well-executed scientific inquiry even if one’s broader goal is the betterment of humanity.

“What was my life, or Henry’s life, against all those future lives that could be saved? Should I trade my freedom for Henry’s?”

When trapped by Fisheye and Kate, Eel worries that it is morally necessary to trade Henry’s freedom for his own so that he can give Dr. Snow the proof about the Broad Street pump and thereby save many lives. However, he ultimately decides to protect his brother, and this decision reflects the novel’s preference for personal stakes even in the midst of mass tragedy.

“I hope that you will agree to his request to remove the handle to protect the people of Golden Square, so that no more of my friends and neighbors will die.”

Eel’s final comment in his speech to the Governors’ Committee combines a logical, scientific appeal with an emotional one. Rhetorically, Eel’s speech depends on both logos and ethos (though he does not name them as such), and his strategy suggests that he understands how to make a compelling argument that utilizes multiple forms of persuasion to reach a broader audience.

“Mrs. Gaskell has a new novel, called North and South, which will come out a bit at a time in the Household Worlds magazine. I hear it’s got a girl heroine in it—someone brave like you.”

Eel references a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, which discusses class disparity in England—the same disparity that affects Eel’s life. His discussion of serial publishing references a popular trend in Victorian publishing whereby stories were released weekly in periodicals, with readers following them in real time. This model is rare in modern publishing but is akin to the weekly release of television episodes.

“Today we are using science—not superstition—to stop the spread of disease.”

Dr. Snow expresses an opinion that the novel implies is not entirely fair. Though other characters in the novel do not have Snow’s scientific knowledge and education, their understanding that illness can be transmitted through the air and that dirty conditions can lead to infection arises from basic scientific inquiry in the form of trial and error over time.

“It would have saved more if we could have [removed the handle] even earlier.”

Dr. Snow’s lamentation that they could have saved more lives if they had removed the Broad Street water pump handle earlier suggests that dissatisfaction with one’s results is an important motivation to seek greater scientific discovery. This lament, compounded with Eel’s return to education after being adopted by Mr. Edward, offers an optimistic vision that Eel will continue to make his own public health discoveries.