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Paradox
Definition of Pathos
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is an argument that appeals to... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective speaking or writing). Pathos is... read full definition
Pathos, along with logos and ethos, is one of the three "modes of persuasion" in rhetoric (the art of effective... read full definition
Book 2, Chapter 9
Explanation and Analysis—Johnny's Death:
Dickens was a master of emotion, and he accordingly fits Our Mutual Friend with powerful moments of pathos. Mrs. Boffin, Bella, and John Rokesmith visit Betty Higden’s in Book 2, Chapter 9, where Johnny is wasting away in illness. Though the party eventually brings the ailing boy to the hospital, those efforts come too late. Rokesmith returns to the hospital that night, when Johnny is in his final moments:
With a weary and yet a pleased smile, and with an action as if he stretched his little figure out to rest, the child heaved his body on the sustaining arm, and seeking Rokesmith’s face with his lips, said:
‘A kiss for the boofer lady.’
Having now bequeathed all he had to dispose of, and arranged his affairs in this world, Johnny, thus speaking, left it.
Related Themes:
