The Cricket on the Hearth – Public Domain

This novel relates about a Cricket which constantly chirps sitting on a hearth in garden and acts like a guardian angel to a family.

The story is within a small family. The husband, John Peerybingle who is a carrier and his wife Dot who is very young. They have a son and their nanny lives with them. It is this chirps of this Cricket, which makes them feel the security and sense some danger that comes to the house. One fine day, a mysterious elderly stranger visits this family and takes up lodging with them for a few days.

There is a miser, Mr. Tackleton who lives in the city and a poor toy maker, Caleb Plummer works with him. Plummer has two children; a son named Edward who travels to South America and is never seen again and thought to be dead and a daughter, named Bertha who is blind. Somehow the life of Caleb Plummer and John Peerybingle intersects.

The next part of the story revolves around the wedding plans of Tackleton and what comes after that. Tackleton plans to marry May, who is Edward’s sweetheart. May does not like Tackleton and somehow wants to get rid of the marriage. On the eve of the planned wedding, Tackleton says to Peerybingle that his dear wife is cheating on him and manages to show him a secret scene where Dot embraces the mysterious stranger, who is in disguise as an old man and he is much younger to that. Thus creates a doubt in Peerybingle` mind, but he loves his wife so much that after giving much a thought, he decides to relieve his wife from their marriage act.

At this decision, Dot is surprised and she shows that she has always been faithful to her husband. The mysterious man was none other than Edward, who returned in disguise. Just hours before the arranged marriage, Edward and May gets married. Even though Tackleton feels bad first, his heart melts for May and lets her to live with Edward.

Here Dickens, in the end symbolizes the happy ending with Christmas time. Just like Christmas is the season for enjoying and forgiving, similarly Tackleton also melts his heart and forgives May, whom he loved and lost to Edward.