In the passage from the novel, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, Tobias Smollet portrays how people succumb to the pressure of social expectations. As Mr. Pickle and Godfrey Gauntlet quarrel, they reach a peak at which they surge past gentlemen-like behavior due to their emotions getting the best of them. To maintain good standing in the public eye, they move to settle their disagreement in a duel. Both parties see themselves as the character which must defend their honor, which leads to a steady incline of conflict. Their relationship reaches a level of complexity when both men strive to attain dignity whilst not falling out of the high social ranking. The use of dialogue and repetition by Tobias Smollet help convey the strain on Mr. Pickle …show more content…
Pickle and Mr. Gauntlet taking their first swings in battle. Mr. Pickle observes that “were he to treat Mr. Gauntlet according to his deserts, he would order his man to punish his audacity with a horsewhip.”(Lines 42-44). This enraged use of diction helps convey Mr. Pickle’s feelings towards Mr. Gauntlet and how Mr. Pickle considers himself above Mr. Gauntlet. This ties back to the dialogue exchanged in the first paragraph of the passage, again highlighting that even though Mr. Pickle is higher class than Mr. Gauntlet, he is more arrogant and shows less gentleman-like qualities. Mr. Pickle is also “transported with rage at the sight of his own blood..”(Lines 50-51). Even though his wound is only “superficial”, Mr. Pickle’s rage swells at the thought that someone of Mr. Gauntlet’s status would think it appropriate to strike him. Again, Mr. Pickle values himself far above Mr. Gauntlet, not only in social status but in skill in combat. Smollet’s acerbic tone illustrates the anger within the duel, showing that the men are facing emotional strife. The duel intensifies physically as the men release more and more pent-up anger toward each other, exemplifying that their need to please society has caused them to bottle up all of their emotions until they are releasing them all at