The Bully of Humility Revealed

Throughout Dickens' novel, Mr. Bounderby trumpets himself as "a self-made man," often reminiscing on his horrid childhood and rise from the lowest of society.  Then, the characters are introduced to Mr. Bounderby's mother, and his sham comes into the light.  His mother interjects the shame in accusing her "of being a bad mother to [her] son, with [her] son standing here to tell you so different"(254).  The claim that Bounderby would say anything about his mother that did not accuse her of being a bad mother is ironic because, in fact, whenever Bounderby mentions his mother it is to accuse her of being horrid.  This reversal undercuts the idea that a person can truly be "self-made" since the model of a "self-made man" turned out to be a liar.