Dickens's Father
John Dickens was a larger-than-life character whose fingerprints can be felt across the life and writings of his son, Charles Dickens. John struggled with money and borrowed heavily. Unable to pay back what he owed, he was sent to Marshalsea Prison in 1824 when Charles was 12, forcing the young boy to work in a boot polish factory. Dickens's experiences with poverty and prisons, his fear of destitution, his career in journalism, all were the consequences of having John as a father.
