After reading · Part II · Chapter 1

Part II · Chapter 1Tellson’s and the Crunchers

Reading boundary Start: Tellson’s Bank by Temple Bar was an old-fashioned place Stop after: He don’t get no iron rust here!

Summary

Five years later, Tellson’s Bank remains cramped, dark, and proudly unreformed. Its partners treat age and inconvenience as marks of respectability, while its clerks handle customers through gloomy little boxes. Jerry Cruncher works outside as the bank’s porter and messenger.

At home, Jerry scolds his wife for “flopping”—kneeling to pray—which he suspects harms his business. The narrator notes that Jerry mysteriously finds his boots covered with clay in the morning, while Young Jerry wonders about the iron rust on his father’s fingers.

Who’s who

Jerry Cruncher — Tellson’s odd-job man, suspicious of his wife’s prayers.
Mrs. Cruncher — Jerry’s mistreated wife, who quietly prays.
Young Jerry — Their observant son and his father’s copy in appearance.