MovieChat Forums > Our Mutual Friend (1999) Discussion > The Boffin's Conflabulation

The Boffin's Conflabulation

posted 16 years ago by silverduckday
3 replies | jump to latest

Well i have to admit i only saw this series a few weeks ago and it was so brilliant it's made me a little obsessive! Lol!! Been thinking about lots of things in the series, reading the book and rewatching my favourite scenes! (mainly bella/john bits)

Anyway just wandered what people thought of the Boffin's conflabualtion? Mr Boffin pretending to be a miser and mean master to John. I was very surprised when it turned out he wasn't bad at all, it had all been part of the plan. I was quite pleased about it too - after all they were such nice characters at the start and i felt so sorry for Mrs Boffin! I've been reading reviews of the book itself and people criticise this, but i'm quite pleased - what do others think?

I've always been a bit confused by the aim of this plot though. I guess the Boffin's were trying to make bella realise the evils of money and at the same time prove that she was not obsessed with money and would stand up for john. I understand the first bit, but not quite the latter.

Do you think the Boffin's thought bella did like John at this stage, and was only against him because he was poor? That would make sense, as then, if she did like him, she would stand up for him. But if the Boffin's weren't sure that she did like John (John certianly mustn't of thought so) then the plan doesn't quite work. After all why would she give up her nice position to defend a man she doesn't love? She could still see the evils of money, but it wouldn't help John win her over. So do people think the Boffin's did know she did like John, because if not, then i'm not quite sure what they hoped to achieve by repressing and slighting John? Maybe i'm missing something?

[–] rachybabes 16 years ago

The bella loving john idea was one of the reasons as to why he acted a miser, i thought, but then i also thought that it had something to do with silas wegg - that john knew he would turn against noddy boffin and wanted to punish him for it ........ i'm constantly confused myself about this!!

[–] rebkad 16 years ago

Didn't they also want to make Bella fall in love with John? They thought Bella was contrary enough to fall in love with someone she was told she wasn't supposed to, maybe, as well as prove to her that her obsession with money (again, what people like her father would rather she wasn't) was wrong. They knew she was strong enough to speak her mind and stick up for someone hard done by. Doesn't Bella also say that his attentions were "pleasing" at home but not now? I figure they cut a scene there.

But I think the main reason for their deception was to help John. They realised how upset he was - near suicide, depression and emotionally numb "drowned" and "frozen" and they wanted "to raise him to the skies" - getting Bella to think kindly of him would be a start. They're afraid he'll go all introverted and lonely like he did before when he was practically abandoned/ abused by his father remember Mrs Boffin saying she remembered how he was when a little boy so they join in on his scheme of testing Bella so that he isn't doing it alone like the invisible man!

[–] geniuswoman 16 years ago

I agree. I think the whole plan was as much about keeping John as it was about "testing" Bella. When the Boffins discovered that John was alive and well and intending to leave them again, they of course wanted to do eveything possible to change his mind and at the same time, they also believed that Bella was in the end a good person and not as shallow as she makes people belive. I think they felt that Bella would be a worthy match for John and vice versa, which is why they devised the plan to prove it to John.