Our Mutual Friend

John Harmon is the sole living representative of the Harmon family, whose legacy drives the plot of Our Mutual Friend. His father, also named John Harmon, was a cruel and abusive man who drove his son into exile from England. As such, John grew up away from his homeland and away from his family’s fortune. Whereas many of the other wealthy characters have been raised in a privileged environment, John was forced to make a living for himself abroad. Even beyond the necessity of providing for himself, he sought to forge an identity that was independent of his abusive father; his identity as John Harmon is not one that means much to him, particularly as his father’s death has not ended his cruelty. The will is an example of his father’s manipulation, demanding that John marry Bella Wilfer if he wants to inherit the family fortune. John does not know Bella and fears losing his life and his independence to his father’s cruelty. Even before he reaches England, he resolves to cast off his identity as John Harmon so as to understand the world he left behind. He is therefore the primary vehicle for the novel’s exploration of