Bleak House (Charles Dickens)

analyzed by Christy Moceri

1. What is the genre?

Global—Worldview > Maturation

Secondary—Crime > Master Detective; Love Story > Courtship

2. What are the conventions and obligatory scenes for the genre?

Conventions

Strong Mentor Figure. Esther’s benefactor, Mr. Jarndyce, is a steadfast mentor who remains uniquely uncorrupted by the influence of the Court of Chancery. His disgust for the legal system influences her rejection of the greed and hypocrisy of the upper class and directly impacts her ability to withstand the story’s trials.

Big Social Problem as subtext. Through its use of dozens of distinct characters and omniscient POV, Bleak House satirizes the upper class and places heavy emphasis on the burdens and exploitation of the poor.

Shapeshifters as Hypocrites. Most of the upper class characters in Bleak House are satirized as shapeshifters or hypocrites. Examples include: Mr. Skimpole, the freeloader, who claims to have no knowledge of financial affairs but is constantly sloughing his debt off on others – and who ultimately leads Richard on the path to ruin; Master Dedlock, who believes himself and his wife beyond reproach despite his wife’s secret, sordid history; and Mrs. Jellyby, who is so absorbed in her missions in Africa that her own children are neglected.

A clear point of no return. Esther’s “Mirror Moment” is literally looking at herself in the mirror and reckoning with her serious disfigurement and the permanent loss of her innocent self.

Ironic win-but-lose, lose-but win ending. The Court of Chancery destroys everyone who became invested in the outcome of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce – when the suit is finally resolved, the court costs have eaten away every last bit of inheritance. Esther’s mother dies in shame, and her dear cousin Richard dies in financial ruin, but Esther, Mr. Jarndyce and Ada live happy and fulfilling lives despite enduring these tragedies.

Obligatory Scenes

Inciting opportunity or challenge: Esther Summerson, an orphaned adolescent, is sent to live with her benefactor, John Jarndyce, to be the governess of Bleak House and the companion of Ada Clare.

Protagonist sidesteps responsibility to respond to the opportunity or challenge: When the adolescents go to visit Miss Flite and Mr. Krook, they are faced with the devastation wrought by the endless civil suit, Jarndyce v. Jarndyce. They affirm to themselves that they will never allow themselves to be destroyed by their entanglement with the suit. (Naiveté masked as sophistication.)

Forced to respond, the protagonist lashes out. Mr. Skimpole (the freeloader) appeals to Esther and Richard to help him with the debt collector, and they both offer the bulk of their savings. This further highlights the characters’ naiveté.

Protagonist learns what their external Antagonist's Object of Desire is. After learning that Esther and Richard were duped by the freeloading Mr. Skimpole, John Jarndyce takes Esther aside and explains the corrupting influence of “the deplorable cause” (Jarndyce v. Jarndyce.) His role as Esther’s mentor is critical here, as it helps Esther to realize the world is not perfect and the people around her can be fallible. From this point forward, she begins to evaluate others, particularly the upper class, with more ethical rigor.

• NOTE: A Worldview Story requires a value shift to Doubt (Cognitive Dissonance) This occurs at exactly the midpoint of the novel, as foreshadowing to the change awaiting Esther: “I had for a moment an undefinable impression of myself as being something different from what I then was. I know it was then and there that I had it. I have ever since connected the feeling with that spot and time and with everything associated with that spot and time, to the distant voices in the town, the barking of a dog, and the sound of wheels coming down the miry hill.”

Protagonist's initial strategy to out maneuver Antagonist fails. In her attempts to care for the exploited street urchin Jo, Esther is stricken by smallpox and permanently disfigured. Jo’s illness is a direct result of his mistreatment by those tied up in Jarndyce v. Jarndyce, therefore Esther contracts smallpox because of the greed and excess of the Court of Chancery. This moment is also significant because Esther takes Jo in against the protestations of Mr. Skimpole, who (like most in the upper class) feels no pity for the boy. Esther has made an active choice to show compassion, and suffers for it dearly. Esther’s permanent disfigurement by the illness is an outward symbol of the internal change that has taken place.

During an All is Lost moment, Protagonist realizes they must change their black/white view of the world to allow for life’s irony. Lady Dedlock confesses to Esther, in secrecy, that she is Esther’s mother, and that Esther was born of an illegitimate affair that would ruin Lady Dedlock’s family if the truth became known publicly. Esther is shocked and aggrieved that she will never be able to speak to her mother again. But in that moment, Esther is able to let go of her simplistic view of the world and to accept the truth about her parentage. She recognizes that she has been blessed with many enduring friendships and opportunities to be of use to others, and goes away in peace, grateful that her mother loves her.

The action moment is when the Protagonist’s gifts are expressed as acceptance of an imperfect world. When Mr. Woodcourt professes his love to Esther even though she is already engaged to Mr. Jarndyce, Esther is filled with gratitude to be held in such high regard by a man that she loves in return – even though there is no possibility of their being together. This scene reinforces Esther’s newfound maturation.

The protagonist’s loss of innocence is rewarded with a deeper understanding of the universe. By the end of the novel, the Court of Chancery has taken Esther’s beauty, her mother, and her dear cousin Richard, but she gains the love of Mr. Woodcourt, is blessed with two daughters, and lives a happy life with the companionship of Ada and Mr. Jarndyce. Esther is no longer innocent and naïve, but she is happy because she has learned to be grateful in spite of her hardships.

3. What is the point of view?

Bleak House alternates between Esther’s first-person narrative and a third-person omniscient narrator who relates the stories of dozens of supporting characters. By providing Esther’s narrative in the first person, Dickens effectively showcases the emotional impact of the greed and corruption of the Court of Chancery. The supporting characters, most of whom are either corrupt or tragic, all act in contrast to or in thematic alignment with Esther’s experience. These supporting characters are critical to demonstrating Dickens’ chosen themes of the exploitation of the poor by the upper class, the arrogance and lack of compassion exhibited by the upper class, and the folly of the existing legal system, which existed to support the upper class at the expense of everyone else. Dickens wrote intentionally for a broad audience, trying to capture the interest of as many readers as possible, which also accounts for the quantity and variety of characters covered in the novel.

4. What are the objects of desire?

External/Conscious: Esther wants for herself, her friends and family to live happy, untroubled lives of prosperity.

Internal/Subconscious: Esther needs to let go of her simplistic worldview and find a way to cope with the inevitability of suffering and loss.

5. What is the controlling idea / theme?

Because this is a Maturation plot, the story shifts on the values of Naiveté and Sophistication.

Sophistication prevails when we learn to accept life’s hardships with gratitude and make ourselves useful in a world obsessed with status.

6. What is the beginning hook, middle build and ending payoff?

Beginning Hook - When Esther goes to live at Bleak House, here naïve view of the world is challenged by the greed and hypocrisy of the upper class elite. With the help of her benefactor and mentor, John Jarndyce, she learns to guard her own integrity from the corruption of elitist values.

Middle Build – When Mr. Tulkinghorn’s machinations against Lady Dedlock begin to harm innocent people, Esther must grapple with the greed, corruption, arrogance, and hypocrisy of the upper class. In a dramatic revelation, Lady Dedlock confesses herself to be Esther’s mother, and Esther must choose between clinging to her naïve and simplistic worldview, or finding a way to happiness in spite of life’s hardships. Esther chooses to accept her imperfect circumstances, and focuses on her gratitude and her usefulness to others. Unfortunately, Lady Dedlock’s secrecy proves to be her undoing, and she dies in a tragic scandal.

Ending Payoff – When Mr. Woodcourt professes his love for Esther, she must decide between despairing the fact that she is already engaged to John Jarndyce, or accepting the hard truth and living with gratitude that the man she loves also loves her. She resolves to live in loving gratitude and maintain her commitment to Mr. Jarndyce. Mr. Jarndyce releases Esther of her obligation to marry and gives her and Mr. Woodcourt their very own Bleak House to raise a family.

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