ENGL 510: The City in the 19th Century

   In chapter 17 (I know I am way behind schedule), Ada and Esther confront Richard about the lack of enthusiasm he has for becoming a doctor. After discussing the matter with Mr. Jarndyce, they agree that Richard should test the waters with practicing the law before he commits to his new career path. Ada is concerned that Jarndyce might be upset by the change in plans, but Jarndyce reassures her that he is not upset with Richard’s decision. What I found interesting in this passage is that soon after they decide that Richard should change careers, Jarndyce says out loud that “it must be somewhere written that the virtues of the mothers shall, occasionally, be visited on the children, as well as the sins of the fathers” (271). His comment did not seem to fit with what had just taken place. I couldn’t tell if he was referring to Richard or some one else. What did he mean by this? So far, we do not know anything about Richard’s family other than the fact that he is a distant cousin of Jarndyce. Is Jarndyce alluding to some sort of secret about Richard’s family? Or is this simply a foreshadowing of some kind? 

It is also possible that when Jarndyce makes that statement, he is thinking of Esther. Although in her situation, not only are the sins of the father past down to Esther, but also the sins of her mother are past down as well. Either way, the novel wants us to reconsider the notions of judgement—whether it is in a courtroom or a person’s character. Dickens introduces Esther as such a kind and loving mother figure, and yet, she is a disgrace to her family. As we slowly get to know Esther, we realize that she is anything but a disgrace. Regardless of her family’s history, we cannot help but to sympathize with her unfortunate situation. Our judgement of Esther completely contradicts society’s judgement of her because we, the readers are able to move past the social norms and are able to take closer look at her character. Even Mr. Jarndyce questions whether or not Esther should be judged solely on her mother’s decisions. 

In the following pages, Jarndyce informs her of how he came to know Esther. He explained to her that even though her aunt thought she deservers to suffer because of her mother’s mistakes, he firmly believes that Esther’s aunt is misguided and that there is no “need for [Esther] to expiate an offense of which she was quite innocent” (276). He recognizes that Esther should not have to pay for the “crimes” of her mother, and perhaps that is why he accepts the offer and becomes Esther’s Guardian. Now, I know I’m not too far into the novel, so there may be another hidden reason as to why Jardnyce decides to “adopt” Esther, but even if there is a hidden agenda, I still think that Dickens is encouraging us to reexamine the idea of judgement and how it functions in the novel .