Thoughts on Bleak House

It seems to me that Bleak House was composed in a black and white sort of way. The contrast between Chesney Wold and Bleak House could not have been more obvious. The former always seemed shadowed in fog or rain, dark, depressing, borring and haunted. The latter seemed sunny, warm, nurturing and lively. Even the contrast between Lady Deadlock and Esther was similar, they were in effect the same person, but while one was cold, dead and bored the other was youthful, lively and happy. Even the two styles of narration differed in this darkness and light sort of way. Esther’s narration seemed tolerate the sunnier familial aspects of the story. She recounted the family dynamic at Bleak House, Ada and Richards budding romance and translated for us Mr. Janrdyce’s moods. The other narrator seemed to know only the mysterious aspects of the story involving the suit, the secret, and the murder. This was a continuous trend to the end of the novel were the a new Bleak House is created and a whole new generation kids is born to mirror the last.

            There were other similarities between characters that seemed to parallel each other. Mr. Boythorn and Sir Liecester loved women, who besides being sisters, did not love them back. I even found that Esther in some ways resembled Mrs. Flite, at least early on in the novel, that theory fell apart as the novel progressed; however they both had a bird and were linked to the Chancery suits. Mrs. Padriggle and Mrs. Jellybee were preoccupied with doing good for others while wronging their own families. I wondered if this particular observation that any link to the fact that England was more concerned with foreign affair and dealing with domestic issues. This also brings Skimpole to mind, he is the man-child that should have been a father figure. The scene early in the novel when Esther and Richard bail him out suggests that he is stealing or taking advantage of children. This is driven home each time he appears borrowing money or living off of other people generosity. In the end he proves to be and ungrateful leech that mooches off of Richard and slanders Mr. Janrdyce in his book. The point being that in England children were working and being exploited by masters who should have been father figures protecting them from the world.

            This brings me to the next point about the angel in house. Esther is very much the Angel in the house. She is a mother figure to Ada, protecting her and sheltering her while keeping house for Mr. Janrdyce and Richard. They leave and face the world and all of its foggy mystery while she cares for the poor and informs us ever so demurely of her modesty. Lady Deadlock on the other hand poses the direct contrast of this. She embodies the fallen Angel, the woman who strayed and is haunted by a ghostly specter for her less then moral past. Richard too embodies the man who went to adventure and see the world but failed in his duty to provide and protect this family. Woodcourt on the other hand goes abroad, rescues people, is heroic and comes home to do his duty by other and provide for and protect his family with Esther.