“One of the finest of all English satires” is what Terry Eagleton, famed literary theorist, terms Charles Dickens masterpiece; Bleak House. The canonical piece of literature stands to exemplify seriality in its best form. Released to audiences over a period of 19 months through installments and expanding from 1852-53, this rich and varied story containing over 900 hundred pages was a must read for many in England. Attached to the novel were the authors working notes. These provide insight on his writing process and allows researchers to analyze connections in the novel on a micro-level.
The twelfth installment includes chapters 36 through 38 and reveals that symbolism is vital to the way Dickens constructs narratives. Chapter 36, Chesney Wold, encapsulates Esther’s time as she visits Boythorn’s house with Charley. It is here that two major events happen; one, she looks in the mirror for the first time since she had fallen ill with smallpox and two, Lady Dedlock reveals to Esther that she is her mother. She is then visited by her dear confidant and friend Ada. This leads the reader into chapter 37, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, in which Richard is at the Dedlock public house of Arms. He summons Esther and she finds him with Skimpole. Esther is quick to notate her criticism of him and wonders why Richard would have such a friend. Richard goes on to articulate that he has a strong distrust of John Jarndyce. Mr Vholes arrives and he and Carstone ride off into the distance of Jarndyce and Jarndyce. Finally the installment ends with chapter 38, The Struggle, Esther goes back home to London where she attends dance lessons with Caddy and then they travel to Mr. Guppys house in which he and Esther discuss the secret. These three chapters are inundated with the symbolism of mirror imagery and reconcile with the uncanny similarities they induce. Bleak House as a novel holds a mirror up to 19th century English society, and the twelfth installment highlights the same subversive symbolism with which he creates these enigmatic parallels. This imagery; however, exists as a shifting metaphor. There is evidence to suggest mutability within the seemingly concrete images that a mirror creates. The following chapters try and explain this tension.
The reader is presented with the first example of the mirror image when Esther literally stares at her reflection at Boythorn’s. She declares that her face is very strange to her now, but that it “very soon became more familiar,” she then adjudicates that there is nothing definite in this world, not even her own image. Although her shifting image is physically linked to the smallpox she has acquired, the metaphorical parallel describes the way in which Esther is unintentionally causing unhappiness to Lady Dedlock (Dickens, 572). Esther is a self-sacrificing heroine. Administering to the poor, manifesting friendships with many of those around her and allowing others to be happy before herself, but no matter how consciously honorable she can be, there is always the fact that her birth is not honorable, even if it is out of her control. She states that “I knew I was as innocent of my birth, as a queen of hers” (Dickens, 587). Just like a disease doesn’t necessarily mean harm, it happens to manifest it. The timing of Esther’s disease and Lady Dedlock’s discovery happen at the same time. Then, the day Esther looks at herself in the mirror and visibly sees her scars, she comes face to face with her birth mother. From then on Esther’s presence is similar to a disease for Lady Dedlock. During their encounter Esther is thankful for her aforementioned scars because it will distort the appearance of any similarities between the two women, but as the reader continues through the novel, one discovers that the complicated relationship is more than just a passing resemblance and Esther’s scars do not keep people from finding out. Just as Esters physical appearance goes through a quick and radical change, so does Lady Dedlock’s life. This meeting marks a significant shift from benign to malignant for Dedlock as she is slowly driven out of house and dies cold and alone mourning her prior misgivings. They resemble mirror images of each other. Once the revelation of their relationship happens Esther cannot seemingly move without causing some distress for Lady Dedlock, even if it is beyond her control.
The following chapter, 37: Jarndyce and Jarndyce, is still presented from Esther’s perspective, but is focused on the degradation of Richards character. Dickens highlights this by reflecting the disposition of both Skimpole and Carstone. From the very beginning of the novel Skimpole is a despicable character. Within the novel he is self-described as “childlike”; a parasitic moocher, his convulting nature drives him to take peoples money without them even realizing and he is more than willing to sell anyone out for a sixpence. His name even suggests that he skims people out of whatever they have to give. Although not as malicious in his misgivings, Richards’ disacknowledgement of basic human civility and responsibility makes him comparable to Skimpole. It is obvious that Richard has radically changed from the beginning of this text, but Esther can barely believe that he would account for someone like Skimpole. Richard describes him as someone that “does me more good than anybody,” and Esther’s response, which she mentions silently to herself, is “I began seriously to think that Richard could scarcely have found a worse friend” (Dickens, 593-94). Richards overt trust in Skimpole points out his extreme naivety, leaving the audience to consider him just as childlike as Skimpole. Richard hasn’t always been this way though. Yes, he has been indecisive about career choices in the past, but nothing to suggest he is akin to Skimpole’s egregious behavior. It is only once he gets caught in the windstorm of Jarndyce and Jarndyce does he exhibit such a front. He goes as far as to completely rebuke John Jarndyce by explaining to Esther that they are not on “natural terms.”
The introduction of Mr. Vholes further extends the parallel between Skimpole and Carstone. One of the most diabolical characters in the entire novel, Vholes is introduced to Richard by Skimple who is seemingly unaware and uncaring of the implications that this pairing will cause. On the other hand, Carstone refuses to acknowledge his exploitation. This situates both Skimpole and Richard into the same realm of infant-like behavior even further than before. Although not exactly one to one parallels exist between Richard and Skimpole, Dickens seems to be making social commentary on people who have an inability to accept social responsibility. For the the author, these people are mirror images of one another because no matter their small differences in appearance or characterization, their inability to add anything to society makes them identical.
In the last chapter of the installment, Chapter 38: The Struggle, the audience sees one of the characters create a parallel between two places. Caddy manages to be reminded of the “Sweeps” when she looks outside her window and sees all of the appretencies. This adds another layer to the metaphor. Characters within the story are able to point out parallels within their own narrative. One reading of this reminds the audience of the sweeps of course. But another reading of this callback can serve to highlight Esther’s function as a narrator. The entirety of the twelfth installment is from Esther’s perspective. Therefore, if Esther is acknowledging this existence of meaningful past connections for one character the reader, is forced to conclude that Esther creates this for herself. Therefore the reader may ask themselves, is she intentionally leading us (the audience) to certain conclusions? The audience has already seen from both chapter 36 and 38 that she is not willing to reveal all of the contents of the letter between her and Lady Dedlock. We know that she isn’t revealing all of her information, so in what other ways has Easter been manipulating the audience. She may be doing this unconsciously, as people are prone to have unconscious biases with which they view the world; however, that does not negate the existence of them. Since Esther is writing this in a retrospective manner the reader may ask if she is making connections inadvertently because she knows how the story ends before it even starts. This is a stark reminder for the audience that Esther is a subjective narrator. But, nevertheless it doesn’t make those connections any less real. When the reader sits down with Bleak House they submit to Esther’s story and in that particular way are forced to take at least part of the narrative as true and real or else it would be impossible to draw any significant conclusions from the story. This is all summed up in Esther’s reply to Caddy’s callback to the “Sweep.” She states, “All this presented that art to me in a singular light, to be sure” (Dickens, 610). This is the answer to why her narrative exists. She presents to the audience her narrative or “art” for which she is sure of. Esther has to literally reflect on the past to formulate the story in which she is describing, as long as her memory serves her well she is sure of her art.
This installment constitutes only 50 pages, but this is one of the most complex parts of the narrative. These three chapters contain one of the biggest revelations in the novel, establishes a the continual shift of Richards decline in character and an gives insight to both Caddy and Mr. Guppy. Commentary on the aspects of shifting characterization is revealed through the use of parallel and mirror imagery. Dickens however complicates this by installing a shifting metaphor in which the “mirror” is used in a few different ways. We see this with Esther and her mother, Esther and her narrative, Richard and Skimpole, and Caddy and the Sweeps. Yet, this stands against the novel as a whole in which Dickens makes a larger parallel to his novel and nineteenth century England.
MLA
Dickens, Charles. Bleak House. London: Penguin Books, 1985.