Chapter 43
Egad! We learn that Skimpole has fathered another whole generation of Skimpoles
and set them loose upon a world that already has a surplus of freeloaders.”We
all draw a little, and compose a little, and none of us have any idea of time
or money.”Little wonder that Jarndyce feels the wind shifting
uneasily eastward!
Then, the whimsical mood suggested by the carefree Skimpoles is soon swept aside by a well-meaning — but unexpected and troubling — visit by Sir Liecester Dedlock. Secrets are like little fires or spoilt food: the most innocent actions may give them air, set them loose to cause trouble. Esther now knows that the secret she shares with Lady Dedlock is nowhere near being buried. She feels trapped and must reach out for help from the only person she feels she can trust.
I begin to wonder: How many of other people’s burdens can John Jarndyce bear?
Chapter 44
Taken altogether, this is a discouraging chapter, pointing toward a
disappointing future for Esther. Both Esther and John Jarndyce have settled on
what to them appears the least troublesome choice from the options available.
There is no reason to believe that this “agreement” is based on anything more
than a sense of obligation. Upon recovery from her illness, Esther had essentially
resigned herself to giving up her aspirations for a love match with Mr.
Woodcourt. Now, in destroying the flowers, the last symbol of her dreams, she
seems to have re-confirmed that decision.
But of perhaps greater concern is the fact that her acceptance of Jarndyce’s rather odd proposal doesn’t actually solve anything: destructive forces are still at work, aided by the likes of Hortense, Smallweeds and perhaps Tulkinghorn or Guppy. Esther’s secret may come back to destroy the Dedlocks’ marriage and Esther’s social standing; the pernicious legal case still drags on; Richard’s relationship with John is wrecked and his prospective marriage to Ada appears doomed.
Things really do look ‘bleak’.
Chapter 45
Reading this chapter, I feel the ground shifting under us.
Richard's state of mind is so far gone that he is incapable of making rational
decisions. He may well decide to accept Ada's small bit of savings and
immediately blow it all on his obsession with the chancery suit.
Meanwhile, Woodcourt's return to the scene makes Jarndyce's strange marriage
contract even more uncertain than it has been.
I think the conversation between Esther and Woodcourt is very revealing as to
Esther's troubled feelings: When she very pointedly asks "Do you find him
changed?" is she not really attempting, perhaps subconsciously to gauge
his reaction to her own changed appearance?
Chapter 46
This chapter moves the plot along somewhat, by tying several strings together.
Woodcourt learns about Jo having been taken in by Esther and hence how Esther
came to be infected. And he learns from Jo the name of the man who fetched Jo
away from Bleak House, took him to hospital and then warned him to get far away
— all of which ties Woodcourt more securely into the forefront of the
narrative.
But it seems to me that Dickens’ primary motivation in this
chapter was to showcase for his readers the despicable environment of that
great slum, Tom All-alone’s and the state of extreme degradation of its
unfortunate residents. And that the effects of its horrible conditions were not
limited to the slum itself but that its rot and infection actually was spread
abroad “through every order of society, up to the proudest of the proud, and
to the highest of the high.” Furthermore, that all of the posturing and
rhetoric of the authorities only served to perpetuate the state of misery — and
that the state of extreme neglect was largely due to the endless J&J
lawsuit which kept ownership of the properties in limbo.
In delivering this condemnation, Dickens draws upon the full extent of his literary
skill: “in truth it might be better for the national glory even that the sun
should sometimes set upon the British dominions, than that it should ever rise
upon so vile a wonder as Tom.”
And he equally applies his talents when describing poor Jo, in effect as an icon demonstrating the human wretchedness of the place: “… his shapeless clothes hanging in shreds. Clothes made for what purpose, or of what material, it would be impossible to say. They look, in colour and in substance, like a bundle of rank leaves of swampy growth, that rotted long ago.”
Jo’s emotional account of the continued abuse he suffers, despite having done nothing to deserve it, reinforces the picture of injustice while also contrasting his mistreatment with the occasional bit of kindness he has received at the hands of Nemo, Snagsby and especially Esther. Dickens has gone to great lengths to drive home his moral argument.
Chapter 47
Emotionally moving as it is, this entire chapter is also a ringing indictment of
the entire social and economic structure of Dickens’ day. Jo, the most innocent
and harmless creature imaginable, is nevertheless made the victim of every
self-serving segment of society. "It is surely a strange fact, that in
the heart of a civilized world this creature in human form should be more
difficult to dispose of than an unowned dog."
It strikes
me that there have been three significant turning points in the narrative thus
far, points where the story moves into a new direction:
- when Esther is taken under the guardianship of John Jarndyce
- when Lady Dedlock reveals to Esther the story of her origin
- when Jo, who “never knowed nothink” tells Woodcourt, George and Esther what
he knows, and then dies
This is masterful story-telling.
Jo has served the function that is given to the chorus in a classic Greek
tragedy or the ‘holy fool’ in the Eastern Christian tradition — the apparently
ignorant or naïve character who is granted insight into the truth about the
tragedy that is unfolding before us.
Chapter 48
Most of the subtitles that Dickens assigns to his chapters identify a setting
or one of his major themes (Jarndyce and Jarndyce, Telescopic Philanthropy,
etc.) or the particular character that occupies center stage. But every so
often, the subtitle carries portent of some coming event (The Ghost’s Walk, A
Turn of the Screw, Jo’s Will, etc.) Here, the title is “Closing in” signaling
that matters are swiftly coming to a head. Lady Dedlock’s blunt confrontation
with Tulkinghorn is certain to bring about a crisis. As indeed it does!
And now we
have a couple of new mysteries to ponder:
What effect will Tulkinghorn’s death have on Lady Dedlock and her secret?
And who is the murderer? There is no shortage people with a motive, but how
many of them are likely to have the skill and the opportunity? Bearing in mind
that George is a sharpshooter, he would seem to be at the top of the list; but on
the other hand, Dickens may prefer to surprise us.
Time for some detective work ….
Chapter 49
Bucket is surely one of the more interesting characters in this novel. He
strikes me as what might be termed a “good soldier”, i.e. a competent fellow
who follows orders, does his job without malice or prejudice. As he says, "duty
is duty and friendship is friendship.” He goes out of his way to keep his
professional obligations separate from his personal interests. This is also
likely to mean that he is not a man to be “bent”. He will always do what he believes to be the
correct thing. In this case, George is the most likely suspect: he had the capability,
the motive and the opportunity to kill Tulkinghorn. With both the legal
community and Sir Leicester’s forces ranked against him, it may be hard for him
to escape conviction. He appears to have no alibi.
Nevertheless, I suspect that this is a case where ‘Occam’s razor’ will not point to the truth. There are too many other forces at play and Tulkinghorn had accumulated a number of enemies, several of them obvious and others less so. It might be worthwhile to ponder how Tulkinghorn’s death affects old Smallweeds. The lawyer provided Smallweeds with powers he would otherwise lack and undoubtedly paid him well to act as a middleman. If there’s a truly black villain in this story, that old scoundrel fits the bill.
Chapter 50
This is one of the most discouraging chapters we’ve encountered thus far. There
is a pervasive sense of unease. Caddy is undergoing a lengthy term of ill
health and even though Mr. Woodcourt has been brought on board, aiding in her
recovery, her infant daughter, Esther’s namesake remains very frail.With the
presence of Mr. Turveydrop and poor old Jellyby in the household, the
atmosphere is tense.
At Bleak House, Ada is showing signs of deep emotional disturbance. Esther tries harder and harder to cheer everyone up with forced gaiety and being constantly busy, as if that will somehow make everything better.
And John Jarndyce, not satisfied with financially supporting Ada, Esther, Charley Neckett and her orphaned siblings, as well as attempting to save Richard from his obsession, now wishes to make Woodcourt rich. At what point is John going to overextend his resources? And meanwhile, Jarndyce & Jarndyce grinds onward, enriching the lawyers and taking its toll on all of the victims of Chancery.
Gloom.
Chapter 51
Jarndyce and Jarndyce has claimed another victim. It will consume not only
Ada's modest savings, it will take away a life she might have had. The case is
craftily designed to continue indefinitely and it will end only when all of its
participants have no more ability to raises funds to keep it going. Vholes is
becoming concerned that his client is at risk of running out of funds but he is
hopeful that some new money may be brought into play. After all, Ada's small contribution
will not last long — and Vholes has three daughters to think of.
Chapter 52
In this chapter, while moving the plot along, Dickens is also doing some
structural housekeeping; over the course of the narrative, he launched quite a
number of somewhat disconnected narratives, each more or less centered upon a
particular household or place of business— e.g. there was the Dedlock household
(which includes Mrs Rouncewell); Tulkinghorn’s law office & home; George’s
shooting gallery; the Smallweeds household; Caddy’s household; and of course
Bleak House. Every now and then, Dickens patches in a connection between narratives,
connecting the dots so that a complete network is created — and what we have in
in fact one coherent story. In this chapter, Mrs. Rouncewell, a valued member
of the Dedlock household, is about to be brought to bear on behalf of George.
The obvious question is: what will Sir Leicester’s reaction be? And how will
Bucket, now cozily ensconced in the Dedlock favor, handle that situation?
One may wonder if Dickens, in highlighting George’s obstinacy regarding lawyers, is poking a bit of fun at himself, i.e. his own ongoing rant about lawyers.
Chapter 53
Dickens takes delight in seizing upon some object that he can use as an icon,
manipulating it to serve many purposes, to conjure up a lasting image in the
mind of his reader. In this chapter, as he did with “the Roman” at the end of
Chapter 48, he again chooses a finger as his icon, the multi-talented finger of
Mr. Bucket. <i>He puts it to his ears, and it whispers information; he
puts it to his lips, and it enjoins him to secrecy; he rubs it over his nose,
and it sharpens his scent; he shakes it before a guilty man, and it charms him
to destruction.</i> As a literary device, Bucket’s finger serves the same
purpose as Holmes’s deerstalker hat or Poirot’s silly moustache!
Bucket is really showing his mettle, both in his craft in obtaining information and in his talent for dealing with clients who can be on the one hand demanding and imperious or on the other hand scatterbrained, vacuous or simply bored. His manipulation of the ‘Mercury’, playing to his vanity is brilliantly effective.
