Group Reading of Bleak House — Chapters 43 - 53

 

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.

Group Reading of Bleak House — Chapters 33 - 42

 Chapter 33
I recently posted a list of the varieties of people Dickens found objectionable; perhaps I need to add journalists — at least those associated with tabloids and scandal sheets. And we might add pompous and ineffectual local officials, gossips and the intrusive mobs of rubbernecking idlers who turn up at any sort of disaster. All of them come in for some sharply pointed ridicule as they gather at the scene of Krook’s bodily conflagration. The same crowd that materialized at Nemo’s demise.

Who else should appear on the scene but old Smallweed, declaring himself to be sole heir and custodian of the late Krook’s property; no opportunity escapes the old buzzard’s grasp.  Mr. Smallweed is at once permitted so far to assert his supremacy as to be carried on a visit of sentiment into the next house, and upstairs into Miss Flite’s deserted room, where he looks like a hieous bird of prey newly added to her aviary. How perfectly apt!

Guppy’s schemes have all come to naught; he is reduced to eating humble pie before Lady Dedlock. The question hovering in my mind is: Was Krook’s strange death on the very night he was scheduled to hand over the letters a coincidence or was some other agent at work? And Lady Dedlock seems to have anticipated that the letters were destroyed; is she relieved, puzzled or gratified? And can this be the end of her troubles? Doubtful; Tulkinghorn is still very much on the prowl ….

 Chapter 34
Once again, we see the evidence of Tulkinghorn’s far-reaching influence and proof of his ability to get his own way. As I noted earlier, Mr. George, in first defying the lawyer had gained a powerful enemy. And those who are allied with Georgr could easily become ‘collateral damage’ when Tulkinghorn attacks. The lawyer now has gotten what he wanted; but what will be the outcome of that?

Smallweed is an ideal agent to serve Tulkinghorn’s needs: he is ruthless and all he cares about is money. He cares not a whit how greatly he is despised by his victims. He will happily do Tulkinghorn’s dirty work for him, no questions asked. I suspect that scenarios of this kind created by Dickens might well have inspired many a modern day crime film or TV drama about crooked politicians, businessmen or lawyers who “keep their hands clean” by seeking out small-time gangsters to handle the seamier side of their endeavors.

 Chapter 35
It seems to me that in having Esther reveal her secret about Mr. Woodcourt, Dickens is subtly beginning to shift her character development forward another step. At the beginning, she was the timid, scorned child with a disgraceful past and no clear future; then the wise, competent mistress of the household, keeper of the keys and go-to person that everyone counted on. But her severe illness has awakened in her another degree of self-awareness, a sense that she might have become more than a spinster governess or housekeeper; that she has harbored secret dreams of another life, where perhaps she might have found love and marriage, leading to a different future. Now, faced with her disfigurement, she feels ready to acknowledge those dreams, believing them to be lost. And despite all of that, she refuses to fall into despair or feeling sorry for her misfortune; she is thankful for the return of her eyesight, poor as it is and she is preparing to accept her lot in life, with dignity and grace. A noble character in all respects.
But Dickens has surely not invested so much in Esther to allow her story to end here. This is a hopeful chapter.

 Chapter 36
As in all of his mature works, Dickens employs a good deal of multi-layered symbolism here. Those readers fortunate to have an illustrated edition in hand may also appreciate how cunningly several illustrators have picked up on that symbolism and amplified it.

In this chapter, we reach the first major climax in the novel; much of what has transpired thus far seems to have been leading up to this moment. But is it really a turning point? Esther has learned part of the truth about her origin, although her father’s identity has not been revealed to her; and she is unlikely to be able to have further contact with her mother. Revealing the secret to others would destroy Lady Dedlock and devastate her husband. Even if Tulkinghorn acquires the proof he seeks about the entire affair, what might he gain by revealing what he knows? He gathers information so as to gain power over others; but his client is Sir Leicester, who would be the person most harmed by any such revelation. It would appear to be an impasse.

Esther plans to share the secret with Mr. Jarndyce, although it’s hard to see what he would be able to do about it. Meanwhile that poor fellow already has more than enough problems on his plate.
So as dramatic as this chapter has been, it doesn’t appear to have changed anything much in Esther’s daily life or her future prospects. From a narrative point of view, where do we go from here? And how will this all be affected by that infernal Jarndyce and Jarndyce case? Many questions, few answers, Mr. Dickens!

 Chapter 37
“And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.” – Revelation 6:8

There can be little doubt now that Richard’s fate is sealed; the vortex that is Jarndyce and Jarndyce has begun to suck him in. How appropriate that his agent is a darkly dour chap named Vholes, a hollow man made up of holes into which his client’s money shall disappear.

This is certainly the most ominous chapter we’ve encountered thus far. The question arises: Will Richard drag Ada into debt and destruction along with him.

 Chapter 38 provides a welcome bit of light relief after the ominous conclusion of Chapter 37. 

It’s gratifying to see how well Caddy has matured into an entirely new existence, where her hard work is appreciated, unlike the way she was exploited by her addled mother. And even poor Mr. Jellyby has found an ally and a peaceful refuge with Turveydrop — an unlikely pair, to be sure!

Better still, we see Esther, now fully recovered, taking definitive action to put Guppy in his place and close off at least one potential security leak.

 Chapter 39
Once again, Dickens embarks upon a pointed rant against the legal profession — and the laws that are written so as to ensure that there will always be business for lawyers. Vholes is a prime example of a class of lawyers who benefit thereby; he offers his client just enough encouragement to keep him on the case while pledging only to keep his “shoulder to the wheel” — and making sure to collect his fees.

As for Guppy, he seems to be determined to keep his pledge to Esther and to leave Lady Dedlock in peace. But his disappointment at his failure still rankles and he is still keeping contact with Bart Smallweeds, which suggests that he hasn’t given up altogether. A fellow not to be trusted.

Meanwhile, Tulkinghorn has certainly not abandoned his search for evidence, he’s still on the prowl to see what old Smallweeds can dig up at the rag-and-bottle shop.

This entire lot — Guppy, Jobling, the Smallweeds and especially Tulkinghorn continue to hover as a menace to the interests of Lady Dedlock and Esther.

And what about that leech Skimpole? Is really as feckless as he pretends to be?? Are we to believe that he did not receive a "finder's fee" for steering Richard into the grip of Vholes? Some consider him amusing, but for my money, he’s a despicable little jerk!

 Chapter 40
All the chatter about the election, pointing to massive losses by the Dedlocks’ traditional party and the rise of the Rouncewell faction may foretell ominous changes ahead, a new political and social era dawning. The comfortable existence of the “fashionable” set is drawing to a close.

And then Tulkinghorn chooses this turn of events as an opportunity to confront Lady Dedlock, showing her what he knows about her secret. In his manner of doing so, he demonstrates once again his consummate skill in managing information to his advantage, forcing her to deal with him alone, while still keeping others present from understanding what has transpired. A master manipulator!

Dickens leaves readers who may not yet have access to the next chapter hanging in suspense: what will Tulkinghorn’s next move be?

I wonder how many of us reading this together refrained from reading the next chapter Right away?!

 Chapter 41
Confrontation time! Tulinghorn lays his cards before Lady Dedlock, and as always, he is very sure of himself. As this tension-filled chapter comes to a close, the question still remains: What are Tulkinghorn’s intentions? At the moment, he seems determined to protect his client; but for how long — and what price may he extract from Lady Dedlock for his silence?

He suspects that Guppy has been up to mischief; what might he do about that? And can he really control what old Smallweeds might do with any information he acquires? Secrets and more secrets ….

Meanwhile, with the Rouncewells’ faction gaining power, what effect may that have on events? Esther is at risk of becoming a major embarrassment to both the Dedlocks and the Rouncewell faction — and even to Tulkinghorn. None of them can afford to have Esther’s background become public knowledge. Tulkinghorn might save himself a lot of trouble by finding ways to make her disappear from the scene.

 Chapter 42
Dickens reaches to all corners with his symbolism of keys and cobwebs and shadows and dusty old wine bottles. All metaphors for secrets and hidden agendas and the passage of time — individual lives are often in turmoil but meanwhile the ancient lawsuit, initiated by some now-forgotten wrong, remains locked in procedural limbo.

Dickens’ description of Tulkinghorn at the opening of Chapter 42 is quite masterful. Characterizing him as the “high-priest of noble mysteries” Dickens writes:

”Like a dingy London bird among the birds at roost in those pleasant fields, where the sheep are all made into parchment, the goats into wigs, and the pasture into chaff, the lawyer, smoke-dried and faded, dwelling among mankind but not consorting with them, aged without experience of genial youth, and so long used to make his cramped nest in holes and corners of human nature that he has forgotten its broader and better range, comes sauntering home.”

Dickens covers a lot of ground in that one sentence, defining not just Tulkinghorn as he appears, but also his history, his inclinations and the environment in which he lives and works.

As if there were not already a surfeit of issues hanging in the air, into this mess pops up that harridan Mlle. Hortense, itching to cause trouble. But in doing so, she may have made a serious mistake; Tulkinghorn is not a man to be trifled with.