The Bleak House
(Charles Dicken)

The Calm, Efficient Housekeeper

The calm, efficient housekeeper is a theme that comes up repeatedly in Dickens’s novels. In this one, it emerges several times, most especially in the form of Esther Summerson, who manages the Bleak House household. But housekeeping is about much more than home economics: the ideal housekeeper, as expressed in the last chapter of Proverbs, is not only a model of efficiency and order but the key to the home’s happiness and comfort. When order, freshness, cleanliness, comfort, and beauty are present in the home, the happiness, health, and success of all who live there is assured. The model of such a home presents itself not only in Bleak House itself but in Mrs. Rouncewell’s calm touch, Boythorn’s welcoming home and garden, Caddy Jellyby’s efforts for her family, and in the new “Bleak House,” John Jarndyce’s gift to Esther and Allan Woodcourt.

Farsighted “Philanthropy”

The opposite of the calm, conscientious housekeeper is symbolized by Mrs. Jellyby, the most prominent of the farsighted “philanthropists.” She was so busy with her African project that she couldn’t see the suffering caused by her lack of concern for her home and family. Esther’s commentary on her was that it seemed wrong to focus on distant concerns when her own home was in disarray. Mrs. Jellyby also seemed oblivious of the real philanthropic opportunities that lay right in front of her on English soil in the form of squalid slums, poverty, poor working conditions, prostitution, and other obvious concerns. She and Mrs. Pardiggle, who shoved her “philanthropic” ideas down others’ throats, may have had the right general idea, but they lacked the compassion that is the hallmark of real philanthropy.

The Irresponsible “Artist”

Similar to the farsighted philanthropist, the irresponsible “unworldly” would-be “artist” or person of leisure is likewise lacking in both practical sense and compassion. This archetype is symbolized here by Howard Skimpole, but it arises in other of Dickens’s novels as well. Dickens is fully aware of the importance of entertainment and enjoyment as human needs, but the so-called unworldly innocent who focuses only on these things and neglects dealing with basic issues ends up being a hypocrite and a burden on society. Such types often resort to charm to get by, and they profess ignorance and inability to justify their helplessness. Luckily for them, they can often find the support of generous, indulgent friends, but it’s not unusual for them to call those same friends “selfish,” as Skimpole does later in his memoir.

The Decline of the Aristocracy and the Rise of the Wealthy Industrialist

This trend is most readily symbolized by Sir Leicester and the elder Rouncewell son, respectively. Sir Leicester constantly laments the decline of England, and when Rouncewell’s business success earns him an invitation to Parliament (which he declines), to Sir Leicester, it signifies the rapid deterioration of societal and political structures. Sir Leicester’s opinion is later confirmed by the difficulties experienced by his side of the political campaign, while Rouncewell’s side receives a favorable reception by the public. The same trend is further symbolized by the uselessness of Sir Leicester’s cousins’ restricted “aristocratic” lifestyle and by the emptiness and silence that ultimately take over Chesney Wold.

The Terror of Shame

The centrality of this theme becomes more obvious as the novel’s various subplots start to come together. Its symbol is the echoing step of the Ghost’s Walk, which heralds some shameful dark secret in the Dedlock family. That shame, which Lady Dedlock harbors throughout her life and which finally destroys her, is transmitted to her child through Miss Barbary, Lady Dedlock’s sister. Mr. George, too, allows shame to prevent him from getting in touch with his family, though in his case, it doesn’t stand in the way of a happy ending. The same is true of Esther, who despite a hard beginning and with a lot of outward help and inner resourcefulness, manages to put the past and its scars (mostly) behind her and find happiness. She is able to transmit the same to Caddy Jellyby, who, at first ashamed of her lack of breeding, takes a positive approach and turns what might have been a miserable life into a happy, useful one.

The Power of Love

If shame can convey one useful lesson, it is the power of love to overcome all circumstances. This kind of love is determined and practical. It does not accept the inevitability of a negative outcome but works to change things for the better. Its strength is mercy; its tool, forgiveness. So when Sir Leicester finally discovers Lady Dedlock’s painful secret, his reaction is one of compassion and love. Sadly, Lady Dedlock’s shame ran so deep that she never discovered the depth of his love and forgiveness. George Rouncewell and Esther Summerson fared better. George’s good friend, Mrs. Bagnet, saw to it that his shame would not stand in the way of reuniting with his family, who welcomed him with open arms. Esther caught the eye of the benevolent John Jarndyce early on, and with his generous help and her own determination and many fine qualities, she went on to lead a prosperous, happy, and useful life.

Even when it doesn’t fully transform a life, the power of love can begin to lead things in a better direction or provide comfort and moments of happiness to the destitute or suffering. Its effect is always reciprocal, blessing both those who help and those who are helped.

The Chokehold of a Greed-Driven Legal Bureaucracy

The epitome of this idea is, of course, the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case, which in the end is eaten up in legal costs after years of dragging on and on through needless inefficiency and procrastination. The sad irony is that it destroyed a number of lives in the process. By contrast, once it was determined that the case could no longer continue because there was no money to pay the lawyers, the general response in the court was one of laughter. It was true that the case was a farce, but it was also true that the destroyed lives were real. Ironically, some lawyers, like Kenge, saw the process and outcome as a triumph of the English legal system. Others, like Vholes, suddenly lost all interest in “serving” their clients.

Greed As the Root of Many Evils

One of Dickens’s most famous tales, A Christmas Carol, clearly shows how greed leads to misery and death while generosity leads to happiness and life. One expands; the other contracts. That theme is played out in Bleak House through a number of different characters, and those driven by greed are ultimately never successful. Depending on their exact situation, they either grow miserable, go mad, become ill, fail to support themselves, or die—and some even fall prey to all of it. Their lives lack balance and grace, because they forget the things of the heart and soul. Even those who do “succeed” in this regard, like the Chancery Court, create victims all around them and cannot therefore be considered truly wealthy. True success and wealth can only be inclusive, as demonstrated by the generosity of John Jarndyce, who wisely ignores the central symbol of greed—the Jarndyce case—and does his best to make up for the damage it has caused.

Happiness and health as the direct result of unselfishness

A similar theme in reverse is that happiness is the by-product of selflessness and love. It is increased by giving and caring, not by taking and selfishness. Its best examples in the novel are John Jarndyce, who positively beams after doing some kind act; Esther Summerson, who is a source of comfort and kindness to many; Allan Woodcourt, who stays up all night to help the poor, with no thought of return; fresh-faced, honest Mrs. Bagnet, who thinks nothing of traveling miles to help a friend; and the good-hearted trooper, Mr. George, who goes out of his way to make things right. He is warmly received by his equally good-hearted mother and brother. Unlike those driven by greed, the connection between them all has nothing to do with economics and everything to do with love and practical caring.

Darkness and light

Another theme that plays throughout the book is that of darkness and light. Darkness is always equated with foreboding, disease, and death. It haunts the squalid slum, Tom-all-Alone’s; hovers over the diseased poor persons’ graveyard; takes over Richard and Ada’s apartment as Richard succumbs to the Jarndyce case; fills Mr. Tulkinghorn’s room following his death; and casts its lengthening shadow over Lady Dedlock’s portrait. It seems to follow certain people around—the vampiric Mr. Vholes, who always dresses in black and spends his time in his dark, dingy office; and Mr. Tulkinghorn, who always seems to be lurking in the shadows.

Light, on the other hand, is equated with goodness, life, and true innocence, which can exist even when the first two qualities are overshadowed by outward conditions. This last kind of radiance emanates from Ada’s pure love, from the innocence of the brickmaker’s dead infant, and from John Jarndyce, who is surrounded by an angelic halo after doing something particularly kind. Goodness, cheer, usefulness, and health are equated with rising early in the morning and, if need be, having the capacity to stay up all night in the service of others. And the welcoming comforts and beauty Bleak House itself, both the old and the new, both home and garden, are clear examples of the effects of freshness and light.