UM Honors Blog 2021-2022

 In chapter 60, there is a dinner scene in which Richard is given a very interesting description. Dickens writes that “There is a ruin of youth which is not like age; and into sluice a ruin Richard’s youth and youthful beauty had all fallen away. He ate little and seemed indifferent what is was; showed himself to be much more impatient than he used to be; and was quick, even with Ada. I thought, at first, that his old light-hearted manner was all gone; but it shone out of him sometimes… His laugh had not quite left him either; but it was like the echo of a joyful sound, and that is always sorrowful. Yet he was glad as ever, in his old affections way…” (Dickens, p 722) I like how Dickens describes the loss of Richard’s youth. I think it could be similar to a loss of innocence in the sense of children because I feel like sometimes children grow up too fast because of either circumstances or unrestricted access to certain things (i.e. the internet). I also like Dickens’ description of...

 The end of the work speaks volumes to the mood change within the book. The book opened with a very gloomy mood that the author used diction to portray. Here at the end at the closing paragraph we see a reoccurring diction about beauty. In the last paragraph it says," And don't you know you are prettier than you ever were?" I did not know that; I am not certain that I know it now. But I know that my dearest little pets are very pretty, and that my darling is very beautiful, and that my husband is very handsome, and that my guardian has the brightest and most benevolent face that ever was seen; and that they can very well do without much beauty in me- even supposing-" (Dickens, 770). This ending is all about the beauty that is around the character. This is very paradoxical to the beginning of the book in which it talked about the ugliness surrounding this character. The character within the last paragraph points out the beauty in those al around her and prior to the p...

             Throughout literature, authors utilize endings to leave their readers with a final message or emotion they want them to feel. How Dickens ends Bleak House is very reflective of his writing style and shows the amount of care he put into his works. He final few chapters summarize many of both the major and minor characters’ lives after the contents of the story, leaving few to no loose ends. This brings a nice resolution to the story, since many readers have been thoroughly confused at one point or another over the many characters and plotlines throughout the story.             The final few chapters also bring closure for Esther as a narrator, since it describes how she has been writing to “an unknown friend” (chapter 67 pg. 767 line 13) and ends with her first-person point of view. I thought that ending the book mid-sentence with Esther saying “… without much beauty in me- even supp...

Lady Dedlock was by no means a villain in Bleak House , but she was given perhaps the most tragic death in the story. All throughout the novel, I personally was rooting for Lady Dedlock. Her individual testimony is heartbreaking in itself, in that she carried the shame of her past and was forced to hide it from everyone. I mourned with her over the loss of her identity. Lady Dedlock gave the impression that she was an arrogant, confident, and well-off individual. However, deep down she was truly vulnerable and scarred, burdened by the thoughts of failure and rejection, specifically what would happen if the fact that she bore an illegitimate daughter was revealed.  When Lady Dedlock is found dead, she is found in a graveyard specifically purposed for people who were not well known, unidentified, or dishonorable in some way. Ironically, she dies in the same cemetery as her former lover, sparking the idea that she died as her true self, her secret identity laid open for all to see. He...

      The entire case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce came to nothing. It was a net-zero case that exhausted all that it had to give. All it brought was sadness, suffering, death, and worst of all... Fog. (I couldn't resist.) The effects of the case caused the deaths of several people, the self-destruction of Richard, and allowed people like Mr. Tulkinghorn and Mr. Skimpole to thrive as parasites. It also caused untold confusion for no reason whatsoever in the end, and left Richard II fatherless. Why Ada named her child after his father, I will never understand. Does she want him to follow in his father's footsteps?      The case also was completely pointless, because it was about the wrong will. When that proper will is discovered, the previous will is no longer valid, and therefore everything in the case prior is irrelevant. At the end of it all, the case is finally resolved. No one really gains anything from the case, except for the friends they made ...

      Esther is originally engaged to Mr. Jarndyce. Mr. Woodcourt confesses his love but Esther honors her word to Jarndyce despite what her heart wants, which Woodcourt respects. After some time, Jarndyce sees how much Esther truly cares for Woodcourt and he lets her go from the engagement. She then marries Woodcourt and they are loved by everyone they meet after their hard work. Esther states that this makes up for her looks and their lack of money.       I think that this love triangle is one of the hardest to get over. All three involved are so kindhearted and pure. Each one gives up their own happiness for the other. You can see how much each person loves another or at least respects each other. Woodcourt and Jarndyce both have a mutual respect for each other, and Esther loves Woodcourt but cares for Jarndyce and wants to keep her word, even though she knows she would rather marry Woodcourt. Both men love Esther more than they care for themse...

From the beginning, I have loved Esther's character. Her detailed observations and intentional choice of details she shares with us have kept me engaged throughout the story. She is loyal and dutiful to Mr.Jarndyce and Ada throughout the story. Though she extends her overflowing compassion onto many characters. Her failed attempt with Mr.Bucket to save Lady Deadlock was heart-wrenching even though Esther chooses not to dwell on her own grief in her own narration. So close to having all the years lost with her mother only to be the one to find her dead. Only recently, even knowing it was possible to have such a reunion. Then soon after choosing to stay faithful to Mr. Jarndyce's proposal regardless of her feelings for Mr.Woodcourt. This loyalty is rewarded when Mr. Jarndyce realizes Esther was willing to be loyal over pursuing her own feelings, and Jarndyce allows her to marry Woodcourt. Jarndyce even went through the trouble of fixing up a house to be Esther's own Bleak Hou...

      Who is Esther writing to? At the beginning of the last chapter, she says,  "The few words that I have to add to what I have written, are soon penned; then I, and the unknown friend to whom I write, will part for ever. Not without much dear remembrance on my side. Not without some, I hope, on his or hers" (LXVII 12-14).       I throughout this book have not been able to figure out who Esther is writing to or why she is writing. I also have not really had any suspicions. The third person narrator seems to address the audience a few times, appearing to tell us to take pity on certain individuals. For example, after Joe dies, the narrator appears to address us as if we could have somehow prevented Joe's death.      I don't see any particular reason why she would be telling the story to any character in the book as they have all, in some way, been apart of the story. I considered for a moment that maybe she was writing to one of he...

 So. Richard is dead.  Honestly, of all the characters I expected to die, it was not Richard. I fully expected one of the major characters to die, but I half expected it to be Esther. I suppose that the fact that the will was in his and Ada's favor is some condolence, but at the same time all the money is gone because of the long-winded legal battle to get them to that point. Richard's death being the ending does seem to finally make good on the promise that the ominous fog set up, as we had to say goodbye to a character we have followed for so many chapters. But I am glad that Esther got a happy ending, after all that happened. Woodcourt seems to genuinely love her, and I'm glad that she didn't marry Jarndyce, who did not love her romantically.  I wonder if Dickens knew that Richard was going to die from the start, or if he came to the end and didn't know what else to do with Richard. Richard reminds me very much of a character from a novel I've been reading fo...

 Without mentioning anything specific, I think a lot of us have our eyes on a specific court case that will be coming to a close within the next few days. One of the key aspects of any court case though is evidence. Sometimes it is little pieces of evidence that add up to incriminate someone and then sometimes the evidence is an absolute blow out and there is no doubt in the jury's mind who is to blame. When the Jarndyce will came onto the scene, I swear that's what it made me think of. My hopes soared because I was thinking to myself that there might finally be a "break in the case" and those involved in the Jarndyce case would come to a decision. I know in one of my earlier blog posts I complained about the fog that has been ever present in Bleak House but I am finally getting the serotonin boost I needed. I'm finally getting to see a break through in the story. If I'm being honest I have found this story to be very boring (I know, an unpopular opinion), but...

             At the beginning of Bleak House , I was never quite a fan of Esther. She never put herself first, and she put her own happiness aside for the sake of others. Esther even planned to marry a man that she had no romantic interest in just because she felt obliged to. While that was quite common during the time, it was probably tough for her to see Richard and Ada in love at one point while she was stuck with being everyone's nanny basically. I am sure that Esther was seen as a noble character by a majority of readers, but it just never seemed real for a person to be as close to perfect as she was.             When I was reading towards the end of Bleak House , I began to grow a soft spot for Esther. I felt as if I understood how difficult it actually was for her to do as much for everyone as she did. She raised Ada and Richard from the day she met them and was always kind to a stranger, doing a...

      In book 60, Esther and Allan were going to court to handle some business. On their way there, Esther heard someone calling out to her. Esther then saw Caddy Jellyby calling to her. Caddy catches up to them and she was so joyful to see Esther and Caddy was determined to talk to Esther about she was obligated to give Esther a ride in her carriage for something Esther did for her, even though Esther has no idea what she did. Esther and Allan agree to go with Caddy. Whatever they did after that was enough for Esther to have a great time and have some fun because she “came off, laughing, and red, and anything but tidy” (Dickens 758). This whole ordeal cause Esther and Allan to be about fifteen minutes late unfortunately.     The reason I what to bring this short part of the story up is because I can relate so much to being late for something because I decided to have some fun with my friends. Now I have never been late to something as important as going to cour...

What an ending! I love to compare the end of a story to the beginning and see the growth or progression that has taken place. In Bleak House  there is a striking difference between the first and last pages.  At the beginning of the story the reader is drowned in the muck and mire of the city. It is winter and cold. There is "fog everywhere. Fog up the river, where it flows among the green aits and meadows; fog down the river, where it rolls defiled among the tiers of shipping and the waterside pollutions of a great (and dirty) city" (Dickens, 17). Overall, the reader has a sense of gloom and death from the city.  In contrast, when Esther speaks at the end of the story, it is summer. She speaks of the beauty in her life. Here, the reader has a feeling of warmth and satisfaction.  "'The moon is shining so brightly, Allen, and the night is so delicious, that I have been sitting here thinking...my dearest little pets are very pretty, and that my darling is very beautiful...

    It seemed inevitable that Lady Dedlock would meet a tragic end. Leading up to the awful discovery of her demise, the interminable journey through the dark, cold, and snow foreshadowed nothing but despair. After Lady Dedlock had already been missing for many hours, hopes of a positive outcome were slim. The crew at Chesney Wold attempt to comfort Sir Leicester, entertaining his desperate assertions of her impending return. His obsession with having her rooms prepared for her is the most heartbreaking thing of all, especially as Mrs. Rouncewell's concerns are remembered over and over again. "The day comes like a phantom. Cold, colourless, and vague, it sends a warning streak before it of a deathlike hue, as if it cried out, 'Look what I am bringing you, who watch there! Who will tell them?" (LVIII.29-32). Everyone is clearly anticipating the discovery of a deceased Lady Dedlock. After so long without a trace, it is logical that her survival is unlikely, especially i...

    Bleak House has many complicated marriages within its story. Richard and Ada get married when told not to, Lady Deadlock keeps secrets to keep her marriage, and Mr Guppy is denied one. The strangest possible marriage, however, has to be between Esther and Mr. Jarndyce. Back in the day, it was not seen as odd, but in today's terms, it definitely is. But it does not go through, for multiple reasons.      As much as Esther loves Mr. Jarndyce, she does not love him as a wife would love her husband. She loves him as a daughter loves her father. It is shown time and time again how he is much more of a parent figure to her than a love interest. The real love interest of Esther's in Mr. Woodcourt, who learns that he truly loves her. "I learned in a moment that he loved me. I learned in a moment that my scarred face was all unchanged to him. I learned in a moment that what I had thought was pity and compassion, was devoted, generous, faithful love. O, to...

          In Dickens’ Bleak House there is a reoccurring theme of a ‘Mission’. This idea is first introduced by Mrs. Jellyby in chapter 4. Mrs. Jellyby is convinced her Mission is to perform charity for Africa. However, although her intentions are somewhat honorable, Mrs. Jellyby is also neglecting her household because she has become so absorbed in her Mission. The way Dickens writes the scene it seems apparent that Mrs. Jellyby is missing the point. She should be focused on her family’s needs and not just her obscure African charity. Dickens further highlights this in chapter 30 when Caddy Jellyby is getting married. Caddy is speaking with her father and Mr. Jellyby stops himself from saying something. Caddy refuses to let it go and asks him to tell her, to which he responds:  “What do you wish me not to have? Don’t have what, dear Pa?’ Asked Caddy, coaxing him, with her arms round his neck. ‘Never have a mission, my dear child’” (Dickens 374). Mr. J...

     CHAPTER XXXVI OF BLEAK HOUSE IS...it's beautiful. When one reads of the reunion between Lady Dedlock and Esther, the mother and her daughter, surely one cannot help but be moved in one's spirit. And this is the reason why: because Charles Dickens knew how to use rhetoric in his writing.  In my mind, this passage stands as a principal testimony to Dickens' mastery of the English language in literature.     In my analysis of this passionate event of Chesney Wold, I found that Dickens employs three key rhetorical techniques. First, This masterful author uses repetition to enforce the emotional impact of the narrative. On page 449, line 23, and again on page 452, line 6, Lady Dedlock cries out, "my child, my child!" On lines 18 and 19 of page 449, Esther writes that "I looked..but I could not see...could not hear..could not draw my breath." On lines 6 through 8 of page 452, Lady Dedlock speaks: "For the last time! These kisses for the last time! Th...

      I'm going to backtrack a bit in writing this post, just a heads-up.      As far as the story goes, I feel like we're reaching a climax. Granted, I've yet to look at the number of chapters so I could properly guestimate this, but with how the story is going I feel it is almost entirely safe to assume. Despite the clarity, clear starry sky and all, that seems to be emerging, my brain is drawn back to previous sections this week.      Where my thoughts lie are not really in this week's reading at all, if I'm honest, though I will tie it back, I promise. My thoughts lay in the abuse Esther went through in the early chapters and, presumably, her early life entirely. Now let me put a bit of a trigger warning here for eating disorders.     Okay, so one of our main hosts is most likely developing an ED and has struggled majorly with taking care of our body. This, obviously, has adverse reactions in terms of daily functionality. I...

      As the book progresses, Skimpole merely becomes more and more abhorrent in my eyes. After a bit of an absence following his shameful encouraging of Richard's poor economic and life choices, the residents of Bleak House arrive at his home to discuss the subject of Richard. The discovery the group makes is less than surprising. One of the most striking sentences in the description of the home is that there is "no other furniture than the dirty footprints" (XLIII.523.29-30). This sums up the squalor in which the Skimpoles live. The environment of the home is a byproduct or even representation of how Harold Skimpole lives his life. Harold Skimpole is the epitome of carelessness, leaving a wreck in his wake that affects others. The messiness of the home that is "dingy enough" (XLIII.523.31) can be compared to the chaos he creates that usually allows him to be free of the undesirable results of failing to pay debts.     Any patience that I previously m...

                We have witnessed a lot of tragic circumstances throughout the course of   Bleak House , but one of the saddest yet most preventable of these is that of our old pal Richard Carstone. Richard has been warned time and time again by Mr. Jarndyce to stay as far away from the suit as possible. It has been seen over and over again how easy it is for someone like Richard to get into chancery and never get out, and yet he still insists on dedicating his life to this futile endeavor. Natural instinct and confidence lead the young men of Jarndyce into the suit’s grasp, yet every one of them has come out older and poorer than they had started, if they ever managed to come out of it at all. Jarndyce and Jarndyce is a plague that puts smallpox to shame, and its scars cannot so easily be overlooked.   Richard can’t be entirely directly blamed for his own downfall, the people that he surrounded himself with...

 In the opening of chapter thirty-five Dickens states," I lay ill through several weeks, and the usual tenor of my life became like an old remembrance. But this was not the effect of time, so much as the change in all my habits, made by the helplessness and inaction of a sick room." To open the chapter Dickens makes it the sickness clear to the reader. He then uses a synonym to help the reader better understand the loss of the quality of life that has been experienced by the sick character. This is important because it sets the scene for the reader and leads into what I find to be a very enlightening statement made by Dickens. He makes the statement that the loss of the quality of life is not due to the loss of time but due to the loss of habits. I think so many times when we think of a serious sickness we associate it with the loss of time on this earth. In all actuality it is important to remember that often times the quality of life for terminally ill patients does not com...

 After this reading, I really just have Star Wars echoing in my mind: "You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy." This is possibly the darkest, bleakest moment in this entire book; Harold Skimpole and Mr. Vhole attach themselves to Richard, who is sinking deeper and deeper into the complete trap that is the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case (Prodigal son figure gone horribly wrong?), and Lady Dedlock is now in a horrific blackmail-type arrangement with Mr. Tulkinghorn. Though Mr. Vhole is EXTREMELY ominous and possibly the most morally suspicious - he bribes Skimpole, lies to Richard, and seems to bring warnings of death with him wherever he goes - Tulkinghorn is the most unnerving because he lacks a motive. Most of the other lawyers are motivated by greed, but Tulkinghorn isn't, and this is best highlighted by Lady Dedlock's conversation with him in Chapter 41. All he wants currently is to hold power over Lady Dedlock (but WHY?), and claims it is all ...

 In Chapter 36, it’s finally revealed that Lady Dedlock is Esther’s mother. I think it’s sort of obvious that Esther is perceptive based on the rest of the book. Lady Dedlock approaches Esther while she’s out walking and Esther immediately sends Charley away. Lady Dedlock is described by Esther as having “a something in her face that I had pined for and dreamed of when I was a little child; something I had never seen in any face; something I had never seen in hers before.” (Dickens, p 448) I think it says something about Esther’s character that she almost immediately knows something is up with Lady Dedlock. Facial expressions can often give away a person; I’ve been told quite a few times to “quiet my face.” I also have a very selective poker face; the only poker face I can almost always guarantee I have is when I am performing on the piano. I commented on Emily Otts’ and Emily Thullesen’s blog posts.

      This Book makes me feel as though I've had something from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The thing in question is Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster. I will state what that is verbatim: "The absolute best drink in the universe is Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, the effect of which is similar to having your brains smashed out with a slice of lemon, wrapped around a large, gold brick." Despite the fact that everything is finally coming to fruition, Dickens is still painful to read. His metaphors are STILL GOING ON, AND NOT GETTING ANY BETTER! However, now it is at least bearable. But enough on this, It's time to discuss everything that Charles has thrown into a blender, but forgotten to put a lid on.     Here are several things that are going on, and what we can determine to FINALLY understand what is going on .We have discovered that Mr. Guppy is not a flat character, as he stands up to Mr. Tulkinghorn, congrats, you finally grew a spine! Now go ap...

      I wanna be like Esther. I'm to the point now where I don't care what anyone says. She might think and talk about herself a lot but she loves other people so so greatly and so so well. She thinks just as much of others as she thinks of herself. She says, "...in my weakness I was too calm to have any care for myself, and could have heard (or so I think now) that I was dying; with no other emotion than with a pitying love for those I left behind..." (XXXV 12-15). This girl is dying or so it seems, and all she can think about are the one she loves and is supposed to be caring for. She wants to fulfill her duty of cleaning the house. She wants to care for Ada, for Richard, for John. She has such a great effect on people and she is genuinely so loved and I find myself jealous of that. I want to work so hard and love so well that people love me and care for me the way they care for Esther Summerson. John Jarnydce says to Esther, "...Ada and I [have] been perfectly...

 As the story of Bleak House progresses, the readers gain more insight to Lady Dedlock’s secret and how she handles the whole situation internally. The consequences of her past actions, that is bearing a child before she was married, finally emerge into the picture again after she had pushed away those thoughts for the remainder of her adult life. Even though she has a stable life with her husband, she is portrayed in a way that implies she lacks true happiness, always seeming to be silent.  One can only imagine what Lady Dedlock’s true feelings were towards the situation. One thing is for sure, and that is she carried the incredible weight of repressing her emotions. Because she could not let her secret loose, she embodied this completely abstract version of herself. As another sinful human being who has dealt with guilt and bottling up my emotions, I can only imagine the burden of stress Lady Dedlock hid beneath the surface of her outside image.  This scenario in Bleak ...

    Lady Deadlock is a very interesting character in Bleak House . She begins to arouse my interest when she goes to visit Captain Hawdon's grave. Why in the wolrd would she visit a random grave, unless there was a connection? Later on, when Esther sees her in Chapter 18, she is shocked by the appearance of her, since she reminds Esther of her godmother. Lady Deadlock later turns away from Esther when they meet after finding shelter from a storm, which is an unusual gesture when meeting someone.      This all begins to make sense in Chapter 36, when Lady Deadlock comes to Esther to reveal that she is Esther's mother. "O my child, my child, I am your wicked and unhappy mother! O try to forgive me!" (Chapter 36, Bleak House). Lady Deadlock is torn over what she has done, and begs Esther for forgiveness. Yet she tells her they can never communicate again, making it a secret she must keep.      I cannot help but to think of how awful th...

            Throughout these chapters of Bleak House, the way in which Dickens presents the love interests for Esther is very interesting and unique. Esther has previously shown interest in Dr. Allan Woodcourt, but we see very little of him as he is on a voyage for much of the novel up until this point. However, he reenters the scene in chapter 45, which creates suspense for readers, as Esther has just become engaged to John Jarndyce in chapter 44. This was extremely interesting, as there had been little to no hints of romantic interests between the two. While both are very noble and good men, readers are left wondering which she will choose. Although she is officially engaged to Jarndyce, she could easily call off the engagement and reunite with Woodcourt.             Throughout chapter 45, Dickens emphasizes Woodcourt’s goodness, creating even more tension through indirect characterization. Here we ...

 Now although I have to concede here and thank Dickens for the fog has relented a bit, I still cannot stand the fact that there is fog at all. We are nearly forty chapters in and it is still as hazy as ever. We are learning more and more about the Jarndyce case but I cannot wait to see the entire thing come to fruition. It is as if I am standing on a pier and across the lake I can see the tips of the tops of the trees and yet everything below that is still engulfed in a thick fog. Just give me all of the trees dang it. Of course, I credited my own restlessness to the fact that I am an extremely impatient person. Perhaps God sent men like Dickens to write stories that would teach me the virtue of patience rather than giving me the entire picture all at once. But I also want to point out that with this fog comes great beauty. Dickens does an amazing job of explaining the settings and characters in detail even though we may not get any background information. It is as if the fog is sw...

             Throughout Bleak House , several unfortunate things have happened to Esther. She is stalked by Mr. Guppy, blinded, and she finds out who her long lost mother is. In each of these events, she seems to react in ways that a normal person with emotions would. "I told her that my heart overflowed with love for her; that it was natural love, which nothing in the past had changed, or could change." (Dickens XXXVI 35-37). It is hard to think that a person who had gone as long as Esther had without knowing her mother that anyone would be immediately forgiving and not ask many questions. It gives me a thought that Esther could perhaps be putting on a facade.               Also, the buildup to Esther finding out who were mother was was very anticlimactic. It started to become obvious to the reader that Lady Dedlock was Esther's mother. When Lady Dedlock revealed to Esther that she was her mother, it w...

Something I really appreciate about Bleak House is the way Charles Dickens names his characters. A prime example of this is Mr. Smallweed. Mr. Smallweed is a mean and vindictive man. One terrible thing that he did was telling Mr. George (the day before) that all of his debt was due the next day. This sent Mr. George into a frenzy; he did not have this money readily available. He tried to persuade Mr. Smallweed to give him more time. He replied saying, “I'll smash you. I'll crumble you. I'll powder you. Go to the devil!” (Dickens 338).Then, Mr. Tulkinghorn has to get him out of this mess, although it ends up pretty costly for Mr. George. This is only one instance in which Mr. Smallweed behaves terribly. This name, although not subtle, is fitting for the type of man Mr. Smallweed is. He is small because he treats others as though they are small. This makes him insignificant, in the sense that he is not making any sort of positive impact on anyone. Also it is possible that d...

In chapter 37 of Bleak House, Richard has become entangles in the drama of the Jarndyce case. He has been drawn into the promise of future riches that seems as though it will never come. Richard, himself, is terrible with money. He has no sense of the value of money. Richard and Skimpole have struck up a friendship that seems unsurprising considering their mutual lack of monetary sense and otherwise carefree attitude toward life. Esther also makes note of the likeness between Richard and Miss Flite; perhaps as a sort of foreshadowing of Richard's fate.  Esther says Richard is "...so young and handsome, and in all respects so perfectly the opposite of Miss Flite! And yet, in the clouded, eager, seeking look that passed over him, so dreadfully like her!" (Dickens, 528).  Richard has the same expectation for the conclusion of the Jarndyce suit. Like Miss Flite, he has invested all his hope for the future in the suit. Maybe this warns of Richard's eventual fate. Maybe thi...

 I will be very honest -- I was having much trouble understanding this book. There are just so many characters that it is simply impossible I believe to keep up with all of them at once without forgetting one or two of the minor ones along the way. I hope I'm not alone in this regard, as I simply completely forgot about several major characters until they popped back up again. I suppose in this regard, Dickens is not like Shakespeare as I had suggested in an earlier blog post. Shakespeare is not known for tying up loose ends and lets characters fall by the wayside, while Dickens forgets no one. You will find out what happens to these characters, and I applaud Dickenson for keeping up with all of them. I certainly struggle as a writer to keep up with all my characters, and I don't have as many as out present in this novel.  But one thing stuck with me, when we were discussing melodrama, and now that I view more akin to a soap opera I can start to keep up with it more as I reali...

      While reading through Chapter XXXVI, there was one thing that Esther was saying to herself that caught my eye. She says, “Esther, if you are to be happy, if you are to have any right to pray to be true-hearted, you must keep your word, my dear” (Dickens 444). That’s a thought I’ve never had. She tells herself that if she wants to be happy then she needs to keep her word. The more I thing about that the more I have to agree with her. Typically, if someone were asked what they have to do to be happy, things like hanging out with friends or shopping or playing game would be what they say; I would say some of the same things. However, Esthers answer is holding a moral standard for herself.       The one thing she does say to be happy is keeping her word but stretching this to being as moral, honest person provides a more complete picture to being happy, especially as a christian. In my own experience, I find that I am the happiest overall in my life ...

      I have noticed throughout this book that Dickens tends to give characters name that directly correlates with their personality or their role in the story. For example, "Summerson" reminds me of the summer season and warmth, which is definitely how Esther behaves towards others. Ada Clare is not hiding her feelings for Richard and is very CLEAR about them from the beginning. Then talking about names from past chapters of many people involved in the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case that are so weird and honestly stupid, which reflects the kind of work they are doing for the case. It helps the readers get an idea of who this person really is before we ever really see any action directly from them.        "Dead, your Majesty. Dead, my lords and gentlemen.... Dead, men and women, born with Heavenly compassion in your hearts. And dying thus around us every day."       We know the narrator doesn't mean this literally because Jo d...

     "So long as time flows like the sand in the hour glass, there will be those of us who all the more romanticize our pasts..." - Ian Blair. Cool quote right? I typically don't draw on my poetry/rap background much these days because of the mixed bag of reactions I get when I do use it, but I think this sentiment ties in with the point I want to make about our dear girl Esther, specifically in chapter XXXVI. The changing of her appearance after her illness is still fresh on her mind at this point in the story, and Esther, as previously revealed just a couple chapters before, notes to the reader that Mr. Woodcourt may have harbored feelings for her at a past moment in time. In Chesney Wold, we find out the other half of the equation with Esther opening up about her own response: "I had kept Mr. Woodcourt's flowers. When they were withered I had dried them, and put them in a book that I was fond of. Nobody knew of this, not even Ada. . . I wished to be generous t...

Sorry this blog post was so late. The day it was due I couldn't finish it because I had a migraine all afternoon, and then I just kept forgetting to sit down with my computer and post it.                 Within the covers of Bleak House, Charles Dickens has offered quite a bit of commentary (both implicit and explicit) on the society he grew up in. The most obvious of these is the court of chancery, which in his day had become such a farce that it was generally regarded by the public as a laughingstock. This commentary led to relatively swift and dramatic societal change in response to the popular influence of this novel, but there’s another common theme in this work that feels a little more personal for Dickens is that of religious charitable hypocrisy. Time and time again we see characters pour their time, energy, and money into helping solve far off, disconnected problems while ignoring the issues that need attention ri...

  In Chapter 15, we see Charley (Charlotte), Emma, and Tom Neckett. They are orphans and have to stay with Mrs. Blinder. Charley, the oldest, has to work to support her siblings by being a clothes washer. “The three children close together, and two of them relying solely on the third, and the third so young and yet with an air of age and steadiness that sat so strangely on the childish figure.” (Dickens, p 188) Charley is described as “a very little girl, childish in figure but shrewd and older-looking in the face—pretty-faced too—wearing a womanly story of bonnet much too large for her, and drying her bare arms on a womanly sort of apron. Her fingers were white and wrinkled with washing, and the soap-suds were yet smoking which she wiped off her arms. But for this, she might have been a child, playing at washing, and imitating a poor working-woman with a quick observation of the truth.” Child labor laws were almost nonexistent in the days of Charles Dickens. Children worked very l...

Something that I took from the reading is some of the intricacies of Lady Deadlock’s character. I particularly like the interactions between Lady Deadlock and the nineteen year old, Rosa, in chapter twelve. She is normally very reserved and not gentle, but she approaches the girl with kindness and gentleness, saying, “Why, do you know how pretty you are child?” (Dickens 311). To me, this seems a bit out of character, but I really enjoyed seeing a softer side to Lady Deadlock, and I am still intrigued by the mystery that still surrounds her. I am very curious to see what her secret is and why she is so distraught by her boredom. In some ways she reminds me a lot of Daisy Buchannon from The Great Gatsby. I think it is because she has such a high social status and an air of importance. Daisy also had a mystery about her in the beginning, as well as sadness. I really loved reading The Great Gatsby, and I enjoy reading interesting female characters like Daisy and Lady Dreadlock. I co...

     Esther Summerson, the protagonist, and narrator of Dickens' 19th-century novel, Bleak House, is an interesting character. While other characters have questionable motives wrapped up in the Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce case, Esther shines forth as a light in the fog. Her character is at first scrutinized by readers, because of its blatant difference from the others. Is she really as selfless as she seems? Or is she just choosing to picture herself that way? Does she have an ulterior motive?     But as the story continues, even the characters that feel they have a reason to spite Esther admit to the genuineness of her character. Miss Barbary, for example, tells child Esther:         " Submission, self-denial, diligent work, are the preparations for a life begun with such a shadow on it. You are different from the other children, Esther, because you were not born, like them, in common sinfulness and wrath. You were set apart (Chpt 3;pg 3)." ...

As I write this blog post, I find myself compelled to point out the contrast Dickens has created between the the main couples in chapters XII and XIII. In the former chapter, the atmosphere seems stagnant. Lady Dedlock and Sir Leicester have passed their "prime," both in spirit and in body. Certainly, they possess great reputations and esteem. But in their spare time, one languishes in "the desolation of Boredom," while the other can always "contemplate his own greatness"(see page 139, line 18, and lines 32-33, respectively)! It is as if they have no transcendent cause for which they might lead meaningful lives. By contrast, the latter chapter contains an atmosphere of joy, of eagerness, and of bright hope for the future. "With the greatest enthusiasm," Richard discovered his profession (page 152, lines 6-7). And not long after, he and Ada confessed their love for each other.  This happiness, however, came not out of selfishness, but from a selfl...

     Ok, I kind of took a page out of windows 98’s book and crashed in the middle of my work, but anyways, I’m awake now. It can be so painfully obvious, depending on the situation, whenever romantic feelings start to develop between a pair of individuals; especially whenever we take the context that characters such as Richard, Ada, and Esther are literally living in close proximity. When you see the daily behaviors of an individual long enough, and something starts to change, you pick up on it pretty quickly. That’s why, personally, I was not surprised at the development in chapter XIII whenever Esther admits in her narration that she noticed a growing change in Richard and Ada’s demeanors: “Now, I observed that evening, as I had observed for some days past, that Ada and Richard were more than ever attached to each other’s society; which was but natural, seeing that they were going to be separated so soon. I was therefore not very much surprised, when we got home, and Ad...

 Have you ever wanted to do something and absolutely felt confident that you could? And then when your excitement is at its peak people begin to fill your head with negative thoughts? Well, Richard could tell you just how it feels. He wants to go into medicine but everyone around him thinks that it is not a good fit for him and he would be better off doing something else. Now, don't get me wrong, it is always good to listen to the advice of wise people around you, but in Richard's case he really wanted to do medicine. I think when you have something that drives you like that you should chase after it. When you have that drive, it can fuel you to become whatever God calls you to be and do whatever God calls you to do. No matter how grand or how small, we all have a calling on our life placed there by God and when He gives us a drive to do/accomplish that said thing, there is no one or no thing in this world that can stop us or deter us from following the path God is calling us d...

     To say my mind is scattered while writing this is an understatement to an unholy degree. My body is deciding that now, at 12 am (yes I am aware this was do at 11:59. Yes, I am aware this can and probably will affect my grade. Yes, I am still doing this anyway. And yes, the title is  a pun.) is the perfect  time to act up. I feel like I'm underwater in every aspect except for my ears. My ears are the only thing above water. You wanna know what they hear? Wind. Wind whipping around the room. Wind rustling the trees outside. Wind that feels my lungs and courses through my veins. Wind that oxygenates my body and releases back into the world as I exhale. Wind that flows through my ears and swirls in my mind. Wind that whips at all of my thoughts, tearing them away from my grasp like papers on a windy day.     A bit redundant, I know. I feel like Dickens might approve. Last week, the fog clouded us. This week? Well, I can't say if wind is better or wors...

 Richard talks a lot about his profession and becoming involved in the medical field. But Esther and the Badgers are not convinced its right for him. Richard says he wants a job that isn't monotonous but they tell him that that is unrealistic as life is monotonous. He can't commit to a certain path and keeps searching for the next thing that brings about excitement for him. He never thinks deeply about what he wants to do either. He often confuses excitement for passion and then keeps looking for that feeling when he hasn't found what he is passionate about. Instead, he keeps chasing the feeling and not sticking to anything. He refuses to engage with life and lacks true ambition.  I think that this is especially true in our lives now, and being in college makes it even more apparent. As we are studying and learning and really finding what we are passionate about, it can be hard to not get caught up in the excitement of a possible profession. Instead we have to find what we ...

      Children and youth are prominent themes in this novel. Since Dickens wrote during the industrial revolution it has clearly impacted his works. The industrial revolution forced entire family units into the workforce. Children were working to put food on the table for their families. Not even mentioning the horrible working conditions, this is something too intense for any child to experience. This experience forced children to grow up too soon. Dickens himself was a victim of this and his perspective is enlightening. The Jellyby children are all miserable and they act as if they do not have parents. When our main characters arrive at Bleak House Richard tries to explain this to Mr. Jarndyce: “‘The little Jellybys,’ said Richard, coming to my relief, ‘are really—I can’t help expressing myself strongly, sir—in a devil of a state” (Dickens 61). The Jellyby parents do almost nothing to actually take care of their children. These children are forced to fend for thems...

 "My Lady Dedlock" has such a fascinating ring to it. For reasons I do not understand, the poetic nature in which Dickens describes her just adds to the mystery surrounding her. When she was first introduced as the perfect lady in the previous reading (with that nice suspenseful tidbit about the family curse), I failed to see how she was related to the plot at large. Now, however, I find myself wondering how she ISN'T related to the plot at large. If someone were to perform the sociological experiment of "six degrees of separation", in which one studies how people are connected to their various acquaintances, literally every single character would connect in some fashion to Lady Dedlock.  Her networking has really developed to downright maddening levels. She is now related to the "accidental" death of the lodger through some wild desire to investigate it. She separately goes to Mr. Tulkinghorn and then to Jo - in scandalous secrecy, nonetheless! Even s...

 I honestly don't have much to say for these chapters other than Dickens knows how to make the simple things in life interesting. His command of verse is astounding and I envy him greatly. As he adds layers to the secrets with little affections and dead bodies we see average people have mostly normal responses to the good and bad happenings of life.  Esther continues to make her observations and musings about everything going on around her as she has since we met her. She has an ease about discussing others around her but doesn't really seem to understand herself at all. In chapter 17 she can't sleep and cannot seem to figure out why at all and falters from her regular smooth train of thought. She does this in other places as well almost as if she is hiding something.  As I said tho many stories progress and begin in these chapters and we see the budding idea that they might all intertwine but we don't really get there yet within this week's reading. I commented on ...

       In book twelve Dickens uses diction to explain the environment and setting in a very explicit way. By doing this he creates a calm and serene mood. He is explaining the environment to show the calm after the storm. He states, ", the broken arch of the bridge in the park is mended; and the water, now retired within its proper limits and again spanned gracefully, makes a figure in the prospect from the house. The clear cold sunshine glances into the brittle woods and approvingly beholds the sharp wind scattering the leaves and the dying moss." He first starts explaining the park by saying that the bridge is now mended. This leads the reader to view the broken being mended. He then says the water is back within normal limits and spread. This gives the reader and calm and serene mood because it is almost as if what was flooded and ruined is now back to normal. Dickens then describes the sunshine as clear and cold. Although the cold normally entails an overall bad ...

      Charles Dickens' Bleak House has a few characters with normal names, such as Esther and Richard. However, the majority of characters in the story have rather absurd names. Such names include; Mr. Jellyby, Ms. Flite, Mr. Guppy, Mr. Turveydrop, and Mr. Tulkinghorn, to name a few. These names seem to detract from the seriousness of the story and add a strange air of comedy. At this point, I would not be surprised if we met a Mr. Apple Stroodle,  a Mrs. Folly, and a Mr. Lunacy. None of those names would seem out of place with the names we are given, and it makes it hard to take the story seriously.     Then again, that may be the point. After all, Dickens is trying to make fun of the ridiculousness of the court legal system, and this could help on that front. However, I personally think it can detract from the events that are taking place. As it is hard to take a conversation about someone having chosen the wrong profession seriously when the pe...

One thing that stood out to me throughout the reading of Bleak House are the author's unique characters. Charles Dickens has created complex characters that are so life-like, they remind me of someone I know back home; the weird old lady who lives down the street, or the person I spoke to in the grocery store last week. One character that is interesting to me in the narrator of the story, Esther. I find her meekness endearing, her intuition striking, and, overall, her wisdom unique. Her poignant statements about Richard's education in Chapter 13 struck me as particularly insightful.  " He had been adapted to the verses and has leant the art of making them to such perfection that if he had remained at school until he was of age, I suppose he could only have gone on making them...unless he had enlarged his education by forgetting how to do it...Still,...I did doubt whether Richard would not have profited by some one studying him a little, instead of his studying them quite s...