Dying as Her True Self /// Emily Thullesen

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. Her death serves as a symbol for the pain and loneliness she experienced in all her years of covering up the past mistake she made. 

I commented on Abigale Belle and Taylor Vice’s posts. 

Comments

  1. Raygan BosterNovember 16, 2021 at 8:18 AM

    I feel for her as well. Honestly, I think a lot of people can identify with her and how she felt. Really no one lets on to how lonely we truly feel, and we all have secrets we carry around with us every day. It is so sad that her character ended this way, but we get to see how much things like this can affect a person, even after so many years.

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