Esther, the People Person // Abigale Bell

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 so much" (Dickens, 181). 

Esther's wisdom and humility are striking. This is evidenced in the fact that she holds the value of education in people rather than in the institution of learning. She sees the greater value in a teacher taking notice of a student; the greater value in learning form a person who understands the pupil and makes notice of his interests. Even though Esther has not had an education like Richard's, she has a unique knowledge of people that sets her apart and give her words value. 

Esther's worldly wisdom, or "street smarts" so to speak, make her a strong character. She is the one Jarndyce confides in. She is the one Richard and Ada rely on. The reader comes to trust the judgment of Esther as right and well reasoned. She takes care of little Peepy Jellyby and gives advice to Miss Jellyby. Esther is, in this way, a lovable character.


Commented on Taylor's and Isabelle's blog posts. 

Comments

  1. Emma DNovember 1, 2021 at 11:53 PM

    I really can't help but love Esther... I know some people don't like her or buy her innocent outlook, but she really is just so sweet as well as insightful. There is a lot that she doesn't understand about herself, but the wisdom she does hold when it comes to other people demonstrates that she studies other people more than herself. I think she will begin to look more at herself perhaps, as she's going to need to seriously answer some questions she seems to be putting off at the moment (like Mr. Woodcourt). On top of her sweet humility, she also makes for a charming, unreliable narrator that makes all of her sections very enjoyable to read.

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  2. Samantha TNovember 2, 2021 at 10:04 AM

    I do just love Esther's observations. She notices details many seem to overlook in life and I appreciate the insight into the characters around her we get. It adds to the story even when she obviously omits things she normally would freely give.

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