Mo' money mo' problems // Justin Johnson

             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 or that have weaseled themselves into his life continue to nudge him down this destructive path. The prospect of victory in the suit is extremely enticing, especially to a young and naïve man like Richard. Richard has become surrounded by yes men who are positioned to profit from either his victory or failure in the suit, and they have shown that they will do whatever they can to keep him in the cycle. I think Mr. Jarndyce may see a bit of a younger version of himself in Richard, yet unfortunately for the both of them Richard just can’t allow himself to accept the wisdom of those who have come before him. Instead he has chosen to place his trust and confidence in sycophants and thieves instead of the people that love him. Greed and pride are powerful things, and it’s incredible what lies we can tell ourselves and what states of denial we can put ourselves into as soon as we see dollar signs

Comments

  1. Haylee LyndNovember 9, 2021 at 9:27 AM

    It is really sad to see how greedy Richard becomes and also how suspicious and angry he becomes towards Mr. Jarndyce. He has seen the wisdom and kindness of Jarndyce but falls into believing lies about his friend. It is a huge change from the innocent boy we first meet in Richard, but I guess his naiveté helps to lead him down this path.

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  2. Justin JNovember 9, 2021 at 9:40 AM

    I commented on Emma D and Emily Otts' posts

    ReplyDelete

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