UM Honors Blog 2021-2022

In Bleak House , Dickens characterizes Mr. Guppy mostly by providing him as a character of comic relief, but this character displays much deeper and more relatable characteristics as the novel progresses. Mr. Guppy repeatedly acts out of selfishness and pride. For example, his proposal to Esther and dramatic reaction to her rejection show how he cares greatly about what others think of him. He wants others to portray him as though he is very noble and high in status, whereas he is truly flawed and insecure.  In chapter 20, Dickens reveals how Mr. Guppy is extremely jealous of Richard in the way he treats others in the office. Because he views Richard as his competitor in business, he aims to perceive him as weak and lesser than himself, suggesting the same perception to those he worked with as well.  With his ultimate goal being to improve his social status, Mr. Guppy proves to be an entirely selfish person, consumed by creating a false appearance.  This type of behavior ...

     Jenny is back: In Chapter 22, the brickmaker's wife makes her return. In their search for the downtrodden Jo, Mr. Bucket and Mr. Snagsby encounter Jenny and her friend, who is now revealed as Liz. What follows is a scene that starkly contrasts Mrs. Pardiggle's previous trip to this abode. Now that some time has passed since the tragic loss of Jenny's baby, the poverty-ridden friends can be further characterized since the distressing moment of loss has passed. Though Snagsby and Bucket are not as compassionate as Ada was in her previous encounter with the women (Bucket speaks to Liz "sternly"), it is significant that they ask questions and listen attentively to the answers. They do not attempt to condescendingly instruct or overlord in the conversation, instead bestowing at least some level of dignity by allowing the women to fully express their minds. While Bucket does have a somewhat judgmental attitude about Liz's comments ("Why, you ain't such...

     The weather and other external conditions seem to be a favorite for Dickens to use in symbolism. We talked in class about how difficult it was at home for him, what with the child labor, manure-filled streets, poverty, and whatnot. I can't help but think Dickens channels this as symbolism in his writing. We see him using the fog in the first chapter to portray confusion surrounding the Megalosaurus, which is fitting since we don't know what to expect from this comical character. In Chapter 12 he describes a rainy scene before going into the dreary mood of Lady Dedlock. In Chapter 16 Sir Leicester is revealed to have gout in his legs, a very painful condition. This is slightly different, but I'm choosing to count it as an external factor. Dickens uses the environment to set a mood for his chapters and keep his audience captivated in the story. We're not just entranced by his creative characters, we're drawn in by the setting Dickens portrays.      I'm n...

             In Bleak House , Richard has trouble deciding on his future occupation. As people are brainstorming ideas of jobs for him, he is still very unsure. He cannot seem to think of anything on his own, and nothing that anyone else suggests seems to peak his interest. The first thing he decides to try is to study medicine, which he ends up not enjoying as he thought he would. He then decides to study law, but I do not think he is still quite set on what he would like to do.                I relate to Richard's indecisiveness. As someone with an undecided major, it is hard to decide what I want to do with the rest of my life. Everyone else here seems to know what they are doing with their lives, and I am the complete opposite. Like Richard, even when people try to give me suggestions and help me decide, I am still no closer to deciding on what I would like to do with my life. Indecisiveness is...

       Chapter 14 of  Bleak House  introduces us to Mr. Turveydrop. He is described as a fat, old man who is obsessed with Deportment. It is also mentioned that the clothes he is wearing are too tight. One of the most important descriptions of him is that he has false teeth, a fake beard, and a wig. Nothing about his physical appearance is real and this reflects his character. Mr. Turveydrop’s character is further shown by Esther’s and the old lady’s conversation about him. While he was standing next to a fire receiving praise from his son, the old lady said that that is all that Mr. Turveydrop does (Dickens 173). Esther then ask the old lady some questions about Mr. Turveydrop determined that he has done something, but the old lady said no to every question. The old lady then says how he has made himself believe that he is something by thinking of himself as one of the aristocrats. After hearing what the old lady said to her, Esther looked at Mr. Turv...

       This is gonna be super relatable or sound super weird but I really understood the way Esther talked about how it felt when Guppy was watching her in the theatre. She says that one night when Ada, Richard, and herself were in the theatre that she saw Mr. Guppy staring up at her with an expression of utmost on her face and that she, "...felt, all through the performance, that he never looked at the actors, but constantly looked at me, and always with a carefully prepared expression of the deepest misery and the profoundest rejection" (XIII, 2-4). There are two ways to approach this: the first is that this all really happened and Mr. Guppy is really messed up and the second that Esther is overthinking.       Now, it appears that Mr. Guppy definitely has some issues. Firstly, he proposes to Esther although he knows nearly nothing about her and she knows nearly nothing about him, and they have only really shared as conversation or two. Secondly,...

            Throughout Bleak House , both the concept of a useless, corrupt court system and the concept of desperate children continually appear interrelated to each other. Every court case mentioned is proved to be useless and drawn out, such as the man from Shropshire’s case, and almost every child is poor, alone, and/or starved. Dickens continually juxtaposes these two ideas, a corrupt court obsessed with the movement of money and children in need of care, to prove what society truly valued at the time. This was also shown in Mrs. Jellyby’s misguided attention to Africa rather than to the care of her own household, and Mrs. Pardiggle’s obsession with charity and her children pretending to be righteous. While the legal system is necessary, as is charity work, it is better to address the tangible problems in front of you before expending all your energy in the pursuit of more fruitless concepts.          ...