Bleak House

Jarndyce is a tired man. Of all the characters in the novel, he is the only living figure who shares his name with the lawsuit that dominates the narrative. His proximity to the case makes him the most cynical of all regarding its potential outcome. He has seen too many people become too obsessed with the case, and he knows better than to expect anything to come of the matter. His pained awareness of the lawsuit’s tempting nature unfolds to tragic effect in Jarndyce’s relationship with Richard. Jarndyce welcomes Richard into his home as a young man without parents, hoping that he can set Richard on a productive course in life. However, Richard develops the obsession that Jarndyce loathes; he gambles his present and his future on the outcome of a lawsuit that may never be decided. Jarndyce continues to care for Richard even after Richard breaks ties with him, but he ultimately saves Richard from what essentially functions as a family curse.

The other vital relationship in Jarndyce’s life is his bond with Esther, which is complex. At various times, Jarndyce is Esther’s benefactor, guardian, fiancé, employer, and mentor. Jarndyce brings Esther into his home with the promise that she can one day be his housekeeper. From there, he makes her his fiancée before finally arranging a marriage for her to Woodcourt. Jarndyce’s relationship with Esther is always mutually appreciative. They are genuinely devoted to one another, with Jarndyce appreciating Esther’s sincerity and goodness as an emotional counterpoint to the self-interest and the cynicism of the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case. Esther provides Jarndyce with a much-needed glimpse of a better world, and for this, he wants to help her in any way he can. However, where Esther sees Jarndyce as a father figure—she continues to refer to him as her “guardian” even after their engagement—Jarndyce’s interest in her is at least passingly romantic. That he ultimately sets aside his feelings to make her happy speaks to his kind and selfless nature.

Though Jarndyce is one of the most altruistic figures in the novel, he resents all forms of gratitude. Having grown up in the shadow of such a complicated and competitive legal case, Jarndyce has spent his life surrounded by desperate people only interested in money. In this crowd, every gesture is cynical and self-interested. Jarndyce resents gratitude and thanks because he feels that the implication is that he is performing good deeds for something in return. Even something as innocuous as a thankful comment reminds him of the transactional nature of society. He rejects gratitude because he desperately wants to believe in a better world.

Lady Dedlock seems cold and distant, but her demeanor is a mask for the pain she feels. As a young woman, she fell in love with an army captain and conceived a child out of wedlock. She was told the child died as an infant and has been tortured by this private grief ever since. Though she has married well and finds herself living in comparative luxury, this merely compounds her struggle, as she must hide her secret not only for the sake of her own reputation but for her husband’s. The denial of emotional outlet or resolution turns Lady Dedlock into a stark and distant figure; to preserve her public persona, she suppresses all feelings.

Lady Dedlock’s position becomes even more tragic when she learns that her daughter did not die. Rather than reunite with her long-lost daughter, Lady Dedlock must once again prioritize her reputation. She cannot risk the truth becoming public, so her interactions with the daughter, whose loss has had such a totalizing effect on her life, are limited to a few tearful moments. Lady Dedlock essentially loses her daughter again, this time to the rigors of social expectation.

Lady Dedlock loses control of her life when she is accused of murder. Unable to reunite with her daughter and framed for a crime she did not commit, Lady Dedlock seeks out the grave of her deceased lover. She goes to Captain Hawdon’s grave not necessarily because she does not love Sir Leicester, but because she feels “unworthy” of continuing to live beside him. Instead, she seeks out a moment when she felt truly happy. Since her affair with Hawdon, all she has known is the pain of grief and the emotional constriction of wealth and status. Rather than an emotionless and distant person, Lady Dedlock proves herself to be a tragic figure whose life is defined by The Search for Love and the Dangers of Passion.