Narrative Art in "Bleak House"

A C T A U N I V E R S I T A T I S L O D Z I E N S I S _____ FOLIA LITTERARIA 9 , 1982________________

Adela Styczyńska

NARRATIVE ART IN "BLEAK HOUSE"

"Bleak House", as a s o c i a l - p o l i t i c a l n o v e l, forms a th e m a tic and a r t i s t i c whole w i t h " L i t t l e D o r r i t " 1 : i n "Bleak House" t h e a d m i n i s t r a t i o n o f j u s t i c e - o r r a t h e r i n j u s t i c e - i s t h e o b j e c t o f s a t i r e ; i n " L i t t l e D o r r i t " t h e m achinery o f government i s a t t a c k e d i n t h e a c t i v i t y , o r r a t h e r i n a c t i v i t y , o f C ircum locu-t i o n O f f i c e . Both n ovel3 show t h e i n t e r c o n n e c t i o n s between t h e system o f government and d i f f e r e n t s o c i a l and p o l i t i c a l c i r c l e s , and in each b u r e a u c r a c y , m uddleheadedness and d e l i b e r a t e o p p o s i-t i o n to c o n s t r u c t i v e i n i t i a t i v e o r t o t h e a s p i r a t i o n s o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l c o n t r i b u t e to t h e c o n s o l i d a t i o n o f t h e system o f op-p r e s s i o n . I t i s n o t s u r p r i s i n g t h a t "Bleak House" has been com-p a re d t o K a f k a ' s 2 work. The com parison w it h "The T r i a l " comes na-t u r a l l y na-t o na-t h e mind o f a 2 0 th c e n t u r y r ead e rs i n t h e n o ve l o f b o th w r i t e r s t h e t r i a l d r a g s o n , t h e s i n i s t e r f a r c e waips p eo p le m o ra lly o r d r i v e s them t o i n s a n i t y . In t h i s c o n t e x t D i c k e n s 's o r i g i n a l i t y i s a l l t h e more s t r i k i n g : i n "Bleak House" he i n t r o -duces t h e theme which w i l l c o n t i n u a l l y r e c u r i n t w e n t i e t h ce n - t u r y f i c t i o n - t h a t o f t h e i n d i v i d u a l o p p r e s s e d , ig n or ed and

In h i s s tu d y "The Dickens T h e a t r e " , O x fo rt 1967. R o bert Ga- r i s d i s c u s s e s t h r e e n o v e ls i n t h e c h a p t e r c a l l e d "The World o f System": "B leak House", " L i t t l e D o r r i t " and "Hard Times".

2 C f. M. S p i 1 к a , Dickens and K a f k a , ' B loom ington, Ind. 1963, a l s o r e f e r e n c e s by J . К i 1 1 h a m i n h i s es s a y Pickwick: Dickens and t h e A r t o f F i c t i o n , [ i n : ] Dickens and t h e T w e n tieth C e n t u r y , ed. J . G . r о s s , G. P e a r s о n , T or on to 1962; W. A l l e n i n h i s e s s a y : The Comedy o f D ick en s, [ i n : ] Die it en» 1970, ed. M. S l a t e r , London 1970, and o t h e r s .

e v e n tu a lly de str oye d by a powerful system . In one o f th e l a s t m eetin gs between John Jam d yce and C on versation Kenge th e l a t t e r says:

t

We are a prosperous community, Mr. Jarn dyce, a v e ry prospe-rous community. We are a g r e a t c ou n tr y, Mr. Jarn dyce, a ve ry g r e a t c oun try. T his i s a g r e a t syste m , Mr. J a m d y c e , and would you w ish a g r e a t country to have l i t t l e system ? Now, r e a l l y , r e a l l y 3.

The machinery under which th e Jarndyce c as e i s p o s s ib le , i s indeed pow erfu l, On th e s u r fa c e i t seems th a t th e whole m atter i s evid en ce o f th e i n e f f ic ie n c y o f th e law. In e f f e c t th e d e la y -ing t a c t i c s in l e g a l pr oceed in gs e n s la v e p e op le and "do b u s i-n ess" f o r th e se r v a i-n ts o f th e law , which i s i ll u s t r a t e d by th e

% main p lo t w ith i t s numerous r a m ific a tio n s .

The system o f law works on s e v e r a l l e v e l s : a t th e top th e r e i s th e Lord C h an c ellor , alm ost a sym bolic f ig u r e ; he r e p r e se n ts th e m agn ifice n ce and th e i n a c c e s s i b i l i t y o f a u th o r ity . On th e low er l e v e l th e re a re men l i k e Kenge, V holes and Tulkinghorn; each o f them hold3 th e d e s t i n ie s o f h i s c l i e n t s in h is power, alth ou gh each in a d i f f e r e n t way. The r h e to r ic o f Kenge i l l u s -t r a -t e s b e s t th e gap between what i s and what seem s; he i s f u l l y aware o f th e power o f th e word and h is flow er y sp eech i s used t o evade o r d i s t o r t th e tr u th . V holes i s a demonic fig u r e who en sn ares h is n a iv e c l i e n t w ith vague prom ises and b r in gs him to d is a s t e r . Tulkinghorn, under h is im penetrable mask, c o n c e a ls an a s p ir a t io n to power through th e knowledge o f th e s e c r e t s o f h is a r is t o c r a t ic c l i e n t s . A l l th r e e o f them have fo llo w e r s o f a much low er d e g r e e , such as Guppy, Weevle and Smallweed, who can be used fo r l e g a l and i l l e g a l p r a c t ic e s . On another 1%- v e l th e r e i s In sp e c to r B uck et, and in c o n tr a s t to th e muddle, o b s c u r ity and ab su r d ity o f l e g a l pr oceed in gs . h is a c tio n i s extrem ely e f f i c i e n t . The p o lic e f o r c e becomes a pow erful branch o f th e system , but th e r e are two a s p e c ts o f i t s a c t i v i t y : a l -though i t h e l p s to d is c o v e r th e murderer, s a t is f y in g our demand fo r j u s t i c e and or d er , In s p e c to r B u ck et's r e l e n t le s s p u r su it o f th e i n d i v i d u a l , which i s p a r t ic u la r ly s tr ik in g in th e c a se o f Jo

5 С. D i с к e n з , Bleak House, A Norton C r i t i c a l E d i t i o n E d i te d by George Ford, Sylvfere Monod, New York 1977, p. 741. A ll

and G eorge, in tr od u ce s th e theme o f man-hunt in to th e no-v e l .

The system p re sen ted in "Bleak House" i s m aintained by c lo s e c o o p e ra tio n between d if f e r e n t i n s t i t u t i o n s , s o c i a l groups and in d iv id u a ls . The Law Courts are supported by Parliam ent w ith i t s p arty r iv a lr y between th e B u ffie s and D u ffle s and th e B oodles and D ood les. The a r is to c r a c y r e p r ese n te d by S ir L e ic e s -t e r Dedlock i s th e most d e d ic ate d su p p orte r o f th e system . The ordinary p eo p le fr e q u e n tly support i t by t h e i r in d olen c e and in d iff e r e n c e . There are m isguided ’ p h ila n th r o p is ts l i k e Mrs. J e l - lyb y and Mrs. P a r d ig g le , o r p a r a s ite s l i k e Turveydrop o r Harold Skimpole whose im m orality i s t y p ic a l o f a la r g e part o f s o c ie t y i n d if f e r e n t to th e s it u a t io n o f th e poor and t o th e p r e ssin g h e a lth problems o f th e d a y \ The iron y o f th e s o c ia l s it u a t io n in t h i s suprem ely ir o n ic n ovel c o n s i s t s , among o t h e r s , in th e f a c t th a t th o s e who support th e system or imagine th em selves to be among i t s powerful p r o te c to r s ar e in f a c t h e l p le s s , p i t i f u l f ig u r e e whose f a t e depends on th e p eo p le the y seem to p r o te c t. Thus S ir L e ic e s t e r D edlock, b lin d ed by h is a r is t o c r a t ic p r id e , i s c om p le tely ign oran t o f th e r o le Mr. T ulkinghom p la y s in h is house. The law yer i s a man he t r u s t s a b s o lu te ly , but i t i3 he who b rin gs about th e dow n fall o f h is fa m ily .

In t h i s s o c ie t y generous p eople l i k e John Jarndyce are h e lp -l e s s a g a in s t th e e v i l o f t h e ir tim e e. They can stand a s id e , remain un involved in th e immoral p r a c tic e s o f th e law and do good on a sm all s c a l e , thus car ryin g out a kind o f ’minimum programme" w ith in th e span o f t h e ir liv e s ^ . Honest but n aive and v u ln e r a b le pe ople l i k e George and th e Bagnets become ea sy v ic tim s o f pow erful and r u th le s s a ge n ts l i k e T u lkin ghom ; a co-mic fig u r e l i k e Snagsby, w ell-m eaning but lim it e d , i s e a s i l y in tim id a te d ; in f e r i o r le g a l o f f i c i a l s , g r ote sq u e c h a r a c te r s l i k e Guppy and V e e v le , are in danger o f f a l l i n g in t o th e r o u tin e o f o f f i c e which w i l l turn them in to puppets l i k e th e o f f i c i a l s

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Cf . J . B u t t , K. T i l l o t a o n , The T o p ic a l it y o f B leak H ouse, [in :] D ic k e n s, B leak H ouse, A C aseb ook , ed . A, E. D У в о n , London 1977.

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C f. G. 3 m i t h ' s a n a l y s i s o f th e c o m p le x ity o f John J a r n d y c e 's c h a r a c t e r , in : C h a rles D ick e n s. B lea k H ouse, London

in th e famous opening Court sc e n e ; .th e Smallweed fa m ily are th e dregs o f e o c i e t y , e x p lo it e d by and se r v in g th e system , ready t o s e l l th e m selv es to th e s tr o n g e r o r blackm ail th e weaker.

D ic k e n s's a r t in "Bleak House" - in p a r t ic u la r h is n a r r a tiv e method and imagery - as a means o f conveying h is moral v i s i o n has been s tu d ie d by ou tstan d in g B r i t i s h and American s c h o la r s 6 . While acknowledging my d ebt to them I should l i k e to co n c en tr a te in t h i s e ssa y on th e dynamic, im a g is tic p r e s e n ta t io n ,th e "ca-mera work" o f th e o m n iscien t n a r r a to r , and to c o n tr a s t i t w ith

, t

Dickens s in t e r e s t in g p s y c h o lo g ic a l experim ent in E s th e r 's sub-j e c t i v e n a r r a tio n .

1 . Imagery

4 . .

One o f th e most s t r i k in g fe a t u r e s q f D ick en s'a a r t in "Bleak House" i s h is im a g is tic p r e s e n ta tio n , in which th e narra-t i v e and th e d e s c r ip t iv e are c lo s e ly in te r c o n n e c te d . There are c e r t a in image p a tte r n s which run throughout th e n o v e l, and I propose to d is c u s s h ere t h o s e which o c c u r in both stream s o f n a r r a tio n . Thus th e fo g and mud imagery has been w id e ly i n t e r -pr ete d by numerous c r i t i c s ; t o t h i s may be added th e w aste paper

image: th e innummerable l e g a l documents in Chancery, " p ile s o f c o s t l y nonsense"; Krook's rag and b o t t l e shop; and th e m onster and enimal imagery which e x p r e sse s th e d e gr ad a tio n o f man and th e dehum anization o f l e g a l o f f i c i a l s .

.The w aste paper image opens and c lo s e s th e Jarndyce c a s e . In th e f i r s t c h ap ter we se e "the va rio u s s o l i c i t o r s [ . . . ] [w ith ] mountains o f c o s t ly nonsense p ile d b efo re them" ( p . 6) . In c h ap ter 6 5 , when th e c a s e i s o v e r , we watch a kind o f - dumb show, a dynamic sc en e w ith ou t words in which " s e v e r a l, young c o u n c illo r s in w igs and w hisker s [ . . . ] q u it e doubled th em se lv es w ith lau gh ter " when bundles o f paper began to be c a r r ie d ou t (p . 7 5 0 ) . I t i s a grim fa r c e played out b e fo r e a crowd o f

sensa-6 S ee e s p e c ia l l y : W. J . H a r v e y , Chance and D esig n in "Bleak H ouse, [in : ] D icken3 and th e T w e n tie th C en tu ry, ed . J . G r o s s , G. Р e a r s o n , T oronto 1 9 6 2 ;' i d e m , B leak House - The D ouble N a r r a t iv e , [in :j D ic k e n s, B lea k House. A C asebook; H. P. S u c k s m i t h , The N a r r a tiv e A rt o f C h a rles D ic k en s, Oxford 1 9 7 0 , and o t h e r s .

t io n - s e e k in g s p e c ta to r s w h ile Richard C arston e, th e l a s t v ic tim o f th e c e le b r a te d c a s e , i s dying o f t u b e r c u lo s is and broken h e a r t.

Krook's shop as a c a r ic a tu r e o f th e Court o f Chancery, c o n ta in s , apart from w aste paper and r a g s , th e more macabre image o f sa ck s o f bones and women's h a ir . The system which l e f t in i t s wake p i l e s o f human h a ir and bones became a r e a l i t y in tw e n t ie th cen tu ry Europe, but Dickens was c e r t a in ly f a r from a n t ic ip a t in g such h orror in th e s a t i r i c c h ap te r "A Morning Ad-ve n tu r e" . Again i t i s th e modern reader who can f u l l y apprecia-t e D ic k e n s 's p r o p h e apprecia-tic v is i o n . There i s a p a r t ic u la r ly macabre touch in th e sce n e when Krook, stru c k by th e beauty o f Ada's h a ir , exten d s h is hand to s tr o k e i t . His g e s tu r e a n t ic i p a t e s , in a sym b olic way, th e fu tu r e d i s a s t e r o f Ada and Richard.

Imagery s e r v e s th e n a r r a to r as commentary on th e s o c ia l and moral e v i l o f contemporary England. There are r e p u ls iv e images o f d i r t and vermin which c o n tr ib u te to th e g e n e r a l atmosphere c r e a te d by th e i n i t i a l image o f fo g and mud. The slums o f Tom a l l- A l o n e 's are shown in th e metaphor o f a d is e a s e d human body:

As on th e ruined human w re tch , vermin p a r a s it e s appear, so t h e s e ruined s h e lt e r s have bred a crowd o f fo u l e x is te n c e which craw ls in and out o f gaps in w a lls and boards; and comes and go es fe tc h in g and c arry in g f e v e r , and sowing more e v i l in i t s every f o o tp r in t than Lord Coodle and S ir Thomas Doodle and th e Duke o f Foodie and a l l th e f i n e gentlem en in o f f i c e down to Z ood le, s h a ll s e t r ig h t in f i v e hundred y e ar s - though born e x p r e ss ly to do i t (p . 197 ).

The animal and m onster imagery i s r e p e a te d ly s t r e s s e d in th e p r e s e n ta t io n o f Krook's shop - th e r e i s th e famous c a t , Lady J a n e , w atching H iss F l i t e ' s b ir d s w ith a hungry lo o k , ready to devour them; and th e r e i s th e owner h im s e lf " s h o r t, cadaverous and w ith er ed " , w ith h is "breath is s u in g i n v i s i b l e smoke from h i s mouth, as i f he were on f i r e w ith in " ( p . 4 9 ) . Two more per-sons - Jo and Vholes - are p r esen te d w ith animal a s s o c ia t io n s each in a c h a r a c t e r is t ic way. The f a t e o f an i l l i t e r a t e , abando-ned c h ild o f th e slums i s th e most d r a s t ic ev id en c e o f s o c ia l in -d if f e r e n c e o f th e tim e s. Jo i s compared t o an o x , c r u e lly e x p lo i-te d by men, and c o n tr a ste d w ith a dog which i s i n t e l l i g e n t and t r a in e d , f a r b e t t e r cared f o r than th e human c h ild :

i-v e n , nei-ver g u id e d , run in to wrong p laoea and are b ea ten ou t; and plunge red-eyed and foam ing, a t a ton e w a l la , and o f te n s o r e ly hurt th e in n o c e n t, and o f t e n a o r e ly hurt th e m s e lv e s . Very l i k e Jo and h is order; v e r y , ver y l i k e . [ . . . ] A band o f music comes and p la y s . Jo l i s t e n s to i t . So does a dog - a d r o v e r 's dog w a itin g f o r h i s m aster o u t s id e a b u tc h e r 's shop. A thoroughly vagabond d og, accustomed t o low company and p u b lic h ou ses; a t e r r i f i c dog to sh e e p , ready a t a whi-s t l e to scamper ove r t h e ir b a c k s, and t e a r ou t m outhfuls o f t h e ir w ool; but an ed uc ated , improved dog, who has been taught h is d u tie s and knows how to d isch a r g e them. He and Jo l i s t e n to m u sic, probably w ith much th e same amount o f animal s a t i s f a c t i o n ; lik e w is e as to awakened a s s o c ia t io n , a s p ir a t io n o r r e g r e t , m elancholy o r j o y f u l r e fe r e n c e to th in g s beyond th e s e n s e s , th e y are probably upon a p ar . But o th e r w is e , how f a r above th e human l i s t e n e r i s th e b ru te ! {p. 1 9 9 ).

Yet J o , th e ign ora nt and p r im itiv e v ic t im o f an in d if f e r e n t s o c i e t y , i s human in h is f e e l in g s o f g r a t it u d e , h is c a p a c ity f o r a p p r e c ia tin g k in d n ess. Mr. V h oles, on th e c o n tr a r y , i s an i n t e l -l ig e n t human being who p e r v e r ts h i 3 hum anity, th e e v id e n ce o f which i s h is behaviour as a p r o f e s s io n a l. He i s p r e se n te d w ith s a ta n lc a s s o c i a t io n s , a b la ck f ig u r e , buttoned up, a tem pter •watching h is v ic tim w ith "a charmed ga z e " r and a devouring look ;

he i s a se r p en t and a c a t w atching h is mouse p a t ie n t ly and t h i s image i s used throughout th e whole scen e o f th e c o n v e r sa tio n between A ttorn ey and C lie n t (c h . 39)« Whenever he appears w ith Richard h i s manner im parts a s s o c ia t io n s w ith death.When th e narra-t o r p r e s e n narra-ts him in r e a l i s t i c terms he s t r e s s e s h is p h y s ic a l u g lin e s s .

The m onster imagery which i s c l o s e l y connected w ith animal a s s o c ia tio n s i s a ls o d eveloped by D ick en s'a well-known u s e o f th e synecdoche. In h i s .d e s c r ip t iv e - n a r r a t iv e p r e s e n ta t io n Dick-ens fr e q u e n tly makes a p ar t stan d f o r th e w h ole, u s u a lly w ith gr ote sq u e and s a t i r i c a l e f f e c t s . In "Bleak House" Dickens u s e s t h is d e v ic e to ex p re ss th e dehum anization o f th e o f f i c e r s o f th e Law. In th e f i r s t ch ap te r law yers and b e a d le s are r e fe r r e d to as " s ilk gowns" and "maces":

T here i s t h e r e g i s t r a r below t h e Judg e i n wig and gown; and t h e r e a r e two o r t h r e e maces o r p e t t y b a g s , o r p r iv y p u r s e s , o r w h a te v e r th e y may be i n l e g a l c o u r t s u i t s ( p . 7 ) .

wigs"-a l l "stuck in a fo g bank"# S ilk gowns^, bags o r maces are not m onsters o r monstrous o b j e c t s in th e m s e lv e s, but i f p a r ts o f garment stan d f o r th e o f f i c i a l s th e m se lv e s, and symbols o f

au-t h o r iau-t y au-tak e au-th e p la c e o f human f a c e s au-th e e f f e c au-t i s a t f i r s t g r o te s q u e , but i t soon changes in to horror: we s e e th e in d iv i-dual u t t e r in g h is d e s p e r a te appeal f o r he lp to an assembly o f

puppets and maskst _ф

"Several members o f th e bar are s t i l l to be heard, I b e l i e -ve?" sa y s th e C h an c ellor w ith a s l i g h t s m ile .

E igh teen o f Mr. T a n g le 's learn ed f r ie n d s , eaoh armed w ith a l i t t l e summary o f e ig h te e n hundred s h e e t s , bob up l i k e e ig h te e n hammers in a p ia n o f o r te , make e ig h te e n bows, and drop in to e ig h te e n p la c e s o f o b s c u r ity (p. 9 ) . [ • • • ] The C h a n ce llor r i s e s ; th e b ar r i s e s ; th e p r is o n e r i s brought! forward in a hurry; th e Man from Shropshire c r i e s , "My Lord!" M aces, bag3 and p ur se s in d ig n a n tly proclaim s il e n c e and frown a t th e Man from Shropsh ire ( p . 9 ) .

Thus th e h e lp le s s n e s s o f man overwhelmed by th e monstrous inhum anity o f th e o f f i c i a l s , and - in a w id er p e r s p e c tiv e - o f th e system , i s e s ta b lis h e d as th e lea d in g theme in th e opening sc en e o f th e n o v e l. Dickens a n t ic ip a t e s here th e v i s io n o f

Q Ionesco in h is comedy o f th e absurd, 3uch as "Le M aitre" .

The symbols o f a u th o r ity r e fer r e d to as th e Mace and Se al ta k e anoth er s i g n i f ic a n c e in th e commentary o f Miss F l i t e , re-p orted in E s th e r 's n a r r a tiv e . Here th ey are p r esen te d as m onsters which draw p e o p le on and then d e s tr o y them. I t i s a v is u a l

re-p r e s e n ta tio n o f a f a t a l re-power which men and women cannot re-s i re-s t but which in f a c t i s in th e m selve s: i t i s t h e i r greed f o r money which e n s la v e s them:

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T h is i s a d e v ic e used in th e e a r ly as w e ll as in l a t e f i c -t i o n . C f. Mr.- Bumble's g o ld -la c e d c o a t , s t a f f and cocked h at in

" O liver T w ist". In "Hard Times" Jam es.H arthouse i s r e fe rr ed to as "w aistcoat" and "whiskers" w hich, in t h i s c a s e s u g g e s ts Tom G radgrind's f a s c in a t io n w ith appearances and H arthouse's moral h o llo w n e ss .

О

In I o n e s c o 's o n e a c t p la y "The L ea d e r" ("Le M aitre" ) th e c e -l e b r i t y a p pea rs in th e l a s t s c e n e as a m on strous p u p p et, a "man- - in - a n - o v e r c o a t - w it h - a - h a t - w it h o u t - a - h e a d " . One o f th e g ir l- a d m i - r e r s a s k s: " B u t... b u t . . . t h e le a d e r h a s n 't g o t a h ea d ? ’1 To w h ich th e Announcer answ ers: "What's h e need a head f o r when h e ' s g o t g e n iu s ! " The d eh u m a n iza tio n i s c o m p le te .

"There's a c r u e l a t t r a c t io n in th e p la c e . You c a n 't le a v e i t . And you must e x p e c t. [ . . . ] I t ' s th e Mace and S e a l upon th e

t a b le .

What could th ey do, did she think? I m ild ly asked h er . "Draw", returned Miss F l i t e . "Draw p e op le on , my d ea r , Draw peace out o f them. Sense out o f them. Good lo o k s ou t o f them. Good q u a l i t i e s out o f them. I have f e l t them even drawing my r e s t away in th e n ig h t . Cold and g l i t t e r i n g de-v i l s ! " (p . WO) .

The m o tif o f Fate th u s su gg e ste d runs throughout th e n o v e l, whether as th e p o l i t i c a l power which r o le s men's l i v e s o r as s o c i a l conve ntion which e n s la v e s in d iv id u a ls . Thus Lady D edlock, a ff r a id o f p u b lic c e n su r e , i s blackm ailed by Mr. T u lkin gh om . The lawyer g r a d u a lly becomes an agent o f Fate whicłj u ltim a t e ly d e str o y s E s t h e r 's mother. L ike many o th e r c h a r a c te r s in Dick-e n s 's n o v e ls he i s p re sen ted in a r e a l i s t i c and a m etaphori-c a l way, as a r u s ty -lo o k in g f ig u r e , r e s p e c t a b le , s i l e n t , w e l l- -m annered,, w ith a weakness f o r tobacco and p o r t , and, a t a la -t e r s -ta g e o f a c -t io n , as a shadowy fo r a f o llo w in g Lady Dedlock. T his shadow image has again a double fu n c tio n : i t s u g g e s ts a c on stan t menace to Lady Dedlock and i t p e r f e c t ly renders th e o b s e s s iv e s t a t e o f h er mind:

In terp ose d between her and th e fa d in g l i g h t o f day in th e now q u ie t s t r e e t , h is shadow f a l l s upon h e r , and he darkens a l l b e fo r e h e r. Even so does he darken h er l i f e . (p . 5 7 5 ).

[ » . . ] T h erefore th e r e i s not much th a t Lady Dedlock, s e a te d in h er c h a ir , could w ish to s e e through th e window in which îîr . T u lk in ghom sta n d s. And y e t - and y e t - she sends a look in t h a t d ir e c t io n , as i f i t were her h e a r t 's d e s ir e to have th a t f ig u r e moved ou t o f th e way ( i b i d . ) .

. ‘ The F ate m o tif i s developed by th e n ar r a tor in an in t e r e s t in g and complex way. Thus pń th e low er l e v e l th e r e i s Mr. T u lking-hom as a th r e a te n in g f ig u r e ; to Lady Dedlock her a r is t o c r a t i c mansion becomes "a house o f s u ffo c a tio n " whenever he appears. But a t t h e moment o f h is apparent v ic t o r y ove r Lady Dedlock th e n a rr a to r in tr od u c e s th e image o f th e clo c k which measures ou t t h e l a s t m in u tes "of Mr. T u lk in g h o m 's l i f e , o f w hich’ t h e la w y er i s c o m p le te ly unaw are. Thus t h e n a r r a t o r a c h ie v e s a h e ig h t e n in g o f s u s p e n se and a w id en in g o f p e r s p e c t i v e . The la w y e r g o e s home w ith a s e n s e of s u c c e s s and power, b u t t h e .reader knows t h a t h is f a t e i s already s e a le d . The commentary I s i n t e n s e l y i r o n i c ,

watch b ein g two m inutes wrong. D e sp ite h is rep roof - "Two minu-t e s wrong? At t h is r a te you w on 't l a s t my tim e!" - in f a c t th e m inutes o f h is l i f e have alrea dy been counted and i t i s th e watch which w i l l l a s t lo n g e r . T ogeth er w ith th e tic k in g o f th e c lo c k th e Roman A lle g o r y on th e c e i l i n g in th e la w y e r 's room com pletes th e image c lu s t e r announcing h is d e ath ,

t A fu r th e r i n t e n s i f i c a t i o n o f ir o n ic meaning f o llo w s w ith th e image o f th e s ta r r y sky on a m oonlit n ig h t in which th e narra-t o r c r e a narra-t e s a v i s i o n o f an in d if f e r e n narra-t u n iv e r se above both th e v ic t im , Lady D edlock, and th e p u rsu er, Mr. T u lkinghorn, doomed to be a v ic t im s h o r t ly . Dickens a n t ic ip a t e s here Hardy's ir o n ic ♦ p r o j e c tio n o f cosmic in d if f e r e n c e in J u x ta p o s itio n to human s t r i -v in g s end endea-vours. The s t a r s are t r a d i t io n a ll y sym bolic o f Fate above man, and in "Bleak Ноизе" th e se re n e sk y , th e huge me-t r o p o lis q u ie t a t n ig h t , a glim p se o f a d is t a n t harbour w ith a sh ip s a il i n g o u t , p e r f e c t ly convey th e se n se o f l i f e going on un distu rbed by th e in tr ig u e s o f p e op le and by th e disappearance o f in d iv id u a ls :

A f in e n ig h t , and a b r ig h t la r g e moon, and m u ltitu d es o f s t a r s . Mr. T ulkinghorn, in r e p a ir in g to h is c e l l a r , and in opening and s h u ttin g th o s e resounding d o o r s, has to c r o ss a l i t t l e p r is o n lik e yard. He lo o k s c a s u a lly , th in k in g what a f i n e n ig h t, what a b r ig h t la r g e moon, what m u ltitu d es o f s t a r s . A q u ie t n ig h t, to o .

A v er y q u ie t n ig h t . When th e moon s h in e s v er y b r i l -l i a n t -l y a s o -lit u d e and s t i l l n e s s seem to proceed from h e r , th a t in flu e n c e even crowded p la c e s f u l l o f l i f e . Not o n ly i s i t a s t i l l n ig h t on d u sty h igh roads and on h i l l ' sum mits, whence a wide expanse o f country may be seen in r e p o s e, q u ie te r and q u ie te r as i t spreads away in to a fr in g e o f t r e e s a g a in s t th e sky w ith th e gr ey gh o st o f a bloom upon them; [ . . . ] not o n ly i s i t a s t i l l n ig h t on th e deep, and on th e sh ore where th e w atcher stan d s to s e e th e sh ip w ith h er spread wings c r o ss -the path o f l i g h t th a t appears to be p re sen ted t o o n ly him; but even on t h i s s tr a n g e r 's w il-d e rn ess o f London th e r e i s some r e s t . I t s s t e e p l e s and to -wers, and i t s one g r e a t dome, grow more e th e r e a l; i t s smoky

house to p s l o s e t h e ir g r o s sn e s s , in th e p a le e ffu lg e n c e ; th e n o i s e s t h a t a r i s e from t h e s t r e e t s a r e few er and a r e s o f t e -ned, and t h e f o o t s t e p s on t h e pavements p a s s more t r a n q u i l l y - away ( p . 5&3-584.).

The J u x t a p o s it io n b etw een th e s e r e n i t y o f th e n ig h t and Mr. T u lk in g h o r n 's з е п з е o f s e c u r i t y a s he w a lk s t o h i s d ea th , i.-:: on*} o f D ick en fe's m a s te r s tr o k e s o f ir o n y . I t i s a ch ie v e d by- ' im agery an.l

2 . D ic k e n s 's "e ver-varying p r e s e n ta tio n ” - th e o m n iscien t n arr ator

The th ir d person n ar ra to r - commentator in "Bleak House" may be o f te n i d e n t i f ie d w ith th e im plied au tho r, to u se Wayne C. B ooth 's te r m in o log y , but he t e l l s th e s to r y from d i f f e r e n t p e r s-p e c t i v e s , s h i f t i n g h is v is i o n l i k e a f ilm o p e r a to r , u sin g a va-r i e t y o f s t y l e s .

He i s om n isc ie n t i r / t h e s e n s e th a t he knows e v e r y th in g , o r . alm ost e v e r y th in g , about h is c h a r a c te r s , but he im parts h is knowledge t o o r w ith h old s i t from th e reader as f a r as i t s u i t s h is purpose. In t h i s way he d is c lo s e s th e s e c r e t o f Lady Ded-lo c k b i t by b i t ; th e an te ce d en ts are r e ve ale d as th e s to r y p r o g r e sse s and th ey are o f t e n im p lied r a th e r than d i r e c t l y s t a -ted ( e . g . , th e s to r y th a t E sth er h ears from h er aunt) u n t i l we reach th e moment when Lady D ed lock 's s e c r e t i s r e v ea le d p u b lic ly by Mr. T ulkinghorn, which r e v e la t io n i s fo llo w e d by In sp e c to r B u ck et's r e p o rt to S ir L e ic e s t e r and rounded o f f by th e a d d itio -n al in for m ation from George. The n a rr ator i s o m n isc ien t in th e f i r s t c h a p te r , which c o n ta in s a panoramic view o f England, as a background to th e Jam d y ce c a s e , and a survey o f g e n e r a tio n s o f p eople d e stro ye d by th e machinery o f Law, b u t, as E. M. F o r s te r says in "Aspects o f th e N o v e l h e knows l e s s about Lady Ded-lo c k and Kr. T u lkinghom i s a m ystery to him. Sometimes th e nar-r a to nar-r c o n f in e s h is v i s i o n to one o f th e c h a nar-r a c te nar-r s to i n t e n s i f y the- dram atic e f f e c t , as in th e n a r r a tiv e o f Krook's d e ath . T h is even t i s seen by Guppy and Weevle; i t b e gin s in th e th ir d

person and th e n , in th e c r i t i c a l moment, th e r e i s a sudden s h i f t to ’Ve" a s i f Guppy h im se lf were t e l l i n g h is e xp e rien ce ." Thus th e s e n s e o f m ystery and s e n s a tio n i s h eigh ten e d s in c e Guppy and Weevle a re ignor ant o f what i s r e a ll y going on in Krook's sh op; th e y a r e k ep t i n s u sp e n se to g e th e r w ith £he reader; th e n a r r a to r i d e n t i f i e s h im s e lf w ith th e c le r k s and th e d isc o v e r y o f t r u t h c u lm in a te s in t h e h o r ro r o f t h i s t r u ly g o t h ic scen es

? E. K. F o r s t e r , A sp e c ts o f th e N o v e l, P enguin Books

They advance s lo w ly , lo ok in g a t a l l t h e s e t h in g s . The c a t remains where th ey found h e r , s t i l l s n a r lin g a t something on th e ground, b e fo r e th e f i r e and between th e two c h a ir s . What i s i t ? Hold up th e l i g h t . * .

Here i s a sm all burnt patch o f f lo o r in g ; here i s th e t i n -d e r from a l i t t l e bun-dle o f burnt paper, but n ot so l i g h t аз u su a l seem ing t o be ste e p e d in som ething; and here i s - i s i t t h e c in d e r a s h e s , o r i s i t c oa l? 0 H orror, he IS here! and t h i s from which w e /u run away, s t r ik in g ou t th e~ l i g h t and o ve r tu rn in g one anoth er i n th e s t r e e t , i s a l l t h a t repre-s e n t repre-s him.

H elp, h e lp , h e lp ! come in to th e house f o r H eaven's sake!

(p. адз).

There i s an in t e n s e ly dram atic e f f e c t ach ieved by t h i s sud-den i d e n t i f ic a t i o n o f th e n ar r a tor w ith th e two c le r k s who are b e s id e th em se lve s w ith f e a r .

The n ar r ator fr e q u e n tly ad d r e sse s th e reader w ith h is ir o n ic commentary as in th e f i r s t Chancery s c e n e , or in th e c h ap te r where Jo i s compared to a dog and an ox; he ad d re sses th e p u b lic a t la r g e in th e sc en e o f J o 's death and h is s a r c a s t ic to n e r e li e v e s th e melodramatic c h a r a c te r o f th e c h a p te r . But an o th e r, very in t e r e s -t in g kind o f commentary in t h i s n ov el i s D ic k e n s 's im a g is tic pre-s e n t a tio n which in v o lv e pre-s h ipre-s p a r t ic u la r "camera work".

Film d ir e c t o r s l i k e G r i f f i t h and E is e n s t e in have pointed to Dickens as a forre ru n n er o f th e tec h n iq u e o f f ilm montage and r e - c e n t c r i t i c s have again s t r e s s e d t h is a s p e c t o f h is work . "Bleak House" i s p a r t ic u l a r ly r ic h in examples o f th e long s h o t, medium s h o t , c lo s e -u p and d i s s o l v e , which f u n c tio n as a method o f t e l l i n g th e s to r y o r as a commentary. The famous begin nin g o f "Bleak House" i s an e x c e l le n t i l l u s t r a t i o n o f th e long sh o t w ith i t s panorama o f London and England in November f o g . The camera t r a v e ls a l l o v e r th e c i t y and i t s o u t s k i r t s , preparing th e sc e n e , in i t s , c o n cr e te and sym bolic meaning, f o r th e a c ti o n 4o f th e n o v e l. The d e s c r ip t iv e - n a r r a t iv e p ar t i s in f a c t l i k e a t e x t

10 U n d ersco rin g m ine. 1 1

S. E i s e n s t e i - n , Wybór p ism , Warszawa 1 959; e s s a y : " D ick ens, G r i f f i t h i my". A ls o D. P o w e 1 1 , in ; The Dicken-s i a n . C en tenary Number; J . R a b a n , The T ech n iq u e o f Modern f i c t i o n , London 1 9 7 2 , p , 11A. The a u th o r a n a ly z e s t h e s c e n e o f S t e e r f o r t h ' s d e a th , i . e . th e moment when David f in d s him on th e b e a ch , in term s o f fi lm te c h n iq u e and s t r e s s e s f i lm q u a l i t i e s ч »' d e s c r ip t io n in D ic k e n s 's n o v e ls w hich a n t ic i p a t e Dos P a i s o s .

in a sc r e e n p la y , p hrases w ith ou t f i n i t e verb s r e v e a l image a f t e r image:

London [.!*.] im p la ca b le November weather [ . . . ] Fog everywhere. Fog up th e r i v e r■ [ ... ] Fog on th e E ssex m arshes, fog on th e K entish h e ig h ts ( , . .. ] Chance p e o p le on th e b rid ges p eepin g o v e r th e parapets in to a n eth e r sky o f fog w ith fog a l l around them, as i f th ey w ere up in a b a llo o n and han-g in han-g in th e m isty c lo u d s. Gas looming through th e fo g in d iv e r s e p la c e s in th e s t r e e t s .

Then fo llo w s th e "medium sh ot" . The camera t r a v e ls to Lin-c o ln 's Inn, we are in s id e th e Court o f Chancery and th e c l o s e - -up shows Lord C h a n ce llo r s i t t i n g w ith "his atte n d an t w igs" in th e "very h e ar t o f th e fog " . W. J . Harvey1^ in h is e x c e lle n t e s sa y speaks o f th e " p u lsatio n e f f e c t " o f D ic k e n s's n a r r atio n which i s achieved by a c o n tin u a l s h i f t from panorama to a

con-fin e d v i s i o n . To t h is must be added th a t th e "camera work" o r D ic k e n s's "film tec h n iq u e" , i s o fte n used w ith a s tr o n g ly ir o n ic e f f e c t . The "long shot" sc e n es are c a r e f u lly planned and th e s h if t in g from th e panorama t o a c lo s e - u p u s u a lly s e r v e s as an in d ir e c t commentary. Thus a f t e r th e n ig h t sce n e between Lady Dedlock and Mr. Tulkinghorn th e v a s t view o f th e e a r ly morning in England and in London - sim u ltan eou s images o f p e op le engaged in t h e i r d a ily a c t i v i t i e s , o f f i c i a l s going to work, s tr e e tsw e e p - e r s , s q u a r e s, f a l l i n g le a v e s - g iv e s th e im p ression o f l i f e g oin g on around and in s p it e o f th e c o n f l i c t s between a c to r s in in d iv id u a l drama. The p o in t o f th e s c e n e , however, i s in th e f i n a l c lo s e -u p : th e f la g r is in g above S ir L e ic e s t e r 's mansion, a symbol o f . th e p r id e o f a g r e a t fa m ily whose f a l l i s imminent. S im ila r ly th e r e i s a d e ep ly ir o n ic meaning in th e panoramic view o f London a t th e end o f ch ap ter 19 which cu lm in ates in t h e . ć l o s e - -up o f th e "great Cross a t th e summit o f S t. P a u l's Cathedral". To J o , th e vagabond o f T o m -a ll-A lo n e 's , i t i s o n ly "the crown-ing c o n fu sio n o f th e g r e a t confused c i t y " , but to th e re ad e r, th e c r o ss " g lit t e r in g above th e red and v i o l e t - t i n t e d clou d o f smoke" i s a symbol o f C h r is tia n it y ignored in t h i s r ic h and pagan c i t y . The lo n e lin e s s o f an abandoned c h ild c o n tr a ste d w ith th e in d if f e r e n c e o f th e in h a b ita n ts o f th e m etr o p o lis i s p a r t ic u la r ly s t r e s s e d in t h i s sym bolic ' d é t a i l and w ith i t

Dick--- f

12

ens a n t ic i p a t e s th e theme o f man's a lie n a t io n in th e modem urban ju n g le which runa through tw e n tie th cen tu ry l it e r a t u r e .

D ic k e n s's " close-up " tec h n iq u e d e s e r v e s a s p e c ia l a t te n t io n apart from i t s a lt e r n a t io n w ith th e panoramic v ie w s . The c lo s e - -up works as a commentary in i t s own r ig h t . Thus in ch apter

"Attorney and C lie n t" th e r e are two images c o n t in u a lly juxtap o-sed: Mr. V holes t a lk in g to Richard and th e " o f f i c ia l" c a t watch-in g a m ouse-hole. A c a t and mouse image i s not new; what i s o r ig in a l i s D ic k e n s's v is u a l tec hn iq u e which c o n ta in s a fa c t u a l n a r r a tio n o f a b u sin e s s t a lk and an a n t ic ip a t io n , on the sym-b o l ic l e v e l , o f R ich ard's ‘ u ltim a te d e s tr u c t io n . S im ila r ly th e Mace and S e a l shown in a c lo s e -u p are a sym bolic image o f th e f a t a l power which d e s tr o y s p e o p le . One o f th e most in t e r e s t in g examples o f D ic k e n s 's u se o f sym bolic d e t a i l in c lo s e - u p i s th e well-known d e s c r ip t io n o f Lady D edlock's p o r t r a it w ith a "broad bend - s i n i s t e r o f l i g h t th a t s t r i k e s down c rook ed ly in to th e h ea r th and seems t o rend i t " ( p . 138.). By h is im a g is tic tec hn iq u e Dickens a c h ie v e s an a r t i s t i c fo r e s h o r te n in g , a p o e t ic concen tra-tio n : th e h e r a ld ic d e t a i l , s ig n o f i l l e g i t i m a t e b ir t h , s u g g e s ts L ad y.D ed lock 's s e c r e t and announces th e d ow n fall o f th e house o f Dedlock ( " s t r ik e s cr ook ed ly in to th e h earth and seems to rend i t " ) . Thus th e whole image works as condensed n a r r a tiv e and an-t i c i p a an-t i o n .

Sometimes th e J u x ta p o s itio n o f sc e n e s ta k in g p la c e sim ul-ta n e o u s ly , shown by th e n a r r a to r 's camera, i s comic o r g r o te sq u e , as in th e c a se o f th e J e lly b y household. Here th e m eetin gs w ith Mrs. J e lly b y , who w ith h er "transparent eyes" .s e e s Negro c h ild r e n in B orioboola Gha, are c o n tr a ste d w ith sc e n es l i k e th o se when Peepy i s f a l l i n g down th e s t a i r s , o r moments when Es-th e r i s tr y in g to make some o r de r in Es-th e house w h ile Mr. J e lly b y i s s i t t i n g in s i l e n t d e s p a ir w ith h is head a g a in s t th e w a ll.

In h i s e ss a y t i t l e d "Dickens, G r i f f i t h and we" E is e n s te in sa ys th a t what film i s to th e tw e n tie th cen tu ry p u b lic D ic k e n s 's n o v e ls were to th e V ic to r ia n r e a d e r s. He s t r e s s e s th e ex tra o r -din ary v is u a l power and dynam ic p r e s e n ta tio n o f t h e author o f

"Bleak House" and a n a ly z es some s c e n es o f " O liv e r Twist" a s a ready made s c e n a r io w ith i t 3 tec h n iq u e o f m ontage, "cutback" and c lo s e - u p , l a t e r used in a m a ste r ly way by G r if f i t h , Examples o f such s c e n a r io s are to be found in a l l D ic k e n s 's n o v e ls , but

th e n a r r a tiv e in "Bleak House" h a s .a p a r t ic u la r ly "cinem atic" q u a lit y which g iv e s i t a very s p e c ia l rhythm, o r " p u lsation " e f -f e c t , as W. J . Harvey put i t . Among D ic k e n s 's l a t e r n o v e ls "A T ale o f Two C it ie s " d e se r ve s a t te n t io n as another " filr o -lik e " n o ve l; here Dickens made a v e r y in t e r e s t in g u se o f th e "dis-s o lv e " tech niq ue both in th e v i"dis-s u a l and a u d ito ry e f f e c t s , but th e d is c u s s io n o f t h i s a sp e c t i s beyond th e scope o f th e p re se n t pa-p er .

5 . E s th e r 's n a r r a tiv e

E s th e r 's s to r y , .as th e second stream o f n a r r a tio n , b r in g s fu r th e r v a r ie t y . She r e p r e s e n ts a d ia m e tr ic a lly opposed p o in t o f view to th a t o f th e im personal narrators though e s s e n t i a ll y l i -m ited in co-mparison w ith h is panora-mic v i s i o n , sh e i s a ls o good- -h e a r te d and n a iv e , a t l e a s t a t th e b e g in n in g, w h ile he i s ir o -n i c , o fte n s a r c a s t ic . Consequently her n a r r a tio n b r in gs a re-l i e f in ton e and s e t s o f f th e v a lu e o f th e o m n iscien t ir o n ic commentary. Thus Dic&ens a p p lie s th e c l a s s i c a l p r in c ip le o f con-t r a s con-t , so h ig h ly ap p r ec ia ted by F ie ld in g and Henry J a m e s ^ , w ith a w e ll- c a lc u la t e d a r t i s t i c e f f e c t .

However, E sth e r , as n a r r a to r and c h a r a c te r , has been c r i t i

-• 14

c is e d by d i f f e r e n t c r i t i c s as u nconvin cing and in s ip id . I t has been a ls o p oin ted out th a t Dickens i s in c o n s is t e n t in th e u se o f th e c on ve n tion he imposed upon h im s e lf , and th a t sometimes he makes E sth e r .e x p r e s s id e a s and p a in t images which are beyond

15

h er or ou t o f c h a r a c te r . We may q uote here he r remarks about Mr. V h o le s 's " lin g e r in g look" when he w atches R ichard, o r her comment'on Mr. K enge's p r a is e o f th e system :

He s a id t h i s a t th e s ta ir - h e a d , g e n t ly moving h is r ig h t hand as i f i t were a s i l v e r t r o w e l, -w ith which to spread

3 H. F i e 1 d i n g , in : Tom J o n e s , Book V, c h a p t. 1 , v o l . T , "Of th e S e r io u s in W ritin g " ; H. J a tv q s in th e "P reface"

to "Lady E a rb e rin a " , v o l . XIV, New York 1961: "On t h e i n t e -r e s t o f c o n t-r a s t e d t h in g s any p a in t e r o f - l i f e and manners i n e v i -t a b ly much d ep end s" .

C f . G э r i s , op . c i t .

cement o f h is words on th e s tr u c tu r e o f th e system and con-s o li d a t e i t f o r a thoucon-sand agecon-s (p. 741 ) .

Though a t t h i s s ta g e o f a c tio n E sth er i s alread y, much more expe rien ce d and c r i t i c a l she i s by nature not ir o n ic and th e above remark i s much to o s o p h is tic a t e d f o r h e r . I t i s a ls o tr u e th a t th e r e i s an i d e a li z a t i o n o f E s th e r 's c h a r a c te r and she may be i r r i t a t i n g w ith h er c o n tin u a l e x h o r ta tio n s t o duty and her s e lf - e f fa c e m e n t . T h is , however, i s ver y much in keeping w ith th e V ic to r ia n demand f o r fem inin e goodness in f i c t i o n and in agree-ment w ith D ic k e n s's v i s i o n o f th e fem in in e i d e a l; i t i s a ls o in agreement w ith E s t h e r 's se n se o f i n f e r i o r i t y which i s p sych olo-g i c a l l y q u it e c o n v in c in olo-g . On th e o th e r hand s e v e r a l c r i t i c s have p oin ted out th a t E sth er r e p r e s e n ts a moral f o r c e in th e novel and th e r e are some re c e n t s t u d ie s in which E s th e r 's c h ar ac te r i s

Л f i

d isc u s s e d as ev id e n ce o f D ic k e n s 's p sy c h o lo g ic a l awareness . My purpose i s to p r e s e n t E s th e r 's n a r r a tiv e as one o f in t e r e s t in g experim ents in p s y c h o lo g ic a l stu d y .

In th e v a s t c o m p ositio n al p a tte r n o f "Bleak House" c e r t a in c h a r a c te r s and m ilie u s are introd u ced in both stream s o f narra-t i o n , w h ile o th e r s appear on ly in one, and t h i s i s a m atter o f c a r e fu l c a lc u la t io n . Thus th e Court o f Chancery and th e law y e r s, and t h e i r c ou nte rp art Krook w ith h is rag and b o t t l e shop are shown by both n ar r a tor s; so i s M iss F l i t e , but Mrs. J e lly b y 's h o u seh o ld , Mr. Turveydrop and, above a l l , Mr. Skim pole, are shown in E s th e r 's n a r r a tiv e . On th e o th e r hand th e a r i s t o c r a t ic world o f th e D ed locks, t h e ir r e s id e n c e w ith i t s m elancholy atm osphere, th e Ironm aster and h i s world are shown m ainly by th e omni-s c ie n t n a r r a to r , alth ou gh E omni-sth er comeomni-s in to c o n ta c t w ith Lady Dedlock and S ir L e ic e s t e r and shows us g lim p se s o f t h i s world from h er p o in t o f v ie w . The j u x t a p o s itio n o f t h e s e two opposed a n g le s o f v i s i o n has an e x c e l le n t a r t i s t i c e f f e c t . A ft e r th e in -tr o d u c tio n o f th e world o f Chancery by th e o m n isc ie n t n ar ra to r w ith h is s i n i s t e r and gr o te sq u e puppet show and h is shrewd com-mentary we s e e th e ’law yers and Lord C h a nc ellor in ch ap ter th r e e

1 6

See th e e s s a y s by M. R o s s o , Dickens and E sth e r , The D ic ke n sian 1969, and L. F r a n k , Through a G lass D a r k ly ', E st-her Summerson and "Bleak House", Dickens S tu d ie s Annual, v o l. 4 ,

through E s th e r 's e y e s. Her innocence-and la c k o f e x p e rie n c e are e v id e n t in h er f e e li n g o f awe mixed w ith s u r p r is e and reveren ce when she watches th e la w ye r s, and th e Lord C h an c ellor , d iv e e te d o f h is r o b e s, i s a d is tin g u is h e d fig u r e but more human than in h i s f i r s t appearance, E sthe r hâs a long way to go u n t i l h er

re-v e r e n t i a l a t t itu d e undergoes a change, i . e . u n t i l sh e becomes aware o f th e corrupted ways o f Chancery. In h er c o n ta c t w ith London she e x p er ie n c e s aston ishm ent and awe - s in c e i t i s a new world - but s u r p r is e changes in to horror when she v i s i t s Krook's

shop, w h ile astonishm ent and com passion are th e two f e e - ' l in g s she e x p e r ie n c e s in her c o n ta c t w ith th e J e lly b y house-h old . I t i s here th a t E sth er becomes a c tiv e - she te a c h e s Cad-dy what a fam ily l i f e may be l i k e . Compassion, k in dn ess (as in h er a t t itu d e t o Miss F l i t e ) , a p o s it iv e r e a c t io n to ch a os, wrongheadedness and s t u p id it y (a s in h er r e la t io n s w ith th e J e l - ly b y s ) a r e n a tu r a l and spontaneous on E s t h e r 's p a r t.

With a l l her l im it a t io n s , connected w ith h er sex and educa-t io n , E sth er i s i n t e l l i g e n t ; she has a ls o a s e n s e o f beauty and a g i f t o f o b s e r v a tio n . T h is i s h er equipment as a n a r r a to r . So when she g iv e s a p o e t ic d e s c r ip t io n o f her environm ent, s t r i -king in i t s v i s u a l q u a lit y , we can ac c ep t i t w ith o u t quarre- Mng w ith th e au th or, although we would r a th e r exp e c t i t from a p r o fe s s io n a l w r ite r . T h is i s how E sth er p r e s e n ts dawn and e a r ly morning a f t e r h er a r r iv a l in B leak House:

I t was in t e r e s t i n g when I d r e s se d b e fo r e d a y l ig h t , t o peep V o u t o f window where my c a n d le s w ere r e f l e c t e d i n th e

b l a c k p an es l i k e two b e a c o n s, and, f in d in g a l l beyond s t i l l

enshrouded i n th e i n d i s t i n c t n e s s o f l a s t n ig h t , t o w atch how - i t tu rn ed o u t when th e day came o n . As th e p r o s p e c t g r a d u a

l-l y r e v e a l-le d i t s e l f , and d i s c lo s e d th e sc e n e o v e r w h ich th e wind wandered i n th e d a r k , l i k e my memory o v e r my l i f e , I had a p le a s u r e i n d is c o v e r in g t h e unknown o b j e c t s t h a t had b een around me i n my s le e p * At* f i r s t th e y w ere f a i n t l y d i s -c e r n i b l e in t h e m i s t , ' and above them th e l a t e r s t a r s s t i l l glim m ered . That p a le ' in t e r v a l o v e r , . th e p ic t u r e began to e n la r g e and f i l l up so f a s t , t h a t, a t e v e r y new p e e p , ' I co u ld have 3 found enough t o 1 io o k a t f o r an h o u r . . . ( p . 8 5 ) . T h is i s a p o e t ic d e s c r ip t i o n i n w h ich th e c o n t r a s t o f l i g h t and d a rk n e ss p e r f e c t ly r en d er s th e atm osp here o f dawn and D ick -e n s ' s "camera work" w ith i t s « d is s o lt fe " 't e c h n iq u e i s s k i l f u l l y used to convey th e d re a m lik e q u a li t y o f E s t h e r 's v i s i o n .

p r e s e n ta tio n o f d i f f e r e n t c h a r a c te r s from her p o in t o f v ie w , i . e . when E sth e r i s used as a kind o f " f i lt e r " , to u se Jame s' s term , an " in t e llig e n c e " through whom d if f e r e n t c h a r a c te r s are shown (to u t e s p rop o r tio n s g a r d é e s)} and in h e r own lo v e - s to r y which in v o lv e s h er s e l f - r e v e la t io n .

In th e cou rse o f th e n a r r a tiv e E sth er r e v e a ls h e r s e lf as a r e a l C h r is tia n , f u l l o f compassion and understanding f o r o th e r p e o p le . A t*the begin nin g she a c c e p ts o th e r p e o p le 's str a n g e behaviour w ith a ston ish m e n t, sometimes n a iv e ly , y e t always in good f a i t h though sh e may be p u z z le d . But in th e c ou rse o f th e a c tio n E s th e r 'd e v e lo p s m orally and g a in s expe-r ie n c e ; a t th e end, though she n ever v i o l e n t l y condemns anybo-d y, her d isa p p ro v al o f d i f f e r e n t p eop le i s q u it e e v id e n t. T his

i s h er a t t it u d e to Mrs. J e lly b y and Mr. Turveydrop, but above a l l to Harold Skim pole. The p r e s e n ta tio n o f t h i s c h a r a c te r through E s t h e r 's v is i o n i s one o f D ic k e n s 's d e vfb es to in v o lv e th e read er in c o o p e r a tio n w ith th e n a r r a to r . From th e very b egin-ning we r e a li z e th a t Skimpole i s an ir r e s p o n s ib le man, a para- s i t e who e x p l o it s h is fr ie n d s and n e g le c ts h i s fa m ily , but E sth er i s not aware o f h is im m or ality. T h e.r ead er th e r e fo r e c o r r e c ts and com p letes E s th e r 'з p r e s e n ta tio n ; w h ile E sth er aocep te ap-pearances in good f a i t h , th e reader s e e s th e f u l l meaning o f th e s it u a t io n . Here E sth er records t h e i r f i r s t c o n ta c t in "Bleak

House" when Skimpole t e l l s th e young p e op le about h is l i f e : He was v e r y fond o f r e a d in g t h e p a p e r s , v e r y fond o f making fa n c y s k e tc h e s w i th a p e n c i l , v e ry fond o f n a t u r e , v e ry fond o f a r t . A l l he asked o f s o c i e t y was to l e t him l i v e . T h at was n o t much. H is w ants were few. Give him t h e p a p e r s , con-v e r s a t i o n , m us ic, m u tto n , c o f f e e , l a n d s c a p e , f r u i t in t h e s e a s o n , a few s h e e t s o f B r i s t o l board and a l i t t l e c l a r e t and he asked no more [ . . . ] .

He was q u i t e e n c h a n tin g . I f I f e l t a t a l l co n fu sed a t t h a t e a r ly tim e , in en d eavo u ring t o r e c o n c il e a n y th in g he s a id w ith a n y th in g I had th o u g h t ab ou t th e d u t i e s and ac-c o u n t a b i l i t i e s o f l i f e (w h ic h I am f a r from s u r e o f ) , I was co n fu se d by n o t e x a c t ly u n d e r sta n d in g why he was f r e e o f them . That he was f r e e o f them , I s c a r c e l y d ou b ted; he waa so v e r y c l e a r abou t i t h im s e lf ( p . 6 6 ) .

E s th e r i s w r it in g h e r s t o r y a s a m arried woman se v e n y e a r s a f t e r m arrying A lla n , and by s a y in g " If I f e l t a t a l l co n fi.se d a t t h a t e a r ly tim e " , sh e in d i c a t e s t h a t sh e h as a cY ear o p ir io n o i S k im p o le now. • At h e r f i r s t m eetin g sh e n a iv e ly b e l ie v e s th a t