Bleak House was written by Charles Dickens and is primarily a story about abandonment. Dickens uses a mix of a third-person narration and Esther Summerson’s personal narrative to balance social criticism with personal experiences. Esther Summerson is one of many orphans that appear in Dickens’ novel. Jo, Esther Charley Richard Ada have all been abandoned in a different way. Mrs. Jellyby is also an abandoned parent, as are Mrs. Pardiggle and Harold Skimpole. Mr. Turveydrop, too, abandons his children through emotional neglect.
Mrs. Jellyby claims to be an admirable philanthropist but ignores the poor living conditions of her family to focus on injustices in Africa. Dickens shows the arbitrariness and irresponsibility of focusing one’s energies (which will most likely be ineffectively used) on an abstract issue rather than a local one. Dickens stated that those who were devoted (telescopic), distant philanthropy, often neglected the needs and wants of people around them. Dickens, in this instance, satirizes the misguided “do gooder” Mrs. Jellyby. Dickens also uses the Jellyby kids (especially Peepy), to illustrate a recurring theme of his: the vulnerability and pain of children living in a world that is mismanaged.
Dickens juxtaposes the shallowness and pretentiousness that characterizes professional social workers with the deep pain of losing a child.
Esther is dealing with the same problem as Chancery in the third person narrative: a missing or absent parent. Breakdowns in families, neglectful parenting, and loss of love and comfort are all manifestations of the disorder, chaos, and disease that plague society. Esther highlights a theme similar to the third-person story – the institution’s abandonment of responsibility.
Dickens Victorian England often has people slip through its cracks. Jo’s and Nemos’ characters illustrate this. Dickens uses characters to show that a society’s moral decay is caused by a lack of social responsibility. He describes a monster that consumes the entire world:
Numerous people, young and old, have become involved in the cause. Scores have been made to be parties in Jarndyce-Jardyce, with no idea how or why. Families have passed down legendary hatreds through the lawsuit.
Dickens asks his readers, in the context of the case and Chancery’s entire legal system, to reflect on the lives that have been misdirected and the unfulfilled potentials of many. Richard, Ada, and Jo are all wards of court. Jo was also raised in poor houses. One could say that the Chancery, as well as the legal system has been neglectful. When comparing the legal and family systems, the idea is that the private consequences of public neglect are enormous.
The irony is that after the lengthy and confusing Jarndyce against Jarndyce lawsuit, the attorney bills consumed the full value of both parties’ suit, leaving no inheritance. This point is illustrated by the doorknobs on the Jellyby’s house which, despite being “smooth and smooth,” have “no effects whatsoever” on the front door.
Esther as a storyteller shows us the negative consequences of social neglect. But her narrative also shows that people can still learn to flourish despite their circumstances. She shows it’s important for every individual to be human, and act according to his or her highest ideals.
Esther tells her doll in her confessions that she will “try as hard as every I can to repair my fault (ofwhich I confusedly feel guilty and yet innocence), and strive as a child to be industrious. I will try to win myself some love if it is possible.” Esther believes that one cannot “earn” love, but must instead “win” the right to receive it. The circumstances in the novel support her view, even though it is unfortunate. Jo, the “don’t-know-nothing” character, does very little to benefit society or family. He dies, however, because he lacks basic necessities. Many people assert that even if you are in a death-filled environment, the struggle to survive is noble and worthwhile. Jo’s story shows that the struggle to survive is not always successful. In any case, the answer is that a child needs a supportive family to grow.
In many cases, those who perpetrate abandonment or neglect were themselves victims of similar circumstances. Mr. Skimpole serves as a prime example. He portrays himself continuously as an “eternal kid” to escape the responsibilities that come with adulthood. But he also degrades real children by doing so. This behavior is best illustrated when he bribes Jo. Following the incident, Esther is told: “You don’t think I am responsible. It’s something I have never done. Responsibility has always seemed to me to be a thing above.
Dickens is clear in his belief that an innocent child should not be left to the care of adults. Although the adult responsible for the neglect of the child must be held accountable, the society’s failure to care for its citizens is what leads to the condition of the child. We learn about the court’s arbitrary nature through the story, which is filled with jumbled lawsuits and social scandals.