Bleak House

In the early stages of the novel, Bleak House—a large and foreboding property—is a symbol of worrying possibilities. Rather than optimistic, the characters are initially anxious about what awaits them inside the house. They are not necessarily there of their own volition; Richard and Ada have been sent there by the court, and Esther is there because she has been promised a job. Even for Jarndyce himself, the house has a dark past. The house came into his possession after a series of deaths brought about by his relations’ obsession with the legal case that bears his name. Its interior is labyrinthine, mirroring the convoluted legal system. However, Jarndyce has worked hard to turn the house from a foreboding symbol of death and obsession into what it becomes later in the novel. The arrival of the young wards is part of this symbolic reconstruction, an attempt to remove the inherent bleakness of Bleak House.

The immediate friendship between Richard, Ada, and Esther is consecrated by their shared arrival at Bleak House. They go through the emotional journey of reinterpreting the building’s symbolism; the dark and foreboding feeling is forgotten, replaced by the delight of being surrounded by so many friends. Bleak House becomes a symbol of this budding friendship. For Esther, Bleak House is also the first place where she feels truly at home. For once, she is not in a temporary or unloving home: She is welcomed and appreciated, as well as given more responsibility than ever before (as symbolized by the keys Jarndyce entrusts her with). Through Richard, Ada, Jarndyce, and the house itself, Esther learns what it means to be in a loving, thriving household. Bleak House becomes important to her own personal psychology as a symbol of responsibility, love, and the family she never really had.

After several years, Esther leaves Bleak House to marry Woodcourt. However, Jarndyce surprises her by gifting the couple with their own version of Bleak House. This small copy of the house is decorated in the exact same style that Esther implemented in the original. She moves to the new Bleak House and recognizes herself in it—a validation of the identity she has built for herself. It is an acknowledgment of her hard work and effort, as well as a symbolic transition between her two roles. She is no longer an employee of Bleak House but an owner of Bleak House. The second Bleak House represents Esther’s growth as a character and the recognition of this growth by the people she loves best.