Charles Dickens Bleak House A Tale

Charles Dickens, Bleak House + A Tale Of Two Cities Essay, Research Paper

Christopher Cahn

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens is perhaps one of the greatest and most studied British authors of all time. Possibly one of the most controversial writers of his time, Dickens wrote often about the vast gap between the lower classes and the aristocracy, as well as the inefficiency, immorality and unjustness of governments and the upper classes in general. In the books, A Tale of Two Cities, and Bleak House, Dickens wrote about his hatred for government and all its corruptness. This intense hatred for social institutions such as government and the courts, as well as his empathy for the lower classes most likely stems from his childhood experiences.

Dickens’ was born in Portsmouth, England, on February 7, 1812. John Dickens, his father, was a clerk in the Navy Pay Office. The Dickens Family lived beyond their means, and consequently, John Dickens was imprisoned in 1824 for excessive debt. As was the law, the English courts imprisoned the entire Dickens’ family and sold the children to a labor factory. At the age of twelve Charles went to work in a boot-blacking factory earning six shillings a week. He described this period of his life as one of the most horrible. It is obvious that Dickens’ experience of childhood poverty and hardship served to shape his perspectives on the law, social reform, and compassion for the lower class. After this hardship was over, his sentence having been carried out, Dickens returned to school. Later, he worked in a law firm, and became a freelance reporter of legal issues and debate. These positions further shaped Dickens’ societal views. With this in mind, we may analyze some of Dickens’ literary works and attempt to identify similar themes contained within those works. The two works by Dickens are A Tale of Two Cities, published in 1859, and Bleak House, published in 1853. Through close analysis of these works, we see that Charles Dickens is an author who views laws and instruments of the law in a satirical perspective.

At the beginning of A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens expresses his concern about social problems. Specifically, he seems to be saying that as a result of the way in which the lower class in England is treated, a reaction on the scale of the French Revolution may arise. Dickens does so by comparing England and France at the beginning of and throughout the novel. Dickens takes special note of the conditions–claiming each country to be evil, and full of poverty, injustice and violence due to the irresponsibility of the leaders. Dickens is alleging that those in the position to regulate and enforce laws are the sole cause of the unfavorable conditions plaguing the poor and lower classes. To compound these allegations, Dickens even goes as far as to criticize the highest instruments of the law in each country–the king. Upon further examination, however, it becomes apparent that Dickens is comparing the stability of England with the chaos of France. He does so by discussing the lawlessness in France and the relative peace in England. Thus, one can conclude that England appears to be stable for the time being. One such example illustrating the stability of England is when Lucie Manette locates her father, Dr. Manette. He had been imprisoned in the Bastille in France, and Lucie explains how they will “go to England to be at peace and rest.” This only suggests that Dickens is satirizing the laws of France, and the incompetence of the authorities. Additionally, the depiction of France as the novel unfolds becomes increasingly dangerous. Violent acts are committed by mobs, most specifically, the storming of the Bastille, when Madame Defarge decapitates the governor. With all of this mind, it becomes obvious to the reader that Dickens is viewing the laws and the instruments of the law, specifically those of France, in a perspective which can be classified as a warning to England.

Additionally, it is also important to examine the specific cruelty during the French Revolution, and the specific contribution that it serves to form Dickens’ views, which are reflected directly in his writing. First, it is important to recognize that Dickens is presenting the time leading up to the French Revolution to the reader–a period of chaos, injustice and unfair treatment. Obviously, one can see how the laws are failing miserably if such chaos is allowed to progress in a societal environment. Second, we may look at the nature of the people that were presented in the novel by Dickens. Charles Darnay is a character that we may examine. Mr. Darnay has been arrested and tried twice in France, his only crime being a relative of an aristocratic family The mere fact of knowing that Darnay has been subjected to the French legal system on two subsequent occasions certainly indicates that the system is flawed and fails to accomplish what an ideal legal system should do–i.e. –Trying people for what they do, instead of who they are. Hence we can assume that Dickens is satirizing the law through the character of Charles Darnay. At one point in the novel, we learn that Darnay is being tried for treason because he attempted to rescue an employee of his family’s however, Darnay is identified as being a member of an aristocratic family. Dickens, by using Darnay as a wealthy member of society attempting to rescue a lower class member of society, sym