The Victorian Feminist Archetype In Charles Dickens's Bleak House

Another interesting note to mention is that Mrs. Jellyby is one of the few matriarchs within the Victorian age; her husband is described as a “nonentity” by Richard and literally has no voice, which consequently bequeaths Mrs. Jellyby with the power in the household (44). The dynamic of their relationship thus becomes a transgression of the Victorian feminine archetype also, in which the gender balance is traditionally firmly skewed toward the male spectrum. Through Esther’s interactions with the Jellyby children, the two mother figures are juxtaposed, which consequently works to highlight the maternal qualities of Esther. As Ada says, Esther “would make a home out of even this house” (46). These comparisons also help bring to light the image of the Victorian ideal in

She becomes Dickens’ embodiment of the feminine archetype, and rewards her for these qualities, which perhaps work to mirror a belief that intrinsic value can overcome external hardship, as Esther does in Bleak House. These qualities seem to only be emphasized when compared to the likes of her counterparts that litter the novel; Lady Dedlock and Mrs. Jellyby seem to have the strongest effect when juxtaposed. However despite Esther’s conformity to these qualities, that does not necessarily suggest that she is a weak, flat or misogynistic character. Rather, these qualities serve to empower her; it is through her voice, her first-person narration through which the reader is able to view the world of Bleak House. She uses these characteristics in order to gain a voice, in contrast to Lady Dedlock, without causing harm to those around her, as Mrs. Jellyby does to her children. Through a maternal agency, Esther is able to develop a voice that subverts the patriarchal norms of the time, and undoubtedly shapes the subtleties of Esther’s character that make her so effective and