Bleak House · Chapter
Down in Lincolnshire explained
The chapter depicts the somber and decayed state of Chesney Wold after Lady Dedlock's death.
What happens
The chapter depicts the somber and decayed state of Chesney Wold after Lady Dedlock's death. Sir Leicester, now invalided and nearly blind, rides to the mausoleum where she lies buried, while the old quarrel with Boythorn continues in a subdued manner. The trooper Mr. George lives in a lodge, and the house is largely shut up, with only Volumnia reading to Sir Leicester and the occasional visit of cousins breaking the monotony.
Themes in this chapter
Appearance vs. Reality
The quarrel between Sir Leicester and Boythorn appears fierce but is secretly considerate; the grandeur of Chesney Wold masks its emptiness and decay.
Environment and Atmosphere
The somber, hushed atmosphere of Chesney Wold and the mausoleum reflects the emotional and physical decay of the Dedlock family.
Family and Loyalty
Sir Leicester's loyalty to Lady Dedlock's memory and the strained family relations among the cousins highlight themes of duty and kinship.
Characters to notice
- Sir Leicester Dedlock
Invalided, bent, and almost blind, he rides to the mausoleum and holds his shrunken state in the drawing-room.
- Lady Dedlock
Lies in the mausoleum in the park; her death remains a mystery.
- Mr. George
The trooper now lives in a lodge on the estate, with Phil Squod keeping his relics polished.
- Phil Squod
A little lame man who polishes stable-yard items and answers to the name of Phil.
- Miss Volumnia
Reads to Sir Leicester in the evenings and attends rare public balls, finding Lincolnshire life a vast blank.
- Boythorn
Continues his quarrel with Sir Leicester, though secretly considerate of his old foe.
Key passages
“There is a hush upon Chesney Wold in these altered days, as there is upon a portion of the family history.”
A quiet stillness has settled over Chesney Wold, reflecting the silence that now shrouds part of the family's past.
The opening line sets the tone of decay and secrecy after Lady Dedlock's death.
“The story goes that Sir Leicester paid some who could have spoken out to hold their peace; but it is a lame story, feebly whispering and creeping about, and any brighter spark of life it shows soon dies away.”
Rumor says Sir Leicester bribed potential witnesses to stay silent, but the tale is weak and quickly fades.
Highlights the mystery surrounding Lady Dedlock's death and the suppression of truth.
“War rages yet with the audacious Boythorn, though at uncertain intervals, and now hotly, and now coolly, flickering like an unsteady fire.”
The feud with Boythorn continues, but it flares up and dies down unpredictably, like a flickering flame.
Describes the ongoing but diminished quarrel between Sir Leicester and Boythorn.
“The greater part of the house is shut up, and it is a show-house no longer; yet Sir Leicester holds his shrunken state in the long drawing-room for all that, and reposes in his old place before my Lady’s picture.”
Most of the house is closed and no longer open to visitors, but Sir Leicester still maintains his diminished presence in the drawing-room, sitting before Lady Dedlock's portrait.
Illustrates the decline of Chesney Wold and Sir Leicester's clinging to the past.
“A labyrinth of grandeur, less the property of an old family of human beings and their ghostly likenesses than of an old family of echoings and thunderings which start out of their hundred graves at every sound and go resounding through the building.”
The grand house feels more like a maze of echoes and noises than a home for a living family, as sounds seem to rise from a hundred graves.
Emphasizes the haunting, lifeless atmosphere of Chesney Wold.
