Bleak House · Chapter
XLVI: Stop Him! explained
Allan Woodcourt wanders through the squalid Tom-all-Alone's at dawn, where he encounters a woman waiting on a doorstep.
What happens
Allan Woodcourt wanders through the squalid Tom-all-Alone's at dawn, where he encounters a woman waiting on a doorstep. She is searching for Jo, the boy who had been taken in by Esther Summerson when he was ill but who ran away. Jo appears, and a chase ensues. When caught, Jo reveals he was forced to leave by a man who threatened him if he stayed near London. Allan promises to help Jo find shelter and reassures the woman that Jo was not ungrateful.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Inequality
The description of Tom-all-Alone's as a place of corruption and disease that spreads retribution through all orders of society highlights the interconnectedness of social classes and the failure of reform.
Environment and Atmosphere
The chapter opens with a vivid, oppressive depiction of Tom-all-Alone's at night and dawn, using imagery of darkness, stagnant mud, and pestilential air to create a mood of decay and hopelessness.
Secrets and Identity
Jo's fear of a man who threatens him and his whispered revelation of a name point to hidden forces and secrets that drive the plot, particularly concerning the mystery surrounding Nemo's death.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Woodcourt
Allan Woodcourt walks through Tom-all-Alone's at dawn, showing compassionate interest in the wretchedness around him. He encounters the woman searching for Jo, chases down Jo, and learns about the threat that drove Jo away. He offers to find Jo a better hiding place.
- Jo
Jo is found by the woman and chased down by Allan Woodcourt. He is terrified of a man who threatened him to leave London and never be seen again. He reveals that he was taken to a hospital and given money to move on. He expresses remorse for leaving the young lady who helped him.
- Esther Summerson
Referenced as the young lady who took Jo in when he was ill, caught his illness, and lost her beauty. Jo and the woman speak of her with gratitude and concern.
- Jenny
The woman sitting on the doorstep who has been searching for Jo. She explains that Jo was kind to her when he was ill at Saint Albans, and that the young lady (Esther) took him in. She is relieved to have found Jo.
Key passages
“There is not a drop of Tom's corrupted blood but propagates infection and contagion somewhere. It shall pollute, this very night, the choice stream (in which chemists on analysis would find the genuine nobility) of a Norman house, and his Grace shall not be able to say nay to the infamous alliance.”
Every bit of Tom-all-Alone's filth and disease will spread and infect even the highest aristocratic families, showing that the poor's suffering inevitably taints the rich.
This passage underscores the theme of social class and inequality, illustrating how the degradation of the slums cannot be contained and will affect all levels of society.
“I've been a-chivied and a-chivied, fust by one on you and nixt by another on you, till I'm worritted to skins and bones.”
I've been chased and harassed by one person after another until I'm worn out to skin and bones.
Jo's complaint reveals his constant persecution and vulnerability, highlighting the relentless pressure on the poor to 'move on' and the lack of any safe refuge.
“He's in all manner of places, all at wanst.”
He is everywhere at once.
Jo's fearful response about the man who threatened him suggests a pervasive, almost omniscient threat, adding to the atmosphere of paranoia and secrecy.