The Ending of Bleak House

 Today we are going to discuss the ending of the book Bleak House and how we should feel about the themes and characters. We are also going to talk about Mrs. Maisel and AP prompts.

Richard

Ester

Mr. Jarndyce 

Ada

Leicester Deadlock

Mr. George

Skimpole

Caddy

Mrs Jellyby

Mrs. Flite

Mr. Woodcourt

Mrs. Snagsby

Smallweed

Mr. Krook

Inspector Bucket

Lady Deadlock

Mr. Guppy 

 THEMES:

Poverty

Reputation 

Class Structure and Lineage

Power and moral principles

Appearances and Identity

Law vs Justice

Duty or Social Responsibility (Philanthropy)

Family

Passion and Madness

 

2021. In many works of fiction houses take on symbolic importance. Such houses may be literal houses or unconventional ones (e.g., hotels, monasteries, or boats). Either from your own reading or from the list below, choose

 

2019. In his 2004 novel Magic Seeds, V. S. Naipaul writes: “It is wrong to have an ideal view of the world. That’s where the mischief starts. That’s where everything starts unravelling.” Select a novel, play, or epic poem in which a character holds an “ideal view of the world.” Then write an essay in which you analyze the character’s idealism and its positive or negative consequences. Explain how the author’s portrayal of this idealism illuminates the meaning of the work as a whole.

 

2014. It has often been said that what we value can be determined only by what we sacrifice. Consider how this statement applies to a character from a novel or play. Select a character that has deliberately sacrificed, surrendered, or forfeited something in a way that highlights that character’s values. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how the particular sacrifice illuminates the character’s values and provides a deeper understanding of the meaning of the work as a whole.

 

2005. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess “That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions.” In a novel or play that you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.