Passion, Obsession, and Madness Theme Analysis

Dickens clearly sees the value of following one’s passion, as his characters who do not feel a calling in life are somewhat lost and forlorn throughout the book. However, there is a distinction made between a calling—a cause or profession one feels naturally drawn to, which one follows to a moderate and balanced degree—and an obsession. Bleak House is peppered with characters who are driven to distraction by their various obsessions, which consume their lives and drive them mad, and unregulated passion leads to disastrous consequences throughout the novel. The book suggests that a genuine calling, however, when it is honestly chosen and industriously achieved, is a benevolent and useful way to contribute to society.

Lack of professional direction, or the lack of purpose in life, can have a negative effect on people’s wellbeing. Many of the characters in Bleak House are searching for meaning in their lives and turn to professional and social endeavors to give themselves a sense of place within society. Characters who do not feel a professional or social calling of this kind are often slightly adrift within the novel. One example of this is “the trooper,” George, an ex-soldier who makes a series of bad investments and inadvertently saddles his loyal friends, and Mrs. Bagnet, with debt because he cannot find a stable calling in life after the army. Lack of professional direction is also a problem for Richard Carstone, who cannot decide which industry he wishes to train for and tries several before giving up entirely. Richard cannot choose a discipline because he doesn’t feel a particular passion for any of them. Mr. Jarndyce, Richard’s guardian, warns Richard against relying on passion alone and tries to advise Richard that if he studies hard in the profession of his choosing, even if it is not his preference, he will reap the rewards in the future and feel a sense of fulfilment. Richard disregards Mr. Jarndyce’s advice, however, and Richard’s lack of purpose gives way to a misguided obsession. Dickens suggests that it is better to choose a direction in life than to rely on passion alone, which, if unchecked, may leave one open to being taken in by false or illusory ideas.

In the novel, extreme passion easily transforms into obsession. Without a profession to discipline and distract him, Richard becomes obsessed with the lawsuit, Jarndyce and Jarndyce, from which he expects an inheritance. He is so consumed with his delusional hopes of hypothetical inheritance that he does not see the reality of the situation: that Jarndyce and Jarndyce is unlikely to be resolved and that, in the meantime, he is bankrupting himself for no good reason to pay his legal fees. Richard’s situation is echoed in the character of Gridley, a poor man who lives near the court and who spends a large part of his life trying to demand a verdict from the Chancery court. Gridley’s obsession ultimately consumes him, and he dies miserable and penniless, having never heard a verdict on his case. Even beyond the court, characters are troubled by obsessions. Mrs. Snagsby, the wife of Mr. Snagsby, who runs a stationery shop near Chancery, becomes consumed with passionate jealousy and obsessed with the idea that her husband has fathered an illegitimate child: the unfortunate street sweeper, Jo, with whom Mr. Snagsby is friendly. Her misguided belief leads her into a paranoid obsession, and she follows her husband (who is innocent) everywhere looking for signs of his guilt. Driven by their passions, these characters begin to stray into strange behaviors. Dickens suggests that a passion that is not moderated, or does not have a good foundation in reality, can easily turn into an unhealthy fixation.

At its worst, obsession can lead to madness. Dickens demonstrates this through the character of Miss Flite, an elderly lady who religiously attends the Chancery court to await the outcome of Jarndyce and Jarndyce. Miss Flite goes mad while she obsessively waits for a verdict in the case, and her example serves as a warning for other characters, and for the reader, about the close relationship between obsession and madness. Following in Miss Flite’s footsteps, Richard gradually succumbs to his obsession with Jarndyce and Jarndyce, and he, too, goes mad. Like Miss Flite, he begins to attend court daily with the vague notion that he will hear news regarding his suit. He eventually dies when the case is terminated, and it is announced that all the money owing to the plaintiffs has been eaten up in legal costs.

Richard’s tragic demise through lunacy and obsession is directly contrasted by the stable and disciplined life built by Mr. Woodcourt, the surgeon whom Esther marries. Like Richard, Mr. Woodcourt also feels a lack of direction early in his life and career, but unlike Richard, Mr. Woodcourt makes a diligent and concerted effort to make the best of his chosen career as a doctor. While Richard suffers because of his poor life choices, which are based on unrestrained passion rather than on disciplined and practical ideas, Mr. Woodcourt grows to cherish his profession, which provides a solid living for himself and Esther and contributes in a positive way to society. Overall Dickens takes a moderate view, suggesting that discipline and diligence are good protection against the pitfalls of obsession, delusion, and madness, which can easily distort any type of passionate preoccupation.