The Conflict Between Corrupt Legal System And Justice In Charles Dickens's Bleak House

Charles Dickens is a famous realist writer,whose novels concentrate on the social issues in Britain at that time.Dickens pays attention to the unjust legal system,because he is a victim of the penalty system and novel piracy.What's more,he has entered some professions relating to law,which helps him to have a better understanding of legislation,jurisdiction and enforcement.As a result,Dickens depicts legal plots in many of his novels,such as the penalty system in Little Dorrit and the judicial system in A Tale of Two Cities.Bleak House is Dickens' s first novel whose major theme is to criticize the dilatory process in the Chancery and the selfish lawyers at that time.This novel reflects Dickens' s attitude towards justice.This thesis analyzes the conflict between law and justice in Charles Dickens' s Bleak House and summarizes,based on Martha C.Nussbaum's poetic justice,Dickens' s views on law and justice.The thesis is divided into five parts.The first part is introduction,which includes an overview of Dickens,his novel Bleak House,its literature review,and the concept of poetic justice.The second part analyzes the tragedy of Richard Carstone,Lady Dedlock and other minor characters to highlight the conflict between law and justice in this novel.The third part analyzes the reasons for the conflict,which is partly the injustice in the legal system,including mystification of law,irresponsibility of the Chancery and the legal practitioners,and the backwardness and feudality of the legal system.The fourth part analyzes,based on Martha C.Nussbaum's poetic justice,Dickens' s solution to the conflict.On the one hand,Dickens sets Jarndyce,Esther and Woodcourt as judicious spectators whose lives are not ruined by the depraved legal system.Consequently,they can be neutral judges to analyze the dispute impartially.More importantly,thanks to their empathy,they will take the litigants' backgrounds into consideration rather than apply the law mechanically.In order to relieve the social injustice as a result of the legal system,they are willing to assist the victims as best they can.On the other hand,Dickens tips the scales in justice with literary imagination.Dickens designs Krook as Chancellor's counterpart and describes Krook's death to suggest the decay of the legal system.What's more,the novel reveals the degenerate legislation,jurisdiction and enforcement to appeal for justice.The fifth part of the paper is the conclusion,which summarizes the characteristics of the conflict,the reasons for the conflict,the corresponding solution,and Dickens' s thoughts of law and justice.Dickens' s view on justice is consistent with Nussbaum's poetic justice.While realizing that social injustice results from the depraved legal system,Dickens agrees on the necessity and significance of law.He resorts to literary imagination and rational emotion to help mitigate the injustice,to arouse the readers' empathy and ultimately,to call for legal reform.Charles Dickens applies poetic justice as a moderate supplementary remedy to the unjust legal system.