Lady Dedlock "Ghosts"

Dickens gives the reader a glimpse of history of the Dedlocks in chapter seven with his illustration of the interaction between Lady Dedlock and Sir Leicester.  I would argue they don’t truly love each other and are only married for societal reasons.  For example Lady Dedlock is not portrayed as a loving character.  We know this since she has shown us through her actions and constant complaining of how bored she is.  Giving us the impression she doesn’t care about anything or anyone around her.

Lady Dedlock is a woman who looks down at everyone including her husband even though she has a few “Ghosts” in her closet.  I would argue that it is her constant fear of her secret getting out that requires her to distance herself from the world, which includes her husband.  Lady Dedlock’s endless worrying about her secret being revealed and subsequently causing her world to shatter causes her to later act very strangely. She rejects propriety and as we later learn finds herself needing to visit the grave of her lost lover.  This simple act challenges the idea that she is completely above everyone else. Dickens allows us a glimpse of a softer even vulnerable side to a woman who so far has only been cold and standoffish. We as readers could suppose that her heartless demeaner is the result of the hurt she felt at the loss of her love.    

Dickens does and interesting thing with this character for the reason that he draws attention to the notion that society is quick to accept the indiscretions of the lower class suggesting that they are poor and don’t know any better.  Unlike the upper class such a Lady Dedlock who believes herself above it all and cannot allow anyone to know what she had done.  She is of the upper class which society holds to different standard, she should know better.  Lady Dedlock is better than that.