Safina Shaukat

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How is gender represented in the extract of Bleak House

In this particular extract of Bleak House, women are firstly represented as being confident and dominant but this changes throughout the course of the extract to women being vulnerable and powerless. Men are conveyed as being dishevelled at first but then powerful and in control in the end.

Firstly, the extract begins with an eerie and sinister orchestral non-diegetic sound which cast a tense atmosphere over the entire scene. The sound reflects Nemos agitation and the point of view shot of the quill contextualises his status-scriber. The diegetic sound of the quill scratching builds the sense of unease and makes the audience anxious as does the extreme close up shot of Nemos crease down his eyebrow depict this. Through this the audience are able to see a rough looking man with grey hair probably working class but underneath all of that is educated and highly meticulous. The low key lighting creates a melancholy atmosphere as he is living in the dark and in secrecy. The quick cuts alongside the montage editing spreads a sense of tension as the audience are surprised to know that it is he who is writing so neatly and meticulously. From this scene, men are portrayed to be meticulous and not bothered about their appearance.

The camera then cuts to Lady Deadlock looking away from her husband who is blurred and out of focus, trapped behind the window looking miserable. This is shown by the mise-en-scene through the low key lighting suggesting her dark life both literally and metaphorically. Her gloom is reflected by her costume also- a grey coloured taffeta dress, and the lack of make-up making her seem almost ghostly and dead inside with her unenthusiastic speech at the arrival of Tulkinghorn. The non-diegetic sound of the storm/earthquake is underneath the diegetic sound of the footsteps of Tulkinghorn which create an almost semi-soundbridge. The audience is reminded of the tense mood previously. The footsteps generate a sense of impending doom and the low angle shot of Tulkinghorn on the staircase highlights his authority and power.

The use of the over the shoulder shot is effective in illustrating Lady Deadlocks lack of interest in Tulkinghorns conversations upholding the stereotype of men having boring conversations therefore Lady Deadlocks lack of interest is justified. The diegetic sound of Lady Deadlocks scuffling dress and her interruptions form the tension alongside the hand held camera placing the audience at the scene. The shots come from all over creating a sense of claustrophobia and the non-diegetic sound adds to the unease.

There is no eye contact made between Lord Deadlock and Lady Deadlock underlining the distant relationship that the couple share. The camera then cuts to a low angle shot of Tulkinghorn followed by a shot reverse shot of Lady Deadlock at a high angle demonstrating the status division between both characters. Tulkinghorn looks down at her at the moment of realisation emphasising that he is now suspicious of her and knows that there is a secret underneath the obvious JohnDyson case.

Moreover, womens vulnerability is portrayed through the out of focus; blurred point of view shot of the letter making Lady Deadlock seem weak and dizzy. The nausea is passed onto the audience who share the same sensation as her. The non-diegetic sound is brought back to create a suffocating atmosphere as if she is underwater or underground stressing the fact that badness will befall her. A heartbeat is added to the equation as the non-diegetic sound gets louder almost overpowering the entire scene all to culminate when Lady Deadlock faints. The non-diegetic sound disappears as Lady Deadlock falls in the shadows of a grand piece of furniture or a piano perhaps. The two maids who enter contrast Lady Deadlocks appearance as they are of lower status depicted through the mise-en-scene of dresses revealing hardly any part of their body and hair which is just tied back and not as neat and time consuming as Lady Deadlocks curls.

The expressive use of sound for Tulkinghorns moment of realisation that there is a link between Lady Deadlock and Nemo carries sinister undertones making Tulkinghorn an extremely meticulous and highly intelligent character.

Overall, the extract of Bleak House upholds some stereotypes of men being meticulous and intelligent through the use of characters such as Nemo and Tulkinghorn however both of these characters differ widely in appearance making gender be affected by class. Throughout the entire extract, Lady Deadlock dominates the scenes with extreme close up shots however the inevitable vulnerability of women when it comes down to men is highlighted at the end when she faints. The maids uphold the stereotype of women being caring and submissive yet when contrasted with Lady Deadlock; the social class they are in could also be accountable for many of the attitudes of these women.