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Bleak House · Character

Gridley

A man driven mad by the Chancery suit, known as 'the man from Shropshire'.

minor

Also known as Mr. Gridley, poor Gridley

First appearance: xiv deportment

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In In Chancery: A ruined suitor from Shropshire who periodically appears to address the Chancellor, unable to accept that his case has been ignored for a quarter of a century. Later, in Bell Yard: The man from…

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See Gridley in xiv deportment

Character Web

27 connections

A slice of how Gridley sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

MBMr. BucketMGMr. GeorgeMJMr. JarndyceESEsther SummersonMJMrs. JellybyGRGridley

Relationship types

  • Other

Character groups

  • Chancery and Mystery Core
  • Protagonist

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

SetupAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This passage marks the dramatic climax because it depicts Esther’s psychological reversal from illness and los…

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In the story

Gridley appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

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See Gridley in xiv deportment