# Mrs. Jellyby — Bleak House character guide

> Mrs. Jellyby in Bleak House by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Jellyby

**First appearance:** 0005-iv-telescopic-philanthropy

## Snapshot

A tireless philanthropist for distant Africa whose own children, house, and husband dissolve into squalor beneath her oblivious, ink-stained gaze.

## Who they are

Introduced as the London hostess where Esther and Ada first lodge, Mrs. Jellyby devotes every waking hour to coffee-berry cultivation on the Niger while her household literally crumbles around her. Her daughter Caddy runs ragged as an unpaid secretary, and Mr. Jellyby is so thoroughly eclipsed that he is described chiefly as her husband. Dickens uses her to skewer charity that loves the far-off and ignores the near, a theme that shadows Esther's own ideas about duty and usefulness.

## Relationships

### [Mr. George](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/mr_george)

_social_

They are connected through the broader network of characters in the novel, with Mr. George occasionally interacting with Mrs. Jellyby's philanthropic circles.

### [Caddy Jellyby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/caddy_jellyby)

_family_

Caddy is Mrs. Jellyby's neglected daughter, forced to manage the household while her mother obsesses over African philanthropy.

### [Mr. George](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/mr_george)

_social_

They are connected through the broader network of characters in the novel, with Mr. George occasionally interacting with Mrs. Jellyby's philanthropic circles.

### [Caddy Jellyby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/caddy_jellyby)

_family_

Caddy is Mrs. Jellyby's neglected daughter, forced to manage the household while her mother obsesses over African philanthropy.

### [Mr. George](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/mr_george)

_social_

They are connected through the broader network of characters in the novel, with Mr. George occasionally interacting with Mrs. Jellyby's philanthropic circles.

### [Caddy Jellyby](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/caddy_jellyby)

_family_

Caddy is Mrs. Jellyby's neglected daughter, forced to manage the household while her mother obsesses over African philanthropy.

## In the story

### [Telescopic Philanthropy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/iv-telescopic-philanthropy)

Obsessively devoted to African philanthropy while neglecting her own household and children.

### [Esther's Narrative](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/xxx-esther-s-narrative)

Preoccupied with Borrioboola-Gha; calm and detached during Caddy's wedding.

### [L: Esther’s Narrative](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/chapters/l-esther-s-narrative)

Visits Caddy; distracted by Borrioboolan affairs, serene and untidy.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters/mrs_jellyby
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/bleak_house_se/characters