Cristina Elks

A comparison of the representation of fog in Charles Dickens’ Bleak House and Carl
Sandburg’s Fog

“Bleak House” is a novel written by Charles Dickens which was published in 1853. The first
chapter sets the scene and provides a detailed account of how the fog envelops the city of
London on this particular November day. “Fog”, by Carl Sandburg was published in 1916, it
consists of two stanzas, the first with two verses and the second with four, making a total of
six verses.

In “Fog”, the fog is described as a gentle creature, with “little cat feet”. It is an undisruptive
character that simply observes the city and the harbour, whereas in Bleak House, the fog is
a much larger character. It is so large that it reaches Essex, Kent, and Greenwich from what
appears to be central London. This fog is present everywhere and manages to creeps into
every aspect of life, it is also a much more menacing character than the cat-like fog of the
poem as it is described to be “creeping” (L.15), “cruelly pinching” (L.20), and “in the eyes
and throats of Greenwich pensioners” (L.18).

The first time that we hear about fog in Bleak House, it is with the simple sentence “Fog
everywhere.” While this sentence doesn’t look like it says much, it explains a lot. The fog is
taking up every aspect of London and the surrounding areas as well as the lives of those that
inhabit the area. In the poem the fog simply “comes in on little cat feet” in a very calm and
gentle manner.

In both pieces of writing, the fog is surrounding the harbour, however in the poem, fog
simply looks over the harbour and doesn’t really interact with anyone or anything there. It is
described as “sitting on silent haunches”, furthering the idea that it silently observes what is
happening at the harbour. In Bleak House, on the other hand, the fog is more involved with
the harbour, and surrounds everything from the rigging of the great ships to the small boats.
In this piece, the fog is much more deeply intertwined with the harbour, as it reaches the
rigging of the ships, it is not simply sitting back and admiring. It is a much more active
character than the one described in the poem.

In the poem, we do not see the interaction between fog and mankind, this again
strengthens the idea that fog is an impersonal being who does not care much to disrupt the
life of others. This differs from the novel where the fog is particularly cruel to the humans it
comes across, it pinches the toes and fingers of a young boy and gets into the eyes and
mouth of Greenwich pensioners. It is almost as if the fog is actively trying to harm humans
and be an inconvenience to their day-to-day life. It is once again being describes as a cruel
and malicious being.
Cristina Elks

In line 30, we find out what is at the heart of the fog, Lord High Chancellor in his High Court
of Chancery. Based on the description of the fog and the idea that the Lord High Chancellor
is located at the centre of it, I think that this man is an unpleasant man who influences the
lives of others in negative and harmful ways, maybe he even abuses his power as the Lord
High Chancellor. This idea is once again referred to on line 35 when the fog is used as an
adjective to describe the glory around the head of the Lord High Chancellor. This is similar to
a typical crown that you would find on the head of a King, however in this case it is more
oxymoronic than that. Glory is usually something pure, gained by a heroic task or
honourable behaviour, by describing it as foggy, it gives it a sense of dirtiness, as if the glory
has been tainted. Maybe, the Lord High Chancellor achieved his glory and power trough
corrupt or unfair means.

In the poem, the fog is compared to cat with its “little cat feet” as well as the “haunches”. In
literature cats are used to represent a free spirit who isn’t tied down by responsibilities. This
can be seen in this poem as well, by the fact that the cat-like fog doesn’t interact or involve
itself with the world around it and once it is finished looking over the city it simply moves on
without making much of a fuss about things.

The fog also behaves differently as it leaves, in the poem it leaves in a simple way and
doesn’t make a big deal out of it, whereas the fog in the novel is so strongly tied in with the
rest of London, it does not leave. It has even managed to enter the High Court of Chancery
and it “hangs heavy in it, as if it would never get out”. This is clearly a much more dramatic
movement than moving on whenever you feel like it. The fog entering the court could also
be referring to the “foggy glory” that was previously mentioned and how the Lord High
chancellor has power over what happens in the court.

The two opposing descriptions of fog perfectly show the beauty and brutality of nature, in
the sense that nature and the weather can be factors that do not interfere in our daily life or
it can absolutely destroy our plans. In the poem, we see the beauty of nature and the way it
floats around without a care in the world and in the novel, we see the nature can also be
brutal and how it can affect everything from the fields to the ships to the people.

In conclusion these two pieces of literature, showcase fog in opposing ways. The poem
describes it as an almost mystical being that roams around the world in a free-spirited
manner. Fog does not bother much to interact with anything around it, instead it chooses to
look over cities and harbours and once it is done, it simply moves on. The fog in Bleak House
is the complete opposite. The fog intertwines itself with everyone and everything it can
think of and the interactions it has with them are often cruel and menacing.