Look In Detail At Chapter Eight Of Great Expectations And Consider The
Significance Of The Chapter To The Novel As A Whole
Chapter 8 is when Pip's Great Expectations start and 'Play Begins'.
Pip goes to Satis House because Miss Havisham has asked for a boy to
come and 'play'. When going to Miss Havisham's House Pip is introduced
to Estella and the moment he sets eyes on her, his 'Great
Expectations' begin. Pip thinks that Estella is 'very pretty' and he
falls in love with her.
However I think Estella is mean and scornful and obnoxious and pompous
and stuck-up and thoughtless and it all started because of how Miss
Havisham brought her up. I believe that she is like this because she
has copious amounts of respect for Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham wants
Estella to be spiteful and cold-hearted to men because she got jilted.
Estella is obedient to Miss Havisham because she is dependent on her
and without her she would have no one else.
Estella is an extremely pretty girl 'and seemed very proud'. She is
'like a star'. This relates to the two clear symbols in chapter one of
the gibbet and the beacon (one of evil and one of good). I think that
Estella can be associated to the beacon because beacons guide ships to
safety, and Estella is Pip's guiding light. Dickens uses this sentence
to show that Estella is not all bad and later she is kind and caring
towards Pip.
Estella is not just disdainful to Pip but to all men. The evidence for
this is that she slams the gate in Mr Pumblechook's face even though
he was being polite. This supports the readers thoughts that she is
scornful to all men.
While Pip and Estella are playing cards she comments on how much of a
'labouring boy' Pip is. She says that he has 'c...
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book with Mrs Joe and Estella as the wicked stepmothers. The glass
slipper incident is portrayed as when Pip gets the money, because he
spends the money that he gets from his benefactor on dressing and
acting like a gentleman. He is seeing if the slipper of
gentlemanliness fits him.
In conclusion I believe that Chapter 8 is an extremely important
chapter in the novel as this is when Pip begins to peruse his 'Great
Expectations'. This chapter is relevant to today because it shows how
bitter you can get when something bad happens to you. Don't allow
yourself to get bitter you should just get on with life. In Pips life
after meeting Estella all he wants to do is become a gentleman, I
believe that this is the theme of the book. Becoming a gentleman.
Therefore I think that Chapter 8 is the most important chapter in the
book due to the reasons given above.
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is an elaborate retelling of the Biblical parable of the prodigal son (Ryken 157). It follows the life of Pip as he rises through and falls from society. He begins his life as an orphaned boy in a blacksmith’s home to become a young gentleman of “great expectations”. Pip forsakes the love and care of his guardian, Joe Gargery, for advancement in society. Misfortunes befall him; he loses all his wealth and he is forced to return to his home. Pip is the prodigal son who ungratefully leaves his home and squanders all his wealth. Joe Gargery is the loving father who patiently forbears and lovingly welcomes his boy back. Pip’s redemption is revealed in the novel. Great Expectations is a bildungsroman; it is a novel which shows the education of Pip. Pip learns about the corruptness of society and the shallowness of social class. In true Victorian fashion, Dickens’ novel is a form of social criticism; it attacks the conceited notions of society.
warns him that if he does not get any food for him, he will be in
eyes of a child so it will be memorable to him as he will never forget
The settings of Great Expectations are Pip’s homes, one home that he lives in during his childhood in Kent, England, and the other that he lives in when he is grown in London, England. Social status was a big deal in the mid-nineteenth century. The rich were highly respected and liked by all, and the poor were treated unkindly and were sometimes made fun of. The rich could have any job that they liked, but the poor would almost always take over the job that their father had. The narrator of Great Expectations is Pip. If the novel were narrated from any other point of view, it would not have the same effect as it does now.
Fill out the following “Summary Chart” with a brief explanation of each chapter after you read
Originating in the Victorian Era, Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations continues to be a huge success. So much of a success, in fact, that it is being re-released as it originally was (in installments), but now in a digital format for reading on electronic devices.
The title of Great Expectations captures the main character comprehensively yet simply. Pips ambitions and expectations for himself are actual tangible things he believes he will achieve, and this belief is both his downfall and his success. His ambitions cause great discord, and stand to cause many more, and yet they are the reason Pip moves so greatly through life.
bread and scoffs it as if he hasn't had anything to eat for some time.
Chapter 39 is a Pivotal One, Why? How does Dickens communicate the importance of the drama of the chapter to the reader? In chapter 39, Pip's benefactor is revealed. It is around this person. that the mystery of Pip's expectations is built.
Throughout the novel Great Expectations, Pip's character and personality goes through some transformations. He is somewhat similar at the beginning and end, but very different while growing up. He is influenced by many characters, but two in particular:Estella and Magwitch, the convict from the marshes. Some things that cause strength or growth in a person are responsibility, discipline, and surrounding oneself around people who are challenging and inspiring. He goes through many changes some good and some bad
We see Pips sister, who is a bossy person and her husband, Joe, who is
The book that I read is called Great Expectation By Charles Dickens. It is based mainly in London but also has scenes in Pip's home town. Which is a small village in the country? Where he and his sister Mrs. Joe and her husband Joe Gargary live and Pips was raised. The setting of where Pips is is not as important as what is there with him. There are many contrasts to good and evil or more justice and innocence.
I have chosen to look at how the relationship of Pip and Magwitch develops during the novel. I have chosen 3 key scenes in which Magwitch and pip meet and I will look at how each is portrayed in terms of character, development, setting and the messages or morals that dickens is trying to convey.
Charles Dickens utilizes his life for inspiration for the protagonist Pip in his novel Great Expectations. They both struggle with their social standing. Dickens loved plays and theatre and therefore incorporated them into Pip’s life. Dickens died happy in the middle class and Pip died happy in the middle class. The connection Dickens makes with his life to Pip’s life is undeniable. If readers understand Dickens and his upbringing then readers can understand how and why he created Pip’s upbringing. Charles Dickens’ life, full of highs and lows, mirrors that of Pip’s life. Their lives began the same and ended the same. To understand the difficulty of Dickens’ childhood is to understand why his writing focuses on the English social structure. Dickens’ life revolved around social standing. He was born in the lower class but wasn’t miserable. After his father fell into tremendous debt he was forced into work at a young age. He had to work his way to a higher social standing. Because of Dicken’s constant fighting of class the English social structure is buried beneath the surface in nearly all of his writings. In Great Expectations Pip’s life mirrors Dickens’ in the start of low class and the rise to a comfortable life. Fortunately for Dickens, he does not fall again as Pip does. However, Pip and Dickens both end up in a stable social standing.
To determine if someone is a gentleman, one must look within them and not focus upon their material wealth. In the novel Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens, three characters show qualities of a true gentleman. Pip, Joe, and Provis have true gentlemen-like characteristics, which are shown through the way they live and present themselves.