Analysis of the Use of Setting in Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The novel, Great Expectations, starts on the dull lonely marshes of
Pip’s home village. Pip has a lack of identity in this book because it
says, ‘My Father’s family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name
Phillip, my infant tongue could make of both the names nothing longer
or more explicit than Pip. So, I called myself Pip, and came to be
called Pip'. This shows us that his lack of identity is down to the
fact he has not got a proper first name because he could not say it
and that because of that he says he has not got a real identity.
The marshes reflect Pip’s identity and emotions because they include a
graveyard where Pip’s parents are buried and obviously Pip is feeling
very emotional. The book says the marshes are, ‘that dark flat
wilderness beyond the church'. This is what Pip is feeling inside
himself. Dark and bleak feelings. This also gives off the impression
that it is a very depressing and scary place to be but Pip doesn’t
care as it is the only refuge from his dreaded, evil sister, Mrs Joe
Gargery, and to be in the place with the ones he loves, his family.
On these same marshes Pip manages to bump in to an escaped convict,
Magwitch. This man is described as, ‘ a fearful man, all in course
grey, with a great iron on his leg'. you already get the impression
this man is a man not to be crossed with and is obviously very
dangerous. It goes on to say, ‘a man with no hat, and with broken
shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been
soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamped by stones, and cut
by flints, and stung by nettles...
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... characters moods and personalities. If there was a dark character
he/she would be situated in a dark sinister place. This is a good use
of setting. Dickens does exactly the same thing with the weather for
Pip. For example when Pip is on the marshes the weather is dark and
gloomy just like how Pip is feeling as he is visiting his parents
graves.
Pip’s whole journey is one big circle; starting off in the Forge,
going to London, India and then back to the Forge again. This shows he
was destined to be there from the start and that he should have maybe
stayed where he was.
This book has had some really good ideas portrayed by the use of
setting, weather, character and moods. All in all it was very cleverly
written and kept you entertained. I didn’t have great expectations for
it but enjoyed it when I read it.
How Dickens Engages the Reader in Great Expectations The text is created in an intelligent way so that it interests the reader from the beginning. The title itself stimulates the inquisitiveness of the reader. We are led to think that the novel promises a certain amount of drama or action. The text from the novel 'Great Expectations' is structured in a deliberate fashion to encourage the reader to read on. Great Expectations is a gothic novel.
The Range of Devices Charles Dickens Uses to Engage the Reader in the Opening Chapter of Great Expectations
along with the rest of his family to work in a factory to help repay
People are unique and therefore discover elements of life in a multitude of complex ways. Charles Dickens 1861 novel ‘Great Expectations’ employs older and younger Pip in a dual perspective novel to display the ways in which he discovers a sense of belonging and acceptance. Gary Ross director of the movie “Pleasantville” uses an adolescent males point of view to show the varying aspects of belonging in quite literally in this instance different ‘worlds’ which displays the destruction of being accepted and the positives of inclusion. Both texts show collectively that a need for a sense of belonging rarely changes over time in which the two texts are set.
warns him that if he does not get any food for him, he will be in
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.
and with an old rag tied around his head. A man who had been soaked in
Essay Title- Examine how either text represents EITHER class OR gender. Are these representations problematic or contradictory? How do they relate to the plot and structure of the novel?
develop an overall theme of good and evil in the story and to create a
“as I never saw my mother or father” from this quote alone we can see
Rich and Poor Theme in Charles Dickens' Great Expectations Throughout the novel, there are many themes, one of them being rich and poor. This theme is introduced by the background description in the opening pages. In this novel the attitudes of the rich relatives, (uncle Pumblechook), are a great contrast to those of lower financial class, - Joe and Mrs. Joe. Special food is reserved for when richer relatives come around; this is a motion of respect.
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.
In Great Expectations, the three main settings: the Forge, Satis House and London affect the atmosphere of the novel, as well as Pip’s emotions. The three main locations make Pip who he is, and it represents the aspects of himself – his hopes, fear, pride, and shame. Each of these three locations has symbolic characters which represents the aspects of Pip and also the mood.
To be able to locate and analyze themes of novels, such as Great Expectations, it is essential to understand the basic definition of a theme: It is a fundamental and often universal idea explored in a literary work. For instance, if we take a closer look at the story of Pip, we discover that the main idea behind the story is ambition and self improvement, which is correlated to the preceding minor themes, including social class, crime, guilt and innocence.
"I must entreat you to pause for an instant, and go back to what you know of my childish days, and to ask yourself whether it is natural that something of the character formed in me then" - Charles Dickens