Analysis of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens It is clear from this first chapter that “Great Expectations” is going to be an exciting adventure story. The story begins in a graveyard, and both this and the surrounding area are described to us clearly and effectively. Dickens uses various words and phrases to illustrate the scene and setting such as the time of day; the weather and the type of place Pip finds himself in. The words “A memorable raw afternoon towards evening…” (Paragraph three, line four), suggests that it was a very cold winter’s afternoon, possibly with a cold wind. In David Leans 1946 film, I think that the early marsh scene captures the mood of the original text very well and portrays to the reader/viewer the immediate suspense and tension that Dickens wishes to represent. When Dickens uses the phrases “… Bleak overgrown place was the churchyard…” and “… The dark flat wilderness beyond the churchyard intersected with dykes and mounds and gates” (Paragraph three, lines five and six, ten and eleven), we realise he is in the graveyard and with Dickens effective use of long descriptive sentences we as a reader have a clear image of what a lonely and bleak place the graveyard may be. On line ten, the fact that it says, “from which the wind was rushing,” suggests to us that it is a windy day and that Pip can feel the cold when Dickens writes “ … The small bundle of shivers…” and suggests that Pip is so cold that he is shivering. Dickens makes sure we are able to visualize the things that Pip sees by creating a powerful atmosphere through his use of adjectives, describing what the se... ... middle of paper ... ... horrible, embarrassed, arrogant and disrespectful to them both. I know this as when Dickens writes: “ At a change in his manner as if he were even going to embrace me, I laid a hand upon his breast and put him away”. This suggests to us that when Magwitch wished to greet him in a particular way Pip would not accept it but pushed him away instead. As he did not show any of these qualities the reader gets the impression he is a “snob.” Dickens uses the adventure story to show us how people should behave towards one another and through his use of characterisation, tension and development of characters creates a hidden moral. He uses his thoughts about what he thinks of society and how it can be improved to create this moral. In addition he uses hidden morals and meanings throughout his collection of novels.
Pip returns to her apartment and her brother, TED, finds a parcel at the front door. Pip’s friend, HERBERT, encourages her to play the flute.
The reader's curiosity is aroused because we are wondering why Pip is there. The surrounding landscape in the beginning is described as a 'distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing'. This makes the reader feel apprehensive about what is going to take place in this setting. Pip is described as an orphan; he has never seen his parents and he lives with his sister (Mrs. Joe Gargery) and her husband. The description of the deprived looking boy alone in the graveyard adds to the sense of inquisitive drama.
have his line in the water. When I asked him what was going on, he just looked
person, although Pip is too afraid to look down on him due to this at
... then had the nerve to say he wanted th' exchange of my love's faithful
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
Charles Dickens Pip’s character’s importance to the plot of the novel “Great Expectations” is paramount. Charles Dickens uses an ongoing theme over the course of this novel. Dickens creates Pip to be a possible prototype of his own and his father’s life. Pip’s qualities are kept under wraps because the changes in him are more important than his general personality. Dickens created Pip to be a normal everyday person that goes through many changes, which allows a normal reader to relate and feel sympathetic towards Pip.
doesn't see why she had to take him in and "bring him up by hand", she
Magwitch first meets pip at the graveyard on the marshes, from this we see that pip is a lonely child, who has lost his mother and father. Magwitch threatens to kill pip and " rip out his heart and liver" unless pip obeys Magwitch's orders to bring him some "wittles" and drink for him. The relationship as it first blossomed is full of fear and terror and we pick up immediately that Magwitch is in control of the situation, yet there is still the fear lingering over him being seen or handed over to the authorities if Magwitch made any mistake to be seen by anyone else, or if pip told somebody else where he was. Pip and Magwitch's first meeting place is highly ironic, because pip is visiting his parents graves and then ironically Magwitch turns up, who will later be pips benefactor and will act and play the role of Pip's surrogate farther. Pathetic fallacy is used in this graveyard scene as it is set in the marshes at the dead of night with " the cold air whipping" around them, to resemble the scary emotions that pip feels when he is being threatened by Magwitch pip passes a gibbet on the marshes which is also ironic as when Magwitch comes back to see pip later on it the novel there is the fear that he might be hanged. It also sets the setting to resemble death. The night black sky also will resemble death and deep dark fears. The graveyard is a " bleak over grown place, with nettles" the description makes the scene scarier, and the overgrown weeds could be where others are hiding. The setting is very gothic, in true Victorian style and when contemanoray readers read this they were automatically prepared for something unpleasant to happen. When Magwitch orders pip to get him some food and a drink for him from where he lived or where he could, pip could take the advantage of this situation, and tell the authorities or tell his guardians, but he doesn't.
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.
In the opening chapter, we feel sorry for Pip as we find out that his
Living in a world where much about a person’s character is measured by wealth, it has become increasingly important to maintain a separation between material characteristics and intangible moral values. Pip, in Dickens’ Great Expectations, must learn from his series of disappointments and realize the importance of self-reliance over acceptance to social norms. Through his unwavering faith in wealthy “ideals,” such as Miss Havisham and Estella, Pip develops both emotionally and morally, learning that surface appearances never reveal the truth in a person’s heart.
"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
The novel opens with young Pip in front of the graves of his father, mother, and brothers. Having never known his parents he derives information from their tombstones; "[t]he shape of the letters on my father's, gave me an odd idea that he was a square, stout, dark man with curly black hair" and "[f]rom the character and turn of the inscription, 'Also Georgiana Wife of Above,' I drew a childish conclusion that my mother was freckled and sickly" (23; ch. 1). He is left alone without a clear sense either of his parentage or position in life. This, he says, is his "first most vivid and broad impression of the identity of things" (24; ch. 1). A small boy surrounded by vast land, wind, and sea; his world is a harsh and unfriendly one.
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.