Magwitch Ambiguity

618 Words2 Pages

Dickens often presents characters in his novel, Great expectations, as neither wholly good nor wholly bad. Dickens’s characters may have two contrasting components of their lives which contribute to their moral ambiguity. Abel Magwitch, also known as the convict, is a perfect example of a minor character in the novel who contributes to the development of Pip while embodying the essence of neither wholly good nor wholly bad. Abel Magwitch was a criminal since he was a child. He had a harsh childhood, only managing to live off the food he stole. Although Magwitch may have not been a criminal by choice, he cannot be pardoned for his crimes. The first encounter with the convict takes place when Pip is out on the arshes, “‘Keep still, you little devil, or I’ll cut your …show more content…

The first impression of Magwitch is threatening and dangerous, because Dickens wants the readers to distinctively connect a bad side to the convict. The readers have yet to see a good side of Magwitch wich makes it hard to see his moral ambiguity this early on in the novel. Dickens does this in order to leave the readers with a nasty impression of the man so that his reappearance in the novel will shock the audience. What the readers do not know is that Magwitch’s criminal life is only half of his personality. The other half of Magwitch does appear until chapter thirty-nine when he reveals himself as Pip’s benefactor. In order for Magwitch to be considered a minor character that embodies both the good and the bad, his true morals must be evaluated through his reappearance in the novel. Dickens shocks his audience by bringing back Magwitch in chapter thirty-nine to reveal himself as Pip’s benefactor.

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