Miss Havisham Essay

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Where people label, life leaves impartial; fair to none but equal to all. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens explores the 19th century through the eyes of a young orphan boy who was benefited a great amount of money by an anonymous benefactor. In the novel Pip assumes his benefactor is the rich but withered lady Miss Havisham however in actuality it was the convict Magwitch who had worked hard in life to earn Pip his great expectations. Charles Dickens utilizes fire and water and chains of gold and iron within the convict and Miss Havisham to illustrate the theme that life treats those seen in different views equally. In writing Miss Havisham and the convict on opposite sides of the spectrum whether it be about wealth or class, Dickens brings …show more content…

Miss Havisham who the reader associates as a high class lady with riches in her name and the convict who is a low-class poverty low life. Miss Havisham is chained by gold and freed by fire while the convict was chained by iron and freed by water.
For the most part one of the prominent doubles regarding Miss Havisham and the convict was rather explicitly explained by an older Pip’s narration. Breaking away from the story, Pip looks back and narrates “Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day,” (Dickens 89). Pip is reflecting on his memorable day in relation to what has formed Miss Havisham and the convict. In this instance Miss Havisham is chained by her gold, or wealth. Miss Havisham’s chain of gold portrays the burden of her wealth which has left her in ruins as her family and others flock to her for her riches disregarding her emotions. This fear originated when someone who she had thought loved her teamed up with a family member for a grab at her money. This was the start of Miss Havisham’s never-ending withering as she closed herself off within the Satis house walls.Similar to

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