Central motifs of the novel are established vividly in this volume. Imagery and allusions to crime, guilt, class and death exist throughout".

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Ashley Coffey – English – Ms Barry

Central motifs of the novel are established vividly in this volume. Imagery and allusions to crime, guilt, class and death exist throughout”.

The structure and plot of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations are intricately designed to create a real sense of continuity in the plot and to ensure the purpose of the novel by referring throughout to the various key issues or characters that are constantly helping to shape the main character, Pip, and his journey through the novel. It is evident that Dickens establishes some of the central motifs in the first volume of the book, but he continues to weave them throughout the wider tapestry of the novel. The motifs are recurring images which, as we trace Pip’s journey from childhood to adulthood, become increasingly significant, by acting as a unifying device to link together the central themes of the novel. Dickens builds upon these central motifs by using strategic literary devices, such as imagery and figurative language, to allude to the core themes of crime, guilt and class amongst others, which ultimately support the overall purpose of the novel and create a rich and compelling narrative.

        Perhaps the most central and important motif is that of the ongoing conflict between the gentleman and the criminal. This is conceivably the most significant as combined they have the greatest effect on Pip and the path he takes through the novel. The theme of conflict between the gentleman and the criminal can be examined separately as each figure is a key motif in itself.

The centrality of the criminal in the novel is evident, and this alludes to the thematic concerns of crime and guilt. The criminal status is introduced in the first chapter of the book, with the introduction of the convict, who later becomes known as Magwitch. One of the first things Pip notes about the man is the fact that he is a criminal, which is evident when he describes, “A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg”. The arrival of the convict in Pip’s life also marks a turning point in his life, as he is then initiated with the act of crime itself, when he is forced to commit a crime to help the criminal by stealing food and a file from the Gargery’s pantry, “I stole some bread, cheese...”. Allusions to crime and guilt also emerge as a result of Pip’s inquisitive nature, when he asks, “And please what’s Hulks?” and, “I wonder who’s put into prison-ships, and why they’re put there?”. From this point in the novel, these references to crime have been firmly established in Pip’s mind, and as he runs to deliver the stolen goods to the convict on the marshes, a new emotion, guilt, is founded in him, and he says, “everything seemed to run at me. This was very disagreeable to a guilty mind”. These early chapters show that after the introduction of the convict, Pip becomes more aware of the references to crime, guilt and punishment which arose from the situation.

        The motif of the criminal does not extend just to Pip’s new understanding of crime and guilt, but the criminal himself, Pip’s convict, is also an example of a recurring motif of the novel which is evidently established in the novel’s opening pages. Pip marks the convict’s departure in chapter five by saying, “Then, the ends of the torches were flung hissing into the water, and went out, as if it were all over with him”. From this point, there is no longer any physical presence of the convict in Pip’s life until he reappears in much later chapters, however this does not mean that there are no events or actions which, to Pip, allude to the convict’s existence or influence in his life. There are recurring hints to his unseen hand throughout the novel, and Pip is never able to forget him. These allusions to the convict often scare and shock Pip, which is evident in chapter ten when Pip is in the tavern with the strange man. Not only does this man give Pip money, but Pip also notes that, “he stirred and he tasted it: not with a spoon that was brought to him, but with a file,” and the revelation that this man has something to do with the convict comes when Pip explains that he, “knew it to be Joe’s file, and I knew that he knew my convict, the moment I saw the instrument”. It is evident that the stolen file is the image Dickens chooses to allude to the convict’s concealed presence and the fact that Pip is frequently reminded of his past experiences with the convict shows that it had a great effect on Pip and hints that it will continue to do so far beyond the first volume.

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        As a contrast to the motif of the criminal, the recurring symbol and influence of the gentleman in the first volume cannot be disregarded as irrelevant in shaping Pip’s journey through the novel. The term ‘gentleman’ in this instance has lexical ambiguity, in that the motif of ‘gentleman’ refers not only to a real character in the novel who is a gentleman, such as Jaggers, but it also refers to the social position and status of the gentleman. Together they form a complete motif but can be assessed individually in terms of how they are both a motivation to Pip ...

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