Charles Dickens's writing techniques in Great Expectations.

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Charles Dickens’s writing techniques in Great Expectations        

        There are several techniques of writing that  Charles Dickens constantly demonstrates in his novel Great Expectations. These techniques include his theme of money and social power,  his eccentric characters, and his use of repetition. With out these qualities Charles Dickens’s novel Great Expectations would not be nearly as enjoyable.

        

        No other author in history quite compares to Dickens when it comes to his eccentric characters. Most, if not all, of Dickens characters in this novel have such peculiar way about them. The most eccentric of all the characters in this novel would undoubtedly be Miss Havisham. She is dressed in a tattered wedding dress, even though she has enough money to acquire more cloths than anyone else in that area. She refuses to keep her house

up to date, and has the most bizarre ways about her. She is just one of many of Dickens

uncanny characters.

        One of the last qualities that Dickens presents in this novel is his use of repetition. He constantly repeats words and phrases to try to get his point across. One of these phrases is used by Pip’s relatives. The phrase is “brought you up by hand”, which is referring to how Mrs. Joe raised Pip. The point that Dickens is trying to make is that she raised him all by her self. However, there is a little bit of humor behind this matter in the way that it can be meant another way. This way being that she beats Pip, with her hand. Another time Dickens uses this quality of writing in his novel is when Mr. Jagger’s is telling Pip of all the money he just inherited.  He constantly uses the phase “Your Great Expectations”.

        In conclusion, Charles Dickens uses lots of different techniques to fulfill his novel. These techniques are his use of repetition, his eccentric characters, and his theme of money and social power. Without these qualities, Charles Dickens’s Great Expectation would not be nearly the same.

 

Great Expectations

There are many common, familiar clichés about illusion versus truth. "All that glitters is not gold" and "Things are seldom what they seem" are the most universal hackneyed phrases, but they do not cover entirely every aspect of appearance versus reality. In Charles Dickens' novel, Great Expectations, there are several differences between the illusion and the truth. The appearance of certain things is often detrimental to the outcomes of characters when the reality of a situation is revealed. These illusions are revealed through Pip, a lower class boy caught in the struggle of the social classes of 19th century England. Throughout the book, Charles Dickens emphasizes the difference between appearance and reality through Pip's expectations of something better, social status, and settings in the book.

"I was painting brilliant pictures of her plans for me. She had adopted Estella, and had as good as adopted me, and it could not fail to be her intention to bring us together. She reserved it for me to restore the desolate house, admit the sunshine into the dark rooms, set the clocks a-going and the cold hearths a-blazing, tear down the cobwebs, destroy the vermin, -- in short, do all the shining deeds of the young knight of romance, and marry the princess.... I had made up a rich attractive mystery, of which I was the hero." (252) This is a very obvious illusion of what Pip anticipates for the future. When the reality of this illusion was revealed, Pip realizes the truth behind the appearance of his false dreams. "Miss Havisham's intentions towards me, all a mere dream; Estella not designed for me." (348) Pip realizes that he is not meant to be with Estella, and that the false appearance of his expectations that he put out for himself were completely untrue. Before he left for London, he thought that it was going to be grand, wonderful, and illustrious. However, when he got there he was very under-impressed by the city. "While I was scared by the immensity of London, I think I might have had some faint doubts whether it was not rather ugly, crooked, narrow, and dirty". (178) He had expected it to be the world, the beginning of a new future, and the start of a new life. However, it did not meet up with his anticipated expectations. The reality of London was dreary and dismal, unlike the appearance of it from afar. 

High social status seems to have a beautiful appearance, but the veracity of the class system is not as good as it would seem. When Pip realizes that his true benefactor is an escaped convict named Abel Magwich, he instantly does not want the money. (372-3) Compeyson's appearance helped him in a case against him and Magwich. Compeyson said a very divulging quote to Magwich: "To judge from appearances, you're out of luck" (373) In the trial, this was very evident. (276) Magwich was sentenced to twice Compeyson's jail time. When Magwich spoke of Compeyson in front of soldiers deciding their fate, he even stated that the appearance of a gentleman is often confused with the truth. "He's a gentleman, if you please, this villain." (44) When told this, a soldier said, "You're not much to look at." He of course was judging by mien. In this illusion of the social classes of society, When Estella found out that Pip had come into a vast fortune, she recommended that "'Since your change of fortune and prospects, you have changed your companions.... And necessarily,' she added in a haughty tone;' what was fit company for you once would be quite unfit company for you now.'" (257) Estella's true father is Magwich and true mother is a servant, but she is raised by a rich woman and is therefore upper-middle-class. By birth, however, she is in the bottom of lower class. In contrast, Biddy, an orphan maid, and Joe, Pip's brother in law, both maintain the appearance of lowly on the social classes of 19th century England. However, they both have such wonderful personalities and great views on life that in reality, they are better people than the upper class.

Setting in Great Expectations was also an important contrast of illusion and the truth. Pip grew up the beginning of his life in two places: the forge and Satis House. The forge would normally have the appearance of being a dreary place, with fires blazing and the shadow of it lingering everywhere. However, it was actually a place where love was taught from all corners, and good morals were instructed. Satis house, the home of the Havishams, seemed like it should have the appearance of an upper-class home: much more comfortable and wonderful than a lower class home because of the money that the Havishams possessed. Satis means "enough" and that "whoever had this house could want nothing else." (66) The appearance that this house would be "enough" for the Havishams shows what kind of people that they really are in reality. Satis house was "of old brick, and dismal, and had a great many iron bars to it. Some of the windows had been walled up; of those that remained, all the lower were rustily barred." (64) Satis house was not welcoming at all, and in actuality it was very uncomfortable. Another contrast between truth and illusion is of Walworth, Mr. Wemmick's home. Mr. Wemmick, Pip's coworker, has a slight case of multiple personality disorder. In the office, he is like a machine. This appearance he puts forth as an illusion of a hard working man while the truth is that he is very vivacious and sprightly. At his comfortable, castle-like home, Wemmick is very pleasant and cheerful. Pip made the mistake of mentioning Mr. Wemmick's dual personality in the work place, in front of Mr. Jaggers, the boss. Pip "turned to Wemmick, and said, ' Wemmick, I know you to be a man with a gentle heart. I have seen your pleasant home, and your old father, and all the innocent cheerful playful ways with which you refresh your business life. '" (443) Mr. Jaggers, utterly surprised, said, "'What's all this? You with an old father, and you with pleasant and playful ways? This man must be the most cunning impostor in all London.'" (443) Wemmick's appearance to the public and his work place concealed the truth behind his true personality. He was very embarrassed at this glimpse into the truth of his illusion, and retorted, "'Not a bit of it,' returned Wemmick, growing bolder and bolder. 'I think you're another.'" (443) By this quote, Wemmick reveals that Jaggers too can conceal the truth. In one of Jaggers cases as a lawyer, he had to try a woman named Molly for a murder case. He dressed her up in smaller, womanly clothes to make her appearance seem smaller and more petite. She was acquitted due to this illusion, although the reality behind this appearance was that she really had committed this crime. In more than one instant in this novel, the outcomes of situations are often decided on the appearance of illusions versus the truth of reality.

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The mendacity of the characters and the settings in this book enforce that if one can pursue reality, the truth can be found behind an illusion. Pips expectations were thwarted because his actual dreams were shattered when the truth was revealed. The social status of 19th century England was just a forefront to rate people by their financial and economical advantages and disadvantages.

At one point in the novel, Dickens tells the reader that Miss. Havisham was a wonderful, beautiful woman and is considered to be a great match. In contrast, when the reader first meets her she is ...

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