Gravestones are used to introduce Pip’s family, most of whom are dead, and we are conscious of Pip’s vivid imagination, as he describes how he imagines his father’s appearance by looking at the shape of the letters on his tombstone.
‘The 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’
The imagery and description used in the opening paragraphs sets the ambience for the first meeting with the convict.
In both novels, the authors use detailed characterisation and imagery to complement the personalities and role of the characters. In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens describes the convict in great detail,
‘A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud…who limped shivered, and glared and growled…’
This description shows the convict as dirty, and limping. Charles Dickens stresses the word ‘and’ to build up a detailed picture of the convict’s suffering. This powerful description immediately introduces the convict as a tormented, nasty man so we are not surprised by his initial actions towards Pip. However, this description adds to the surprise later on in the novel when we find out that he is Pip’s benefactor. It is not expected that a character of this description would ever become kind and generous.
In the first chapter of ‘Great Expectations’, it is possible to draw an image of him from his character and the way that the convict handles him. The convict shakes and turns him upside-down with ease and twice Pip nearly starts to cry. From this we gather the impression that Pip is quite small, delicate and vulnerable. Both authors use the same method to make their characters seem vulnerable. Both Pip and Piggy have lost their parents. This invites the reader to feel sympathetic towards them. They also both become victims in the first chapter – the convict seizes Pip and Piggy is made fun of because of his weight. This increases the feeling of sympathy towards the characters and their vulnerability. In complete contrast to Piggy, Ralph is described as sturdy and tough,
‘You could see now that he might make a boxer, as far as width and heaviness of shoulders went, but there was a mildness about his mouth and eyes that proclaimed no devil’
This description gives us the image of a strong, well-built and attractive boy. Characters such as these often go on to become the hero, and essentially this is the role that Ralph plays. Throughout the novel Ralph tries to fight for reason and civilisation and although he too gets drawn into the brutal mass attack on Simon he end up alone, trying to escape from Jack and the other boys. He becomes very brave and characteristics of his bravery are complemented by his description.
Although written a century apart, both authors show awareness of class divisions in their opening chapters. From the first few sentences that Piggy says we can see that he has an accent
‘ When we was coming down I looked through one of them windows…and this is what the tube done…’
We are introduced to Magwitch’s accent also in his first few sentences
‘Tell us your name…give it mouth!…Show us where you live, pint out the place!’
These accentuated accents give the impression that the characters are of a different class to the others, whose accents are more what we would today call ‘middle England’. The accents allow the authors to explore the contrast in wealth and background between the characters. Both Piggy and Magwitch, who are seen as the lower class characters, are outcasts – Magwitch because he is a convict and Piggy because of his weight and his glasses. However, later on in the novels Magwitch and Piggy surprise us. We find out that Piggy is a lot more knowledgeable than the rest of the boys and he is also very sensible and a loyal friend to Ralph. Magwitch also surprises us, as he later becomes Pip’s benefactor in spite of his background. He becomes a kind, old man who helps Pip rather than hurting him. Both William Golding and Charles Dickens were making a statement with these characters – about prejudice, social divisions and man’s inhumanity to man. At the end of the novel, Piggy is killed and Magwitch dies just before facing a death sentence.
In the opening chapters of both Lord of the Flies and Great Expectations we are aware of natural boundaries. In Great Expectations the ‘low leaden line beyond the river’ is Pip’s boundary – one that he does not cross until his journey to London later on in the novel. In ‘Lord of The Flies’, the boundary is the island itself. The boys do not cross this boundary until the very end of the book, when they are rescued. Beyond both these boundaries is the sea. In both books the sea holds great power over the characters and is seen as a vast entity that they are unable to control and therefore fear. In Great Expectations Pip describes the sea as ‘the distant savage lair’ and grows afraid of it, beginning to cry. Later in ‘Lord of the Flies’ it is suggested that the beast comes out of the sea, a proposal that alarms the boys. In both Lord of the Flies and Great Expectation, the sea symbolises dreams and the future. In Lord of the Flies the sea is the key to their rescue and beyond it lies the safety of home. In Great Expectations, the sea is beyond Pip’s boundary of the ‘low leaden line’, and Pip dreams are of going beyond the boundary to London.
As both novels progress, different boundaries emerge. Instead of initial physical boundaries, the characters now develop personal boundaries, beyond which are consequences that were never expected. As Pip grows older, he becomes bound by his love for Estelle, and is unable to forget her. In ‘Lord of the Flies’ the boys’ boundary is their Englishness and convention. They begin to question their personal boundaries as they become increasingly savage. In contrast to the boys in Lord of the Flies, Pip never crosses his personal boundary, as Estelle never returns his love for her. However, in Lord of the Flies the boys exceed their personal boundaries, which ends in disaster as both Piggy and Simon are murdered.
The relationship between adults and children is explored in both novels. ‘Lord of the Flies’ was written after World War Two, and William Golding makes the point that humans have turned into savages by discriminating against one another, starting wars and killing each other. He turns the island into a microcosm of the real world. By trying to act in an adult way, eventually the boys end up starting wars, turning into savages and killing each other, which is exactly what is happening in society today. He uses the boys’ actions as an analogy for the actions of men during the war.
In ‘Great Expectations’, even though Pip is being attacked by the convict he still treats him with respect and refers to him as ‘sir’. This shows that the novel was written in Victorian times, when children automatically treated adults with respect and deferred to them without question.
Both William Golding and Charles Dickens use symbolism in their opening chapters. William Golding introduces the conch in the first chapter – a symbol of democracy. Originally the conch is used to call meetings, and bring the boys to order. As the boys become increasingly savage, the conch become decreasingly important. It is eventually smashed when Piggy dies, and along with the destruction of the conch, the final traces of democracy leave the island. The island itself is the shape of boat. This is a symbol of human society and symbolises the boy’s journey of self-discovery. In Great Expectations, as the convict runs away, he runs towards a ‘gibbet’. This is a wooden frame on which the corpse of a hanged man would be displayed. It is a symbol of punishment, and the convict seems to be running towards it, as if he is moving towards his own death sentence.
‘Lord of the Flies’ and ‘Great Expectations’ both effectively explore the use of symbols, deal with childhood perceptions and the distinction between social classes to create powerful images which communicate a timeless message about human nature. Both use descriptions of characters, suspense and surroundings to create an atmosphere, and succeed in making their opening chapters effective.
