How effective is the opening chapter of ‘Great Expectations?
The opening chapter of Great Expectations describes the encounter between the two protagonists, the young boy Pip and convict Magwitch. The author of Great Expectations Charles John Huffam Dickens was one of the greatest writers in the country he was born on the 7th of February, 1812 at 1 Mile End Terr, Portsmouth, England. From 1817 Dickens lived with his family in Chatham, Kent. He considered his years in Chatham as the happiest of his childhood and many scenes in his books stem from his early years there. His books are a sustained commentary on human nature and society. These opening pages demonstrate all his qualities as a great writer, revealing his skills in all the areas of writing great novels.
The success of the opening chapter must depend to a large extent on the way he portrays the character, Pip. As both narrator and protagonist, Pip is naturally the most important character in Great Expectations. He was christened Phillip Pirrip, but as he is unable to pronounce his first name or his last, trying his best he called himself Pip and the name stuck throughout his childhood. Now Pip, a young boy, is living with his sister in the marsh country in southeast England. The novel is his story, told in his words, he gives his perceptions to what he sees and all the characters he interacts with. In the first chapter Pip is a young child and Dickens uses his narration to show the feelings and problems of Pips childhood. On one Christmas Eve, Pip is in the village churchyard, staring at his parents gravestones his imagination and innocence show as he runs his finger up and down surveying the letters on the headstones of the grave:
“As I never saw my father or my mother…my first fancies regarding what they were like were the unreasonably derived from their tombstones.”
This idea makes the reader feel sympathy towards Pip as his mother and father are both dead. This also shows that he feels safe near his mother and father he feels a sense of belonging in the graveyard, as he is there on Christmas Eve. Pip is a well-meaning child moral reasoning is unsophisticated, at first Pip is horrified by the convict. He shows politeness calling Magwitch ‘sir’ but this also shows fear in his voice, as he wants to live. He treats Magwitch with kindness and compassion despite the fear, Pip could of easily run to Mr Joe or the police when Magwitch asks him for the whittles and the file, but Pip honours his promise to help Magwitch in his time of need. When the police are searching for Magwitch, Pip even worries about the safety of the convict. Still throughout the first section Pip narrating mostly emphasizes his bad qualities, such as his guilt and dishonesty rather than his positive qualities such as loyalty compassion and his Kindness towards strangers. To understand Pip fully you have to look at his actions. As the first chapter progresses the reader starts to like Pips character, they already feel sympathy toward him as he is an orphan, but as they read on they feel pride towards Pip as he is very brave when confronted by Magwitch. Pip shows his youthfulness and has a vivid imagination as when the convict is walking of into the mist of the graveyard Pip imagines him as a pirate hobbling of into the distance. Pip also shows his innocence when the convict asks him where his parents are and he points in the direction of the gravestone. Pip shows great respect towards his sister as she has given him a strict upbringing, when he speaks to the convict he refers to her as ‘Mrs Joe Gargery’. The reader feels sympathy for Pip due to his background he’s alone, no parents, he’s young and he’s lost all his brothers. The reader also feels fear for Pip When Magwitch arrives. The reader does not want harm to come to Pip. You feel a sense of pride towards Pip for his brave reactions to Magwitch. Pip is initially afraid of Magwitch and begs for his life: “I pleaded in terror.” Pray don’t do it, sir.” And then he becomes a little braver in the way he speaks to him he is still always very formal and polite: “If you would kindly let me keep upright please, sir.” This shows Pip is more upfront with Magwitch and is willing to help him.
