Great expectation essay
English
Monday, 1 March 2004
The novel, Great Expectations was written by Charles Dickens in 1860-1861. It is about a young boy called Pip. Many things happen during the novel such as Pip's meetings of the two characters Miss Havisham and Magwitch. Dickens creates two different type of people Miss Havisham who lives in a big house with her adopted daughter 'Estella', who is elegantly dressed.
Magwitch is hiding in the graveyard, as he has run away from prison, he is a scruffy, dirty looking man.
Dickens creates a strong character of each of them in a different ways, Miss Havisham is an extremely eccentric character, she is rich and grim lady who lives in a large and dismal house. Miss Havisham's house is a dark and spooky house.
Inside the house all the furniture is antique as are the clocks. One of the strange things is that all the clocks in the room had stopped at twenty to nine, Miss Havisham has stopped the clocks because she was jilted and that's the time she has thrown everyone out and stopped moving on with her life after being left at the altar on her wedding day. She also acts in a weird way when she tears herself apart from everyone else, she also treats Pip like dirt, she uses Estella to get to Pip to make Pip feel bad about himself because he get's beaten by a girl. She always wants Estella to play cards with him. Estella would always beat him which made Miss Havisham happy. Its like she wants to get revenge on something and takes it out on Pip because she wants to break his heart like hers was broken.
Magwitch is totally different from Miss Havisham ,he is mean, aggressive and a convict, he also uses Pip to get him food and a file. He then got caught by the soldiers of the Crown, and returned to the prison ship called the Hulk.
Dickens characters, Miss Havisham and Magwitch, are interesting because when they are first introduced to the reader they see Magwitch as a dirty, desperate criminal trying to get away from prison, he is very aggressive towards Pip 'keep still you little devil, or ill cut your throat' he is dressed in all coarse grey, with a iron on his leg, he has no hat and has broken shoes and a old rag tied around his head. Dickens is trying to show that they are both different people.
The reader sees Miss Havisham as an eccentric woman abandoned by her fiancé on her wedding day, many years ago. She uses Pip to make her self feel better about being ditched at the altar. 'what do I touch?' 'your heart' 'broken' she is trying to make sure that Pip knows that her heart was broken.
Both characters have very distinctive physical appearances, which Dickens describes in great detail. Miss Havisham is dressed in rich materials- satins, and lace, and silks-all of white. It is saying that Miss Havisham is dressed in all white and only ...
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The reader sees Miss Havisham as an eccentric woman abandoned by her fiancé on her wedding day, many years ago. She uses Pip to make her self feel better about being ditched at the altar. 'what do I touch?' 'your heart' 'broken' she is trying to make sure that Pip knows that her heart was broken.
Both characters have very distinctive physical appearances, which Dickens describes in great detail. Miss Havisham is dressed in rich materials- satins, and lace, and silks-all of white. It is saying that Miss Havisham is dressed in all white and only half dressed, with one shoe on and one on the dressing table, her veil was but half arranged, her watch and chain was not on.
Magwitch is differently dressed he is in a all coarse grey prison outfit with broken shoes, he is soaked with water and covered in mud, he has cuts by flints and have been stung by nettles and torn by briars, he limped and shivered. He seems to be aggressive 'where's your mother?' then when Pip replies 'there sir' he starts to do a short run, thinking that Pips mother is with him. This tells you that Magwitch is scared and frightened of being caught.
Miss Havisham and Magwitch appear in very different settings which are both fighting for young Pip, Miss Havisham is in a very rich background, with a big house which is all dark and a decaying, all the windows are shut, all the clocks have stopped twenty to nine as if she has stopped time, the house is only lit by candles . She also get Pip to walk her around and around the table like merry go round. 'slower' by this you can tell that she wasn't very strong and that she thinks Pip is walking her to fast when its her mind that is going fast. Magwitch is the opposite to Miss Havisham he hides in a dark, dull, over grown graveyard, he is a very aggressive towards Pip when he tell him not to tell anyone about him 'or I'll have your heart and liver out'. he is saying he would kill him and eat his heart and liver if he doesn't bring him the wittles and file.
The behaviour of the two characters are quiet different. Dickens has given them very distinctive ways of acting Magwitch behaviour is aggressive 'keep still you little devil, or I'll cut your throat' he is trying to frighten Pip so he can use him to get him food, wittles and a file. So he can get the prison chains off his legs. He is also have a bad reputation as he has been in prison and he has escaped. Miss Havisham behaviour is different 'you are not afraid of a woman who has never seen sun since the day you were born?' she keep herself tied away from every one else, and keep herself locked up in side the decaying house.
Both characters keep them selves hidden away from the outside world Miss Havisham inside the house and has never left since the day she got jilted on her wedding day, and Magwitch who keeps himself tied in the graveyard and scared by being seen by anyone, '.. you never dare say a word or dare to make a sign concerning your having seen such a person as me, or any person sum ever..' They both keep their identity from every one.
When communicating with Pip, both characters have quite similar ways of speaking but different reason for their tones Miss Havisham voice is low and shallow which makes Pip find her scary 'what do I touch?' 'broken' she uttered the words word a eager look and strong importance, and she had weird smile that had a kind of a boast init. She was brought up in a rich upbringing, and the way she spoke as if she was the same woman who got jilted on her wedding day. Magwitch voice was sharp and blunt, 'Tell us your name....Quick' this made Pip scared in a different way that he felt scared with Miss Havisham, he was told he would have his liver and heart ripped out in the night if he told any one if he saw or heard anyone such as Magwitch, '.. I ain't alone, as you may think I am. There's a young man hid with me, in comparison with which this young man I am an angel. That man hears the word I speak. That young man has a secret way peccoliar to himself , of getting at a boy, and his heart and liver'. The impression that would be given to the readers about Magwitch and Miss Havisham is that they are both frightening Pip so they can get him to do things for them, as they want to keep themselves away from the public.
During the final chapters including Miss Havisham and Magwitch changes can be seen in their behaviour towards and treatment of Pip. Magwitch want him to grow up and become a gentleman, so he don't end up like a old beggar. Miss Havisham seems more nicer and not as rude as she was before 'If I give you the money for this purpose, will you keep my secret as you have kept your own'. Dickens makes both characters to be nasty and aggressive towards Pip at the beginning and through the novel to see a different side to both characters, they are kind and loving towards Pip and wants him to become a gentleman.
Overall, both characters have had an affect on Pip, the way Miss Havisham had made him play cards with Estella so she can the have power over men, this has made Pip want Estella to fall in love with him, so he kept going to the Satis house. This has effected him by making him want to become a gentleman so he could marry Estella.
Magwitch made him get the wittles and file. This has made Pip not want to become a dirty, filthy old man living in a graveyard and being scared to get caught by the soldiers, and sent back to the Hulk.
So both of the characters has encouraged Pip to become a gentlemen and move to London.
The way Pip helps Magwitch in the graveyard is later left with the consequences of him turning up in London years later after escaping from prison again. Pip drowns Compeyson the second convict who was Magwitch's enemy when Pip helps Magwitch escape London. Pip also finds out that Magwitch Estella's father and that he wanted her to have a better life, so he pays for Pip to become a gentlemen.
There are certain aspects of the story which can be clearly related to the time when this novel was written. For example you can tell it was a 19th century novel because prisoners no longer have irons on their legs. Also women are not named after their husbands when they are married e.g. Mrs Joe Gargery you wouldn't have his whole name just the surname Mrs Gargery .
Having studied both characters, I think Dickens is trying to make the characters mean towards Pip by the way the behaviour and manner of speech is during the play 'keep still you little devil, or I'll cut your throat!' and 'look at me you are not afraid of a women who has never seen the sun since you where born?'.
I think Miss Havisham is most dramatic and effective character to do by the way she treats Pip and lives her life, One reason is the Satis house and all the weird things in and out of the house. The other is the way she treats her relatives, Miss Havisham may be nice sometimes, but she can also be weird at times.
By KellyAnne clover 10nf
KellyAnne clover 10nf
