How Does Dickens interest the Reader during the Satis House strand of the plot?

In this piece of coursework, I will focus on the Satis House story and look at how Dickens used language, context and character to interest the reader throughout the novel.

The Novel concerns the young boy Philip Pirrip (known as ‘Pip’) and his development through life after an early meeting with the escaped convict Abel Magwitch, who he treats kindly despite his fear. His unpleasant sister and her humorous and friendly blacksmith husband, Joe, bring him up. Crucial to his development as an individual is his introduction to Miss Havisham, a now aging woman who has given up on life after being jilted at the altar. Cruelly, Havisham has brought up her adopted daughter Estella to revenge her own pain and so as Pip falls in love with her she is made to torture him in romance. Aspiring to be a gentleman despite his humble beginnings, Pip seems to achieve the impossible by receiving a fund of wealth from an unknown source and being sent to London with the lawyer Jaggers. He is employed but eventually loses everything and Estella marries another. His benefactor turns out to have been Magwitch and his future existence is based upon outgrowing the great expectations and returning to Joe and honest layout. Eventually he is reunited with Estella

To understand the reasons behind why Dickens used certain techniques to make his book appealing to the reader I will have to delve and research into his life.

Charles Dickens lived during a time of great social change in Europe. Having published novels during the late 19th century, the subject of his writing typically focused on class structure, poverty, and treatment of the especially underprivileged. Dickens was particularly interested in the years immediately preceding, and leading up to his own adulthood. Between the 1770s and the 1840s, England underwent a sweeping transformation from a sleepy agrarian society to an intensely industrial one. For the first time, the English merchant was able to acquire wealth and power, the likes of which had previously only been available to the noble. However, the other side of this situation was that England acquired a new class of poor people, ones that were even poorer than their predecessors were.

“I too had become part of the wrecked fortunes of the Satis House”

I believe that Dickens used his knowledge and social conscience to campaign for reform. That his novels were more than just books, I think he tried to make people aware of the dark side of Victorian life.

In Great Expectations Dickens focuses a great deal on attitudes to women during the time at which he lived. Women were considered incapable of doing many things and depicted as dumb and useless, men ruled over them and society. The role of women in Dickens book was quite different to the patriarchal society in which he lived in and their expectations. The first three female characters he derived in his book at the beginning all seemed to challenge their stereotypical appearance.

“I supposed that Joe Gargery and I were both brought up by hand” – Pg 7

Mrs Joe Gargery is first portrayed by Pip as a very dominant, forceful woman, much like Estella, and Miss Havisham who Pip both meets for the first time in Chapter 8.

“Though she called me ‘boy’ so often and with a carelessness that was far from complimentary”- Pg 46

Estella is one of the first people that truly get Pip to wonder about his class, because of her self-possessed and intimidating nature.

“As I cried I kicked the wall, and took a ...

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“I supposed that Joe Gargery and I were both brought up by hand” – Pg 7

Mrs Joe Gargery is first portrayed by Pip as a very dominant, forceful woman, much like Estella, and Miss Havisham who Pip both meets for the first time in Chapter 8.

“Though she called me ‘boy’ so often and with a carelessness that was far from complimentary”- Pg 46

Estella is one of the first people that truly get Pip to wonder about his class, because of her self-possessed and intimidating nature.

“As I cried I kicked the wall, and took a hard twist of my hair”- Pg 52

Pip has never before felt as the odd one out, because of Miss Havisham’s wealth he feels poor and useless. He has never considered or noticed his own life, because the people he lives with are of his status, by being in contacts with someone like Estella make him question his own identity. When he does, he feel frustrated that he is pushed around and looked down upon. This is the first part of the novel in which hints to the audience Pip’s feelings towards his social status and he desires to go further in his life to avoid incidences like that (he has great expectations). This is a point of suspense where the reader now wonders where the consequences of such aspiration may lead. This contrasting character creates tension and interest for the reader. Dickens uses suspense like this throughout the novel.

Miss Havisham is one the main symbols that brings a lot of anticipation into the chapters. This is because of her behaviour and persona. She generates a lot of tension and mystery between and for the characters in the book, which therefore triggers anxiety for the reader.

“She was dressed in rich materials-satins lace and silks- all of white”- Pg 46

In this quotation, Dickens uses powerful language to give you an image of someone pure and virtuous. White, which is symbolic of purity and innocence, is repeated to give a more powerful effect and to help the reader remember. In addition, it creates a great contrast to how pip finally begins Miss Havisham.

“Had been white long ago, and had lost its lustre, and was faded and yellow”- Pg 47

“She had not quite finished dressing”- Pg 46

This starts to give the reader an idea on the story behind her. It seems as though something had a great impact on her life that she still cannot take it in and has been slightly lost all these years just trying to understand. Mystery begins to surround her background. When I compared Miss Havisham to society’s expectations I mentioned how she is a powerful woman and is respected with what might be even fear.

“ If Miss Havisham wished to see me”

This builds on the fact that she is very influential, but then again no sooner than Dickens makes a statement he contradicts it. She appears to be following societies expectations because her soul purpose seems to be to get married. I think Dickens brings in new information mostly by using creating anticipation. He does not just unravel the information it all comes out gradually with his use of language, like he uses contrast to skip onto a new subject.

Sometimes Dickens constructs a premonition purely to create suspense and tension.

“It hung so, that I could see that the faded trimmings of the dress were like earthy paper, and that the face was Miss Havisham’s”- Pg 53

In chapter 8 where Pip sees Miss Havisham, hanging gives the chapter a strange atmosphere and creates a supernatural impact on the scene. This engages the reader with interest, and the image returns at the end of the Novel, but has no real point, as it does not lead to climax. I think this is a very clever way Dickens has created to ensure there is trepidation throughout the Novel without twisting the plot too much.

Language is a key feature that helps develop Dickens way of creating suspense. One of the most significant sections in the novel was in chapter 44 where Pip proclaims his love for Estella.

“You have been in every prospect I have ever seen”- Pg 299

Pip conveys his feelings with such hyperbole. Dickens uses many metaphors and similes in this extract to produce a strong impact on Estella.

“On the river, on the sails of the ships, on the marshes, in the clouds”- Pg 299

The long sentences imply how long he has loved her it drags out his pain and discomfort that the desire has always been there. It is natural for him to speak in such elaborate length.

“God bless you, God forgive you”- Pg 299

Repetition emphasises the power of his words.

All this emotion and anguish is swiftly and bluntly blown off by Estella with no more than “Nonsense, she returned, nonsense”. This establishes superb Juxtaposition between the two characters. It shows how Pips love for Estella has grown over the years until at last his heart is finally broken while Estella’s love for him has never even developed, although she does say she is going to marry Drummle. This really contradicts her rough character towards men. She is very naïve going in to marriage with someone like Drummle, she does not think about the cost; she could loose all her money. Has society won her over or is it just a way to get back at Miss Havisham? This sort of ambiguity generates a lot of curiosity for the reader. Miss Havisham has had an influence over her life for a long time but I do not believe she would rebel against her, I think she has just given up on leading her life by Miss Havisham requests. All this time she has really never hurt Pip, although she has no love for him I think its also the fact that she scared of loving someone like him. She likes as a friend and cares for him a lot she is afraid of what hurt she could cause him if they did develop that sort of relationship.

In Chapter 49 Dickens tries to set a gloomy and miserable beginning which reflects Pip’s feelings, these hints start to bring novel to a pinnacle.

“The bare high trees of the priory garden seemed to call to me that the place was changed, and that Estella was gone out of it forever”- Pg 325

Now that Estella has gone, Pip feel as though a part of him is missing. Its interesting to see that now that she has gone everything feels and looks old and in ruins but when she is with him even if it is crumbling and grey it feel as though growing more beautiful by the second.

“If the green and yellow growth of weed in the chinks of the old wall had been the most precious flowers that ever blew, it could have been more cherished in my remembrance”

Towards the end of the Chapter Dickens cleverly describes Miss Havisham and Pip’s relationship.

“Struggling like desperate enemies, and that the closer I covered her the more wildly she shrieked and tried to free herself”

Dickens depicts the relationship between them as though they are enemies. All these years Pip has been silently fighting for Estella’s love, while Miss Havisham has been silently influencing her to despise Pip and break his heart. It is as if they finally understand each other.

“Every vestige of her dress was burnt”- Pg 331

This symbolism has very dramatic importance, interest the reader into believing that this event has freed Miss Havisham from all the torture she was going through, cleared her from her wrongdoing, everything had burnt away.

This chapter connects very nicely with chapter 44. All Miss Havisham’s actions in chapter 44 have consequences that finally lead up to this event.

“The spectral figure of Miss Havisham her hand still covering her heart seemed all resolved in a ghastly stare of pity and remorse”- Pg 299

Miss Havisham has an epiphany in which she finally becomes conscious of the way she has been living her life and the way she has been treating Estella. She has such an impact on that scene by the way she looks, all white, gloomy and ghostly, sort of paranormal.

“What have I done!”- Pg 327

She expresses the feeling she first started in chapter 44. It is as if all the guilt has been building up inside her until she cannot take it any more and reaches the peak of her cruel hearted life.

It seems like all the characters are stuck to a fate. Miss Havisham’s lonely and desperate life is obvious to be leading to some sort of regretful conclusion. Estella still has the same feelings for Pip and no matter how strong and determined woman she is, she still sinks into society’s stereotypical woman. Pip is still a poor village boy at the end of the day.

Overall, I think that the characters and the novel were enjoyable; my opinion is based this way mostly because of the way this Novel is presented as a real life account. A book cannot be too realistic but can also not be too illusory. Miss Havisham seems imaginary, but if Dickens based her on someone out of his own life how can she be too extreme to be realistic. She is rather strange and has a peculiar side to her but that only makes it more interesting.

“Now waxwork and skeleton seemed to have dark eyes that moved and looked at me”

Miss Havisham has an impact on the characters, which in turn has an impact on the reader. The two images “waxwork” and “skeleton” are very metaphorical they give Miss Havisham such an eerie aura. You escape into the book and dwell into her life. Chapter 49 makes her more realistic; as it finally illustrates that of course, someone could not go on their whole existence with that much remorse. As for Pip and Estella they are two people lost in a love tangle and their own confused lives, the reader can relate to them. On the whole, when you read a book and you like the characters they have to be slightly realistic.

Dickens has also successfully used language to improve and develop the plots and create the constant air of mystery tension and suspense that hold the reader gripped for more, from beginning to end.