How does Dickens use language to portray characters and settings in “Great Expectations”, focusing on two scenes?
Charles Dickens was an English novelist in the Victorian era. He wrote many well known novels such as “A Christmas Carol”, “Oliver Twist” And “A Tale of Two Cities”. His books were very popular at the time and were usually serialised so to keep the reader interested. The popularity of his novels means that not one of them has ever gone out of print. He was born in Portsmouth, England, in 1812 And Died 1870 in Kent. During Charles Dickens Childhood he lived in London and when he was 12 his father got put in the debtor’s prison after running out of money. To support the rest of his family Charles had to work 10 hours a day, sticking labels on bottles. He earned 6 Shillings a week which paid for his housing and helped to support his family. The bad conditions at the factory influenced his writing quite a lot. His next job was at a law office in a junior position. Whilst working here he saw many injustices and saw how the law treated the poor. In 1834 he became a political journalist which led to the publishing of his first novel. He married a woman in 1836 and together they had 10 children. They later separated but, because at the time it was looked down on for a couple to divorce, Charles paid for the keep of her house for the next 20 years until she died. In 1865 Charles was on a train returning from France when all except the first-class carriage (Which he was in) plunged off a bridge. He tended to the wounded and injured until the medical services arrived. He later used the crash as a basis for a famous novel “The Signal-Man”. Although he was unharmed in the crash it affected him and his writing. He made one last tour of America 1867 and died of a stroke in 1870. The book that we have been studying is called “Great Expectations”. The Main Character is Called “Pip”. He is an orphan who lives with his ill-tempered older sister and her kind husband. On Christmas Eve he visits his parents’ grave in the marshes, where he is found by an escaped convict. The convict makes him swear that he will help him, so pip finds him the next morning and gives him food and drink. The next day a police patrol comes to pips door to ask the help of Joe (who is a blacksmith). Joe and Pip help the police with their hunt for the convict and eventually find him fighting with another escaped convict. The both men are arrested but the first convict covers for Pip by saying that he stole the food from his house instead of Pip giving it to him. Later Pip is called up to Satis house to entertain Ms Havisham. He is called there to play cards with Ms Havishams adopted daughter Estella. During the game Estella is quite mean to him because he is lower class. He Continues Coming To Satis House For A Number Of Years. One Day He Inherits Some Money from An Unknown Benefactor And moves up to London to become a gentleman. He has to go, once a week, to his lawyer who gives him an allowance from his benefactor. He lives with a friend called Herbert who is a relation of Ms Havishams. Pips uncle comes to visit him in London but Pip is embarrassed by him which is good at showing how much Pip has changed with the money he has gained. He then discovers that his mystery benefactor was the convict that he helped on the marshes when he was a child. He escaped from the prison and went to Australia where he made his fortune, and was simply re-paying Pip for the trouble he went to, to give the convict food and drink. But to come see Pip he had to return from Australia so Pip must hide him. It turns out that the convict, whose name is magwhich is Estella’s father. Pip goes back to Satis House to speak to Ms Havisham. They argue and pip walks off, slamming the door behind him, causing the coals in the fire to fall onto Ms Havishams dress, which catches on fire, killing her. He then leaves and him and Magwhich try to escape on a boat, but are caught. Magwhich is sentenced to death but falls ill in prison and dies with pip by his side. Pip then falls ill and when he comes to he finds out that Joe has been looking after him and has paid off all of his debts. Pip then goes back to live with Joe and his new wife.
