How does Dickens use Pips relationship with Magwitch to interest the reader?

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Great Expectations                                                                                    Adeen Parvaiz

Great Expectations

How does Dickens use Pips relationship with Magwitch to interest the reader?

  The novel called ‘Great Expectations’ written by Charles Dickens, uses a very unique relationship between two characters to form the main ‘stem’ of the book.

  Pip’s relationship with Abel Magwitch is extremely interesting because it is so significant. It is at the heart of the book mainly for the reason that it is the closest and deepest relationship between any two characters in the whole novel. This forms a relevance to the title of ‘Great Expectations.’

  After meeting with Pip for the first time, Magwitch begins to desire many expectations for Pip. Pip receives money from an anonymous person and goes to London to become a gentleman. This causes irony because Pip thinks that the money comes from Miss Havisham when in fact it comes from Magwitch. He wants Pip to live how he couldn’t live. These expectations often came in the way of his duty, leaving him in a position in which he has to choose between his family and his life in London.

  Throughout the novel both Pip and Magwitch misunderstand the meaning of the term ‘gentleman.’ Towards the end of the novel Pip learns that he should value generosity and also realizes that relationships are most important.

  There is a very common theme in this novel which is similar to many other books in Victorian Times. It is about a central character growing up and developing, written in first person. The novel portrays the emotional and mental growth of the character whilst the reader sympathises with the narrators of the stories. Dickens had already written ‘David Copperfield’ and ‘Oliver Twist’ in this way.

  Dickens also uses the book structure to make the relationship involving Pip and Magwitch central and also crucial. There are 59 chapters which were published in 3 parts. Chapter 19 ends Part 1, when Pip goes to London to become a gentleman; Chapter 39 ends Part 2 when Magwitch suddenly reappears. The structure highlights the relationship as each part ends when a new turn in Pip’s life occurs.

  Dickens makes Pips childhood relationship with Magwitch interesting for the reader because we can imagine it through Pip’s eyes. By using this style of writing, Dickens increase’s the emotional effects so we can identify and empathise with Pip. He also creates multiple suspense at the beginning of the novel, because the reader (and Pip) does not know whether Magwitch will get recaptured or whether he will find the other convict.  

  When Pip first meets the convict in chapter 1, his dominant emotion is terror; “I pleaded in terror.” This is because Pip had been rudely shouted at and threatened by a man, when he believed that there was no one there.

  As well as being afraid we can tell that Pip is very imaginative, because of the descriptions he gives in the text. He makes a link between the convict and a pirate in a simile; “as if he were the pirate come to life.” This thought frightens Pip as he goes home and causes him to imagine the cattle agreeing with him as well.

  The settings on the marshes make it more interesting for the reader because there is a damp, gloomy and strong background. The text shows that it is a miserable and potentially frightening place, by using adjectives such as; “raw, dark, leaden, afraid, buried, distant, savage…”  Dickens also includes a long sentence bound together by the word ‘that’ because he wants the sentence extended to make the scene seem endless and lonely.

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  In chapter 3 Pip brings the convict food and as he is eating, Pip overcomes his fears and tells him; “I am glad you enjoy it.”  By saying this, Pip showed his caring nature and already started to develop a kind of relationship with the convict.

  Two chapters after, Magwitch gets captured. Pip is then anxious that the convict will think that he has betrayed him to the soldiers, so when the convict looked in his direction, Pip slightly moved his hands and shook his head. The text says that the reason for the silent communication was; “to ...

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