"Great Expectations" Coursework

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How does Dickens create an atmosphere of mystery and fear in chapters 1 and 39 of “Great Expectations”?

 Great Expectations is a book written in 1861, by Charles Dickens. But the book is narrated by a boy called Pip; a main character in the novel, who grows up as the story goes on. The novel is about Pip growing up and moving to London to become a gentleman. But there are many twists in the story such as the convict that he meets in the first chapter, is actually paying his expenses to become a gentleman. Great Expectations is written as a semi autobiographical style novel. Dickens wrote it as he felt troubled at this certain time of his life, and needed some kind of physical and emotional support.

 In the first chapter, we don’t know much about Pip’s life. We know that Pip is alone in the churchyard. “This bleak place, overgrown with nettles, was the churchyard.” This shows that Dickens is describing the churchyard as a dark and sinister place, therefore creating a sense of mystery and fear. Pip then surprisingly meets the convict. ““Hold your noise!” cried a terrible voice, as a man started up from among the graves” This shows that Dickens is creating fear by the abruptness of the order. Dickens uses comedy in beginning of this chapter with, “I religiously entertained that they had all been born on their backs with their hands in their trousers-pockets, and had never taken them out in this state of existence.” This shows that Dickens has got some humour as these boys would never have had a chance to do this, because they died very early on. Dickens also uses pathetic fallacy with, “angry, red lines and dense black lines intermixed.” This shows that he uses pathetic fallacy to emphasise the violence of the convict's actions. To do this he also uses slightly emotive language; “angry.”

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 Between the end of this chapter and chapter 39, Pip experiences  a series of events. He finds food for the convict, and he is extremely grateful for it, but word gets out that he is around and everyone finds him, so he is sent away. Pip gets invited to Miss Havisham's house to “play” where he meets Estella, which at first sight, falls in love with her. Later on, he meets Herbert Pocket a lively young chap that challenges Pip to a fight and loses without a doubt. A few years later he is an apprentice of Joe, when ...

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