Great Expectations.
Great Expectations. "Great Expectations" was written by Charles Dickens in 1861. It is about a young boy called Pip showing him from the age of seven through to the age of mid-thirties. Pip shows us the important events in his life and shows many different situations he faces that influence him in his goals in life. It gives the audience something to relate to showing that everyone goes through struggles in life like Pip and shows that wealth doesn't change people doesn't matter. "Great expectations" shows various themes of crime, law and the criminal justice system. Dickens' views are shown throughout the novel. He uses different characters to define people's common views about crime and punishment. Dicken's shows his views through Magwitch. Charles Dickens experienced the prison system due to his father's imprisonment. This made an effect on Dicken's writing by the experience that he faced. John Dickens, Charles' father, worked as a clerk at the Navy Pay office and struggled to pay debts. When he couldn't pay them all he got arrested and sent to Marshalsea Prison- this would have been an awful experience for Charles and that's why he shows his views in his writing. "Great expectations" is a harsh critism on the British Legal and Penal System. Magwitch is a character that highlights Dickens' concerns with the criminal justice system. At first Magwitch frightens Pip in
George Eliot criticised Dickens for 'encouraging the miserable fallacy that high morality and refined sentiment can grow out of harsh social relations, ignorance and want'. Is this a fair criticism?
Tutor: Dr John Bowen ENGLISH MODULE 380 CHARLES DICKENS George Eliot criticised Dickens for 'encouraging the miserable fallacy that high morality and refined sentiment can grow out of harsh social relations, ignorance and want'. Is this a fair criticism? 'Never be mean in anything, never be false, never be cruel', Betsy Trotwood advises David Copperfield, and it is advice that many of Dickens' characters appear to abide by despite often being submersed in a whirlwind of 'harsh social relations, ignorance and want'. Eliot criticised Dickens for this 'miserable fallacy', for presenting individuals who always show a capacity for sympathy with others and high morality regardless of the austerity of life that they have been subjected to. Great Expectations is a novel that breaks away from this convention, presenting to us instead a very dark and violent world that does not fail to leave its mark on the hearts and moral fibre of the characters. This inverted fairy-tale breaks down Eliot's 'miserable fallacy', what Thurley considers, 'the Dickens Myth'.1 In fact Dickens regarded the novel as one in which 'the general turn and tone of the working out and winding up' would be different from 'all such things as they conventionally go'.2 As the protagonist's life is turned upside down so is the idea that 'men of feeling', capable of benevolence and high moral judgement, can emerge
Task: Discuss how Dickens establishes the identity of young Pip at the start of the Novel. Consider: v How the Novel/ Pip's journey is a 'Bildungsroman'v What Pip wants/ How he changes
GREAT EXPECTATIONS TASK: DISCUSS HOW DICKENS ESTABLISHES THE IDENTITY OF YOUNG PIP AT THE START OF THE NOVEL. CONSIDER: * HOW THE NOVEL/ PIP'S JOURNEY IS A 'BILDUNGSROMAN' * WHAT PIP WANTS/ HOW HE CHANGES * HOW DICKENS MATCHES SETTING TO CHARATER * VICTORIAN SOCIETY/ PENAL, CRIMINAL SYSTEM, EDUCATION * PIP AS A NARRATOR/ HIS DESCRIPTION OF HIS AMBITIONS Great Expectations was written in 1860 by Charles Dickens, and is set in the Early Victorian Ages. In this novel we follow, a main protagonist, Pip, however his legal name is Phillip Pirrip, "my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more explicit than Pip. So I called myself Pip, and came to be called Pip." Dickens effectively establishes the identity of young Pip at the start of the novel through his use of setting and first person narration. Great Expectations is classed as a Bildungsroman. This refers to a novel of self-development, or a story of one person's individual growth through out their life, from a child to a mature adult. Like all other stereotypical Bildungsromans, Great Expectations also has their main protagonist's ambition to win over the heart of a particular beautiful young woman. In the this case, it is Pip trying to become a gentleman, so that he could be classed as the same standard as Estella, his goal. In a stereotypical 'Bildungsromans', the main protagonist is
Great Expectations.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS The initial information that we derive from the opening paragraph is that, "Philip Pirrip" is known as "Pip". Both of Pip's parents have died, "his tombstone", which informs us that his father has died and the inscription on this "Also Georgina Wife of the Above". We immediately feel sympathy for Pip as he says "I never saw my father or my mother", not even in a photograph. He does have a very vivid imagination however and from the tombstone "the shape of the letters on my father's gave me an odd idea that he was a square, stout, dark man, with curly black hair". This shows, from the slightest thing Pip's imagination runs riot. Our hearts extend even more to the grief stricken Pip when we discover his five brothers are also dead, "Sacred to the memory of five little brothers of mine", we perceive him to be a helpless young boy. We soon discover that he lives with his sister, and her husband, who is a blacksmith, as he replies when asked "Who d'ye live with", "My sister, sir - Mrs Joe Gargery - wife of Joe Gargery, the blacksmith, sir." The question is asked by a "fearful man" Pip encounters in the graveyard whilst visiting the graves of his deceased family. Dickens presents this man in a very explicit manner, this is to contrast the two characters. "A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken
How successful are Pip and Holden as fictitious narrators?
How successful are Pip and Holden as fictitious narrators? I believe that when any reader begins to read a book they would like to become captivated and drawn into the book. Therefore, when any writer begins to write as a fictitious character then for the reader it makes it more believable and as we find it easier to relate to what they are going through as it is written from their point of view which I think can sometimes make the book more enjoyable. However, with all books however, the writer chooses to write there will always be good points and bad points. So I am going to look into these points to try and explain why I think that both Pip and Holden do a very good job at keeping a good pace throughout their tales making both of these books successful when we read them. All character have their own idiosyncrasies whether they are fictitious or real and it up to the author how he wishes to portray these little character traits that can sometimes build barriers between the reader and the character, though they can also help to produce a good relationship with the reader. I am sure that many people have read a book and upon finishing, the book felt that they know the characters better than they know their own best friend. As the author has been very clever in making sure that, we can sense the feelings of the characters in the book and this makes the characters seem more
Great Expectations - How successful do you think Pip is in his quest to become a gentleman? What does Pip learn from his adventures?
How successful do you think Pip is in his quest to become a gentleman? What does Pip learn from his adventures? To determine how successful Pip is as a gentleman, we must firstly define what a gentleman is. A gentleman can either be socially successful, or morally successful. During his expectations, Pip changes and does many things that make him successful, and others that make him less successful as a gentleman, both morally and socially. Pip's Expectations are started when he first meets Estella, the adopted daughter of Miss Havisham when Pip is a young boy. He immediately becomes attracted to Estella's charms and good looks. She does not return this admiration; she calls Pip 'coarse and common'. In Chapter Seventeen, Pip tells Biddy that he wants to become a gentleman for Estella's sake. His expectations here are not primarily social, they are romantic. As Pip's motives for being a gentleman are romance, rather than social or moral standings, we can see that to start with, Pip has got his priorities wrong, which later on will not help him to be successful Before Pip leaves his hometown, he has already become a bit of a snob; he already looks down at Joe for the way he acts, Pip tells Biddy 'Joe is rather backward in some things' (Chapter Nineteen). Biddy does not feel that Pip is a gentleman, she feels that 'a gentleman should not be unjust', and she feels
Great Expectations:What does Pip have to learn in order to achieve some measure of contentment?
Aaron Wardell 11.1.1 Great Expectations: What does Pip have to learn in order to achieve some measure of contentment? After reading the compelling 'Great Expectations' by the famous writer Charles Dickens, I can gather that it is based upon his own psychological insight to life. He makes connections in relation to a specific character or event in the storyline, which were critical in his own expectations. Also Dickens moulds his selection of characters very well into the desired settings he'd created, that matched what he knew only too well throughout his childhood. 'Great Expectations' not only satires the issues of Victorian society, yet centres on the rites of passage that marks an important change in a person's life. Dickens' issue of contentment is something that concerns many human beings; this is what Pip wants most. However he never really accomplishes this until the closing stages of the book. So what exactly is contentment? The dictionary defines it as a 'peace of mind', where the person is 'satisfied with things as they are.' Therefore contentment means to be happy and in Pip's case, happy with his life. The purpose of 'Great Expectations' is how contentment is achieved, with it being linked to Jeremy Bentham's answer of this. Bentham was a well-known philosopher and he said: 'humans strive to achieve self-fulfilment through the seeking of pleasure and the
Analysis of the relationship Pip has with the paternal figures in his life
Analysis of the relationship Pip has with the paternal figures in his life Charles John Huffman Dickens was born on the 7th February 1812. In 1822 when Charles was 10 his family moved to London where he spent the happiest days of his childhood. Charles's dad worked as a clerk in a local navy pay office. His father had very bad spending habits and even though the family considered themselves quite well off his father's spending habits drove the family into a financial disaster and in 1824 John Dickens was in severe debt and was put in prison. This echo's what happens to Pip after his spending habits become very extravagant he is in severe debt and is about to be arrested for it. When his father was in prison Charles was taken out of school and forced to work in a shoe dye factory aged just 12. While working in the factory Dickens lived alone in north London. Even though Dickens considered this to be the worst time of his life, the experience of it helped shape the world renowned author. After his father's release from prison Dickens went back to school but at the age of 15 he was sent back to work against his wishes. This time Charles worked as a clerk in a law firm, then a shorthand reporter in court and finally a parliamentary and news reporter. In 'Great Expectations' Joe is also sent to work at a young age but this is because his fathers was always drunk so he had no
Discuss the role of Joe Gargery in Great Expectations.
GCSE ENGLISH COURSEWORK Discuss the role of Joe Gargery in Great Expectations Joe Gargery plays a large role in Great Expectations. It is clear that Dickens uses Joe to symbolise happiness and contentment. The changing relationship between Joe and Pip is intriguing and the manner in which he deals with Pip's struggles is of central concern to the novel. Before studying the effect Joe has in the novel, and in particular his relationship with Pip, it is important fully to understand Joe's background and the intent with which Dickens created a character like Joe. While it suits the plot that Joe is a blacksmith (he has the means to remove the convicts leg-iron) it also seems a fitting occupation for the man that Dickens depicts. Being a blacksmith is hard and requires determination, commitment and skill, yet no formal learning. So Joe is seen as a fool to those around him, in particular his wife, and Pip's sister Mrs Joe Gargery. Pip and Joe's relationships with Mrs Joe are very important and will be discussed later. Pip strives to become a 'gentleman'; however, he learns through his own suffering and that of people who are important to him what is truly means to be a gentleman. Pip not only becomes obsessed with this goal; he also conjures the idea that being a gentleman entails having so great an amount of money that you need not work for a living. Money plays a large part
Discuss the female characters in ''Great Expectations''. What influences do these characters have on Pip in his life? In the opening of the novel, Pip is a nave young boy who as been brought up in a traditional Victorian manner
Discuss the female characters in ''Great Expectations''. What influences do these characters have on Pip in his life? In the opening of the novel, Pip is a naïve young boy who as been brought up in a traditional Victorian manner. He is a very innocent and kind-hearted boy who when asked brings the convict the file and food, here we also see that Pip is quite a gullible child as when threatened by the convict Abel Magwitch who says that he'll get a fellow convict to 'tear his heart and liver out while he sleeps' unless he does as the convict says, and Pip being an innocent and gullible young boy believes him and acquires for him these items. When Pip meets Estella his behaviour and attitude towards his current life changes, this is due no-doubt to Estella's continual name calling and putting down of Pip. She constantly calls him 'common' and other names which make him feel ashamed of his current quaint life-style with Joe at the forge; this shows what a large impact Estella has on him. It is at this stage that we see Pip begin to develop a snobbish side to his persona; he begins to become dissatisfied with his life at the forge and his apprenticeship to become a Blacksmith with Joe. However it is not until Pip discovers that he has come into a great fortune that he reveals the true snobbery of his character as he is quick to drop all of his former lower class friends and