great expectation

During chapter three a terrible feeling runs through Pip when he steals food from Mrs Joe to take to the convict. Pip feels scared because his conscience frightens him by saying ‘A boy with somebody –else’s pork pie! Stop him’ this suggests that Pip is feeling very guilty and he knows the difference between right and wrong, but is compelled to do the wrong thing because of fear. Although he is acting mainly due to fear; he’s also very generous and shows compassion because he’s saving the convicts life by feeding him.

Dickens uses many techniques such as linguistic techniques in his writing to create various effects and as a way of communicating his characters emotions. An example of this can be seen in Chapter Three when Pip wakes up knowing he has to steal from Mrs Joe to provide the convict with food. Dickens describes the weather on the window with a particularly powerful simile creating memorable images in the readers’ mind ‘As if some goblin had been crying there all night…’ this descriptive image connects to Pip’s mood at this time. This image of the crying goblin using the window for his handkerchief reflects the fact that Pip is feeling miserable, lonely and scared about what he’s being forced to do. This technique encourages the reader to feel sorry for him and anxious for him as well.

During chapter eight Pip visits Miss Havisham and Stella as Uncle Pumblechook arranged for Pip to go and play there. When Pip is in Satis House, he’s character is in contrast to Estella and Miss Havisham. His low class is established through the way he looks and talks compared with Miss Havisham and Estella. The difference in their classes can be seen clearly, as Miss Havisham uses words such as ‘obstinate’ and ‘melancholy’ to intricate the sentences with big words. On the contrary, Pip replies back with monosyllabic such as ‘yes ma’am’ or ‘no’ the language technique portrays the difference between the low class and upper class during those times.

Pip is immediately seen as a working class boy as he walks into the satin house as Pip is surprised as he sees  “furniture,”, “much of it was of forms and uses the quite unknown,” to him, this definitely made Pip feel out of place. Like the other rich women at the mid 1800s Miss Havisham is also dressed in ‘rich materials’ while Pip was dressed in his ‘coarse boots’. This lead Pip to learn more about the life of the rich and poor and his desire became stronger as he too wanted to improve his living standard.

   Pip is targeted and victimised through out novel by Estella because of their class division. This is shown through the way she talks to him ‘why he is a common labouring boy’ suggesting that Estella feels that she is too good for Pip because she is rich and wealthy, whereas Pip is a working class boy with no luxury. Estella enjoys the fact that Pip is lower class compared to her because Pip says ‘she gave me a triumphant glance in passing me as if she rejoiced that my hands were so coarse and my boots were thick’. This implies that Pip is ashamed of his hands being dirty and his boots being thick because this gives the appearance of him being working class. These are two of the many ways Estella embarrasses Pip and makes Pip feel cynical about himself. The way Estella treated Pip made him feel self-conscious and this lead Pip to change because of his blossoming feelings for Estella.

Dickens suggests a small child’s perspective by limiting the narrator to what a child

(Pip) would see. Older Pip thinks like a child in the beginning of the novel, recollecting memories. The first-person narrative causes the reader to have more consideration towards Pip, and it enables them to experience what he’s feeling since he describes it as it happened to him. Chapter 14 reflects Pips discontentment and his aspirations especially in relation to Estella and Joe. The relationship between Joe and Pip has changes throughout the novel this is because Pip no longer wants to work as a black smith and he doesn’t want to  get his hands dirty and no longer wants to roll up his ‘shirt-sleeves’. This is because Pip feels ‘ashamed of home’ and how Estella his love looks down at him when he looks deprived and unfortunate. Pip blames Joe for the fact that he has been brought up in a working class way, “I wished Joe had been rather more genteelly brought up, and then I should had been so too.” Pip used to confide in Joe about anything that was going on his life, but now, “I am glad to know that I never breathed a murmur to Joe while my indentures lasted…” Pip becomes ashamed of being a blacksmith’s apprentice. Pip is ashamed of home this changes the relationship between Joe and Pip because Joe wants to act like Pip’s father and wants Pip to follow in his foot steps, whereas Pip wants to be a gentleman for someone that has no desire for him.

As Pip understands more about poverty, ignorance and immorality Pip desires more to become rich, wealthy and educated. This is due to the fact that the rich and the poor were divided in great dept during the Victorian times. The reality at those days was the fact that people didn’t have as much opportunity to get their ambitions in the rural country side. Therefore, when Pip visits Miss Havisham he feels discarded, unwanted and bad about himself as he thought he wouldn’t get any education.

Through out the novel I’ve learnt that education is some thing that every one should get as it is vital in our every day life, but for those that do not get it such as Pip you’ve got to find it yourself. The reason that Pip wanted to become a scholar and gentleman was fuelled by his desire for Estella’s attention. Being educated also means that you are respected by your fellow peers and also family. It has great value in society and Pip wanted that, he didn’t want to be a “nobody” and do nothing in his life. He wanted to be a great person that some one can look up to or even be a role model. This way he knew that Estella could be his as he would be greatly cherished. At last after education Pip learns that “it’s a most miserable thing to feel ashamed of home’. This implies that he regrets being selfish and feels guilty about Joe as Joe loved him like his own child and Pip never appreciated the love. He realised that even though that he had a discontent home life and never enjoyed it much, he still had soft feeling for it underneath.

In conclusion, Dickens employs the Bildungsroman technique to great effect in portraying to the reader how Pip changes throughout his life. We know this because it is recollections of Pip’s story though his own eyes. The protagonist is usually an orphan such as Pip. The education that Pip got was very poor and he has to live in harsh social conditions. During the start of the novel Pip is a very delicate child for instance he cries and he is easily scared. For example in the second chapter he fears by saying ‘I was in mortal terror of the young man who wanted my heart and liver’ this suggests that Pip was very gullible as a young child. However as time changed he changed as we see a different side of him as he became a different person with money and fame. We follow his desire though love, family, friendship and money. Through out the book we see that Dickens establishes young Pip’s individuality through language techniques such as imagery and bildungsroman (vulnerability). During the first part of the book Pip was portrayed as an innocent and vulnerable child who gained a lot of sympathy from the reader. Dickens wrote the book ‘Great Expectation’ in first person this enables the reader to help establish more about Pip’s character and also a close relationship which graves the reader’s attention making them more interested. The link to bildungsroman allows the Dickens to successfully show Pip’s character as the audience sympathise and also support Pip while he is selfish and mocking.

Bibliography

• my English teachers