Abel Magwitch, a fearsome criminal, who escapes from the prison at the beginning of Great Expectations and terrorises Pip in the cemetery. Dickens introduces Magwitch to the reader in the first chapter, portraying him to be a threatening character towards Pip which is then contrasted by Dickens creating sympathy for Magwitch. Dickens often goes into great detail when describing a character in his novels, and this is especially so in ‘Great Expectations’ as he had to publish 36 weekly chapters in a journal. His description of Magwitch is thorough and allows the reader to create a well built up image of what Magwitch looks like. His description also evokes sympathy for Magwitch since different forms of nature have “attacked” him because as he crossed the marshes he was “lamed by stones and cut by flints and stung by nettles and torn by briars”. The structure of the sentence in the way Dickens keeps repeating the word ‘and’ creates sympathy for Magwitch because he is layering the difficulties Magwitch has had to overcome to make it to the graveyard. When Pip is describing Magwitch’s appearance he comments on Magwitch not owning much other than “broken shoes” and “an old rag tied round his head”. This shows his low social status and creates sympathy for him as the only possessions he has are either broken or tattered. Another way Dickens conveys Magwitch’s low class is through his dialogue. Magwitch says “or a eel” and this might be humorous to upper class readers as they might find his lack of grammar amusing. Moreover Dickens spells the words that Magwitch speaks phonetically therefore he pronounces some of the words wrong for example “partickler” and pecoolier”. The fact that Magwitch is trying very hard to sound more upper class by using long and fancy words makes him endearing to the reader as they can see his is struggling to sound well educated. Pips description of Magwitch leaving the graveyard after their meeting creates sympathy for Magwitch especially when he refers to Magwitch “limping” towards the “gibbet” as if he was “going back to hook himself up again”. Pip also says that Magwitch was “eluding the hands of dead people, stretching cautiously out of their graves. These death references suggest that Magwitch is close to dying and that the dead are trying to lure him into a grave so he can die. This conveys his vulnerability which is in contrast to when he was threatening Pip and these aspects create sympathy for him.
Magwitch and Pip both have certain characteristics in common. They are both scared of something. Pip is scared of Magwitch in the graveyard scene as he appears threatening at first as he intimidates Pip. Magwitch is then described by Pip as “a fearful man” because Magwitch is scared of another escaped convict. Moreover they both have a low social status as Pip is “a common labouring boy” and Magwitch lacks education which is shown through his dialogue. In addition both characters have faced tough times in their lives; Magwitch is an escaped convict and therefore has served time in prison and Pip has lost his parents and five brothers. All of these similarities create sympathy for both of the characters as the readers can see they are both struggling and vulnerable and therefore they might feel sympathy or even pity towards them both.
Miss Havisham, the wealthy, eccentric old woman who lives in a manor called Satis house near Pip’s village. She manic and often seems insane, flitting around her house in a faded wedding dress, keeping a decaying feats on her table, and surrounding herself with clocks stopped at twenty minutes to nine. As a young woman, Miss Havisham was jilted by her fiancé minutes before her wedding, and now she has a vendetta against all men. She deliberately raises Estella to be the tool of her revenge, training her beautiful ward to break men’s hearts,
Setting is key to the presentation of Miss Havisham because her house reflects her character as it is “strange” yet “grand”. The room in which Pip first meets Miss Havisham is “pretty large” and “no glimpse of daylight was to be seen in it”. The fact that the house is big is very intimidating for Pip as he comes from a low social status and therefore has not seen such luxury and grandness before and the reader might feel sorry for Pip as he is an innocent little boy in a “large” house with “the strangest lady he has ever seen” sitting and watching him “almost corpse like” while he plays with Estella.
The way in which the other characters act towards Pip in ‘Great Expectations’ creates sympathy for him as they are often threatening and intimidating. Dickens’ works often contain eccentric and bizarre characters and in ‘Great Expectations’ Miss Havisham is the “strangest lady” Pip has “ever seen and shall ever see”. She is a very intimidating women and Pip describes her using death references as he says she sits “like a corpse” and wears “a long veil like a shroud”. This suggests she is waiting to die and this is uncomfortable for Pip as he is close to a deathly person. Miss Havisham’s social status is conveyed through Pip’s description of her possessions like her dress was made out of “rich materials – satins, and lace, and silks” and her “bright jewels”. Pip comes from the working class and is not used to such “splendid” wealth and this creates sympathy for him as he is surrounded by many objects he can not afford. The characters of Miss Havisham and Pip are very contrasting; and by placing them together, Dickens is creating sympathy for Pip because the reader might be able to see how vulnerable and naïve Pip is compared to Miss Havisham. This is because he is a young boy and she is an old “broken” woman using Estella as a foil to wreak havoc on all men. Pip is frequently intimidated by other characters especially Magwitch who is aggressive and threatens by saying he will “cut your throat”. This creates sympathy in the reader for Pip because his vulnerability is conveyed as he is unable to stand up to the convict and instead “pleads in terror” and “sits trembling”. The characterisation of Pip also creates sympathy in the reader as the name “Pip” suggests he could be a seed which is small yet has an “expectation”. As the novel progresses, Pip grows from being “a small bundle of shivers” into a “gentleman.
Dickens creates sympathy for Pip through his use of dialogue spoken by other characters. Pip’s low social status is highly criticised when he goes to work for Miss Havisham. Estella especially refers to his social status as she says he is “a clumsy labouring boy”. This creates sympathy for Pip as he is being intimidated by someone just because of his class. However this was common when Dickens was writing great social divide between classes and often people with a high status treated people with a low status with no respect and would criticise them. Estella goes on to insult his “coarse hands”. Pip doesn’t respond with an insult back and instead seems to take the criticism on board as he sees his hands as an “indifferent pair”. Miss Havisham’s dialogue also creates sympathy for Pip especially when she tells Estella to “break his heart”. Through the course of the book Pip falls in love with Estella and has his heart broken. This comment creates sympathy for Pip as he is an innocent vulnerable boy who doesn’t respond in the way the reader might like him to but instead just carries on playing. Miss Havisham also uses commands as she orders Pip to “play, play play”. This is intimidating for Pip and he is scared to disobey her. This creates pathos for Pip because Dickens conveys his vulnerability and immaturity.
The effect that both of these chapters have on Pip are very similar but told in different ways. In chapter one Pip is isolated but in a place familiar to him, facing problems in the churchyard feeling abused by the nature surrounding him. Whilst at Miss Havisham’s he is trapped in the hostile atmosphere taunted by the very lively corpse herself. This is different as it is unfamiliar but still gives the same sentiment of isolation. The irony between these two new settings is that he not only met a prisoner but knows what it feels like to be trapped and isolated form humanity at the Satis house, linking Pip’s two threats during his journey.
In both the extracts, as well as the setting, there are characters Dickens uses to create sympathy toward Pip. However they may be different but both have suffered great losses. In chapter one it was Abel Magwitch, a fearsome criminal later discovered as a father figure to Pip, but was still a cause to feeling sympathetic towards Pip. In chapter eight it was Miss Havisham, an eccentric old woman frozen in time. This decaying woman too brought some sympathy towards Pip. These two characters made Pip feel terror and upset after his encounter with them. Reasons being he was insulted countless times by them as they were either superior or inferior to him. They would either insult his appearance or haunt him with there frequent threats. In spite of this Magwitch did not mean any real harm to the boy whilst Miss Havisham was causing terror for him in favour of her own sick and twisted amusement from the child.
As a final point from looking at these two extracts it can be seen that Pip’s characterisation of people gave him the most sympathy. The reason being for this would be the way Magwitch, Mrs Havisham and Estella come across to him. This is because these characters are quite peculiar as to how he was before meeting them. The success of this novel links to Dickens technique of using the first person making the reader feel more protective of Pip. To conclude Dickens was a success in creating sympathy for Pip.
