Great Expectations analysis of chapter 1 and 5
In the novel "Great Expectations", Charles Dickens explores several themes and uses dramatic language to create suspense, analyse chapter 1 and 39 explore the techniques he uses to build tension
"Great Expectations" was published by Charles Dickens on December 1st 1860 in "All the year round", a weekly that published fiction in serial format. The novel "Great Expectations" ran for 36 weeks and concluded on August 3rd 1861.
The older Pip is the narrator of the story, which begins when he is aged seven. He is an orphan living with his sister and her husband who is the local blacksmith. Their home is set in the marshes of Kent. One evening while visiting his parents' graves, an escaped convict, who orders him at the peril of his life to obtain food and a file for his leg irons, grabs Pip. Pip obeys and the convict is soon captured, but he protects Pip by claiming to have stolen the items himself. Miss Havisham, who lives in a grand house outside Pip's village, is a wealthy woman, who was abandoned on her wedding day and her home has not changed since that date. The dining room table is still prepared for the wedding feast. Pip is asked to visit the house and play with Miss Havisham's adopted daughter, Estella. She treats him coldly and harshly, and Pip dreams of becoming worthy enough of her, and he is determined to obtain some sort of education. Some years later Pip is sponsored by Miss Havisham to become apprentice to his brother-in-law, Joe. Pip feels this is a type of imprisonment and he can see no way of obtaining his dreams. One day a lawyer named Jaggers, who also represents Miss Havisham, meets Pip and Joe to advise them that Pip has a secret benefactor, and that he is now a man of great expectations. Pip naturally assumes that the benefactor is Miss Havisham, and that he is being groomed to marry Estella. He is sent to London to become a young gentleman, and he resides with Herbert Pocket with whom he becomes a great friend. Now that he is to be a gentleman, he turns his back on Joe and his roots. After several years, Estella still treats Pip harshly, even though he is now a man of means and he wonders if he will ever win her hand. One stormy night, a convict called Magwitch barges into Pip's room, announcing that he is Pip's benefactor. It is the same convict that Pip helped as a boy. The convict has dedicated his life to making Pip a gentleman, using the fortune he has accumulated in Australia. Magwitch is 'a lifer', and if he is caught in England, he will be executed. Pip and his friend Herbert arrange for Magwitch to escape to the continent, the plan being that Pip will accompany him. Magwitch's former partner in crime was a man called Compeyson, who had been a gentleman and had abandoned Miss Havisham. Estella is Magwitch's daughter and she has been raised by Miss Havisham to break men's hearts in revenge for the pain she has suffered. Pip now cares for Magwitch and is concerned that the authorities will capture him. With the assistance of others including Jaggers' clerk, Wemmick, an elaborate plan is arranged to smuggle Magwitch out of England. Estella marries a boy named Bentley Drummle, which annoys Pip greatly. Miss Havisham repents over her evil behaviour and begs for Pip's forgiveness. Later she bends over the fire and her wedding dress catches alight. She is badly injured. She later dies. Pip and Herbert row down the river with Magwitch to rendezvous with a steamboat bound for France. Customs Officers and Compeyson discover them. The two convicts struggle and Compeyson is drowned. Magwitch later dies in prison, knowing that he has a daughter who is a lady and Pip loves her. He dies in peace. Pip is reconciled with Joe and then spends some time abroad working with his friend Herbert. Some years later he returns to find out that Drummle treated Estella badly and that he is now dead. The story ends with the Pip and Estella hand in hand in the garden of Satis House where they first met as children.
The novel explores many major themes: Loneliness is shown through the character of Pip and Miss Havisham. In chapter 1 Pip is in the grave yard starring at his family member's graves all alone, shivering and crying. Miss Havisham is an elderly woman who lives in seclusion by herself in her room and never left her home since her marriage failed.
Crime and punishment is illustrated through the characters of Magwitch and Compeyson. Magwitch and Compeyson are both escaped convicts they were once partners in crime. Magwitch and Compeyson were both tried for the same crime but ...
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The novel explores many major themes: Loneliness is shown through the character of Pip and Miss Havisham. In chapter 1 Pip is in the grave yard starring at his family member's graves all alone, shivering and crying. Miss Havisham is an elderly woman who lives in seclusion by herself in her room and never left her home since her marriage failed.
Crime and punishment is illustrated through the characters of Magwitch and Compeyson. Magwitch and Compeyson are both escaped convicts they were once partners in crime. Magwitch and Compeyson were both tried for the same crime but Compeyson was let off easily as he came from a higher class and was a gentleman. Magwitch however came from a lower class and was a petty criminal so he was punished severely and sent to Australia and never allowed to return to England or else he would be executed.
Love and friendship is revealed through many characters in the novel. The main is Pip's love for Estella which at first is an obsession but eventually grows into a strong and true love. Herbert and Pip are very close friends and both have a strong friendship of trust, faith and respect for each other. Wemmick shows a lot of emotional love for his father, the Aged P. Pip and Biddy share a strong friendship of trust and honesty between them. Pip and Joe both share love and friendship of honesty, faith, respect and loyalty between each other.
Ambition is explored through the character of Pip. Pip's first visit to Miss Havisham's house forever changed his life once he met her adoptive daughter Estella. After meeting her Pip had one ambition from that day on, to become a gentleman to impress Estella and win her heart and love.
The theme of Revenge is illustrated through the characters of Miss Havisham and Magwitch. Miss Havisham a bitter old women, whose life effectively stopped when she was abandoned on her wedding day. Miss Havisham has made her life purpose to raise Estella, whom she as adopted, as a cruel hearted woman who will break the hearts of men as revenge to what happened to her on her wedding day. Magwitch wants revenge from Compeyson after the injustice of him being punished and Compeyson being let off and because Compeyson left him to rot in jail.
Being a gentleman is only explored through the character of Pip. Pip at first thinks a gentleman as being rich, sophisticated, educated and wearing high class clothes but eventually through time Pip learns being gentlemen is really about being strong, kind, loyal and honest just like his brother-in-law Joe Gargery.
Chapter 1 of "Great Expectations" is the opening to the novel. The story begins with an older Pip introducing himself at seven years of age; he is standing on the gravestones of his family members. He is all alone until suddenly an escaped convict called Abel Magwitch comes out of nowhere from behind Pip and threatens to cut his throat. Magwitch questions Pip and finds out he lives with a blacksmith. Magwitch demands Pip to bring some food and a file for the iron shackles on his leg. Pip agrees to meet Magwitch the next morning with his demands. The first meeting between young Pip and Magwitch will cause Pip terrible fear but later brings him rewards.
Dicken's builds up tension using a variety of techniques. Chapter one is set in a marshy graveyard in Kent. Dickens focuses on the character of Pip in the graveyard. The graveyard is made a neglecting and depressing place for Pip, because of the headstones he is starring at " also Georgiana wife of the above", "infant children of the aforesaid, were also dead and buried. Most of Pip's family is dead and buried in the graveyard and he gets a great sense of loneliness. Pip then goes on to describe the landscape, graveyard, and himself as a "small bundle of shivers", this emphasises how cold and scary the graveyard is. At the same time Pip also feels very sad and begins to cry, as he does not have strong family ties to give him a sense of his own identity. The setting in the chapter is dark and mysterious " the dark flat wilderness beyond the churchyard, intersected with dykes and mounds and gates, with scattered cattle feeding on it, was the marshes. In this chapter the weather is bitter and damp, "wind was rushing" and "rains were heavy", the bad weather emphasises the graveyard and it's atmosphere of desolation and coldness. The sentence structure in the chapter is long, "At such a time I found out for certain, that this bleak place overgrown with nettles was the churchyard, and that Phillip Pirrip, late of this parish, and also Georgiana wife of the above, were dead and buried; and that Alexander, Bartholomew, Abraham, Tobias, and Roger, infant children of the aforesaid, were also dead and buried; and that the dark flat wilderness beyond the churchyard, intersected with dykes and mounds and gates, with scattered cattle feeding on it, was the marshes; and that the low leaden line beyond was the river; and that the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing, was the sea; and that the small bundle of shivers growing afraid of it all and beginning to cry, was Pip", this is used to build suspense, atmosphere, fear, images and involve the reader more and more into the story and then suddenly catch them unaware. There is repetition of words " Yes, sir", which emphasises how scared Pip is of the convict. The convict uses dramatic dialogue full of violence " keep still, you little devil, or I'll cut your throat", to further fill the heart of Pip with fear. The description of the man by Pip is shown as a man who is muddy, soaked, cut and stung by nettles and who limped and shivered "A man who had been soaked in water, smothered in mud, lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, shivered glared and growled", the alliteration in this sentence makes the convict sound more scarier by using so many descriptive words and makes it more dramatic. The sentence also shows what condition he was in and what his appearance was like. The word "the man" is repeated many times to add to the mystery, emphasis him and how scared Pip is of him. Magwitch is shown as a more powerful, terrifying character to Pip. The convict is shown as a powerful, terrifying man who threatens to eat Pip to make him feel helpless and scared," He was so sudden and strong he made the church go head over heals before me". The convict turns Pip upside down to disorientate him and search for any food he has. To further scare and frighten Pip, the convict says he has a companion with him who will get his heart and liver out if he doesn't do as he says and compared to him, he is an angel. This makes Pip even more scared as he is already dreadfully frightened of the convict he couldn't even imagine how his companion would be like if he is an angel compared to him. Dickens' tone changes near the end of the chapter to sympathetic towards the convict because Dickens' himself was very concerned about the way prisoners were treated and he fought for the rights of criminals in jails. This is because of his own family experiences and in Dickens' time if someone did something wrong they were severely punished. Dickens' illustrates this by his description of Magwitch and how bad in a condition he was in when he escaped. The gibbet a chain that once held a pirate is mentioned by Pip this shows that Pip is very frightened as he is referring to the supernatural which shows his mind is working overtime and is full of fear. The chapter ends with Pip running home frightened.
Pip's Uncle Pumblechook arranges for Pip to go to the house of a wealthy woman, Miss Havisham, to play with her adopted daughter, Estella. Miss Havisham's fiance left her on her wedding day and she still wears her old wedding gown, although she's now elderly. The house has been left as it was on her wedding day and even the old wedding cake is still on the table. Estella is beautiful but arrogant and tells Pip that he is coarse and common. Pip is immediately attracted to Estella in spite of how she and Miss Havisham treat him. Although the visits are emotionally painful, Pip continues to go there for several months to play with Estella and to wheel Miss Havisham around. He also meets her relatives who want her money. Pip does earn a kiss from Estella when he beats one of the relatives, the Pale Young Gentleman, in a fistfight. Pip tries to better himself to win Estella's love by working harder with his friend, Biddy, at night school. After a number of months, Miss Havisham pays for Pip's blacksmithing apprenticeship with Joe. Pip had looked forward to that for years, but now that he has seen refined life, he views the forge as a death sentence. During this time, he encounters a strange man at the local pub. The man has the file that Pip stole for the convict years before. The man gives Pip two one-pound notes. Pip continues to visit Miss Havisham on his birthday and on one of these occasions, his leaving work early instigates a fistfight between Joe and Joe's assistant, Orlick. Orlick resents Pip and hates Pip's abusive sister. On his way home from that visit, Pip finds out his sister was almost murdered and is now mentally crippled. Biddy comes to live with them to help out. One evening, a powerful London lawyer, Mr. Jaggers, visits Pip and Joe and informs them that Pip has "great expectations." Pip is overjoyed and assumes it is from Miss Havisham, who wants to prepare him for Estella. He gets a new suit of clothes and is amazed at how differently he is treated by Mr. Trabb, the tailor, and by Uncle Pumblechook. When Pip gets Trabb's shop boy in trouble for not treating Pip with respect, he realizes how money changes things. He has a conversation with Biddy and asks her to work on "improving" Joe. Pip accuses her of being jealous of him when she suggests Joe does not need improving. By the end of the week, Pip is on his way to London to become a gentleman and realize his happiness. There he lives with a boy named Herbert whom he becomes a great friend with. After several years Estella still treats Pip the same and Pip wonders if he can ever win her heart.
The similarities of chapter 1 and 39 can be examined in the context of, narrative voice, setting, the introduction and development of character for Pip and Magwitch, the atmosphere, and the social and historical background. The weather in chapter 39 is the same as chapter 1 wet, winds howling and veil of mist, "Day after day, a vast heavy veil had been driving over London from East, and it drovestill, as if in the East there were an eternity of cloud and wind". This makes the weather sound very violent and strong which adds to the atmosphere of isolation. The sound of the wind sounds like a cannon firing with relates back to chapter 1 when a cannon is fired to alert people that a convict has escaped. There is personification, "teeth of such wind and rain", "furious had been the gusts", "the lamps on the bridges and the shore were shuddering", there is also simile "The wind rushing up the river shook the house that night, like charges of cannon, or breakings of a sea", these emphasis how strong and violent the weather was. Chapter 39 again has the same darkness, fear of an unknown man to create suspense and mystery. The sentence structure again like chapter 1 is long "Occasionally, the smoke came rolling down the chimney as though it could not bear to go out into such a night; and when I set the doors open and looked down the staircase, the staircase lamps were blown out; and when I shaded my face with my hands and looked through the black windows (opening them ever so little, was out of the question in the teeth of such wind and rain) I saw that the lamps in the court were blown out, and that the lamps on the bridges and the shore were shuddering, and that the coal fires in barges on the river were being carried away before the wind like red-hot splashes in the rain", this is used to build suspense, fear and images. Pip's mind is full of fear as the footsteps he keeps hearing is referred to the footsteps of his dead sister which again shows his mind is working overtime as he is referring to the supernatural. There is also more suspense that builds up as Pip investigates who has come to his flat as there is a voice that comes from the darkness replying back to him. The man when finally revealing himself is described as a strong muscular, stantially dressed man who had long grey hair and aged about 60. This helps the reader imagine what the man was like in appearance and what kind of class he came from by his way of dressing. Pip finally realizes that it is the convict from before and how much he has changed over time and is no longer the terrifying convict he knew. Pip has also changes as he is no longer the kind young boy on the marshes, he is now turned into a gentlemen and a snob, "I had asked him inhospitably enough", he didn't want to let the man in his home because he wasn't good enough, Pip looked down on the man because he came from a lower social class. Magwitch turns Pip's life upside down again like in chapter one, "when the room began to surge and turn", this time his life is turned upside down for a different reason he finds out that Magwitch is his benefactor. Pip is devasted, realizing Estella can never be his, that Miss Havisham is not his benefactor and he has betrayed Joe for money from a convict. He also realizes that as Magwitch is a lifer, if he is caught in England he will be hanged. The weather used at the end is used to describe Pip's feelings and emotions, "In every rage of wind and rush of rain, I heard pursuers. Twice, I could have sworn a knocking and whispering at the outer door. With these fears upon me, I began either to imagine or recall that I had mysterious warnings of this man's approach", " the wind and rain intensified the thick black darkness", as the wind and rain intensify Pip's feelings and emotions intensify. Darkness also intensifies in Pip. Pip again wants to get away from Magwitch as he feels uncomfortable with him, but he has to keep secret tension just like in chapter 1 when he had to steal food from his home.
Chapter 1 is an excellent beginning to the novel because it introduces the main character Pip and tells us about his family background. It also introduces the setting which is in the kent marshes. The story uses a first person narrative as Pip. This is effective in making the story more dramatic as it thinks from Pip's point of view and helps us understand his emotions, and how he is feeling. The chapter also creates atmosphere of tension, isolation, fear, mystery as it suddenly introduces a mysterious and fearful character. The setting of the graveyard is cold, dark and isolated. The chapter raises a lot of question like what will happen to Pip? Will he tell Joe about the convict? Will he come back to the convict? How will he get the food for the convict? The chapter also introduces themes of loneliness, crime, fear and depression.
Great Expectations is about Pip questioning his roots and his identity. How Pip becomes a snob due to the nature of his love for Estella and how he selfishly changes into a gentlemen just to impress Estella and win her love. How he changes his ambition from being a common blacksmith to a rich, sophisticated gentlemen just so Estella will like him and accept his love. How cruel the Victorian penal system was and how cruelly the treated anyone who did the slightest of wrong things. Overall Dickens' has shown how a young naïve generous child changes into an obnoxious snob, because of money and the social class system, but eventually learns true values in the end. As he changes from a snobbish, cowardly, self centered individual into a honest, kind, caring, loving and well balanced man.
