Having a bad childhood affected Dickens's novels. He wrote about prison cells, orphans and the poor as a result of him being brought up like that and wanted to show the injustice at the system.
There are three parts in Great Expectations. Like every other story, it has a beginning, middle and an end. The book was first published the weekly magazine "all year round" which means it wasn't published at once. It was published in weekly instalments, which meant that Dickens had to make every part sustained, by being interesting, entertaining and end with suspense and tension. For example at the end of chapter 2 "I had found them, opened the door at which I had entered…" Here we want to know what happens next, does he get caught? What the convict will do? Being in weekly instalments was one of the reasons the novel was so long. I think Charles Dickens wrote a lot to get more money and fame.
The book is written in first person narrative, which means Pip the main character and narrator is telling his own story. Charles is talking what happened in his life.
Since the book is written in first person, it is a good way to the reader to share and understand Pip's emotions, troubles and opinions as he is talking directly to us. This is an easier way to understand him. The story is written so we can see Pips points of view as a child, young man and an adult. The writer shows this on page one starting "I drew a child like conclusion…" This is one way Dickens makes us feel sorry towards Pip. Here he is talking as an adult looking back at his childhood.
On page 59 starting "when I got up…" Pip, is talking as a young man. Here we think differently of him. He compares his love towards Joe to think badly about himself by what happened at Satis house. At first, Pip didn't care about Joe being a blacksmith until Estella called Pip "common" and "a useless old boy".
The setting is very important to a part of a story like any other. It creates mood, atmosphere and suspense. The settings of Great Expectations have an important bearing on the stotryline. The settings echo the characters personality and circumstances.
The setting from start of the book is important. It starts with Pip in a "bleak" and "dark" graveyard. This gives the book a starting of tense and exiting mood. The graveyard at the start is an example of how the setting contributes to so well to the story and atmosphere. Starting the novel in this way informs the reader a lot of information about Pips history that under circumstances would have taken a lot longer to explain. We feel worried and sympathetic towards Pip. He is a little boy who is terrified. The graveyard is a depressing place to have a scene set.
Pips circumstances make us like the character of Pip. Pip, is a little orphan boy. His only relative, his big sister is bringing him up cruelly.
Pip is telling us his story from a child's point of view. For example the writer uses "tear heart and liver out", at the beginning of the story. This helps create sympathy for Pip because he is a little boy who has been given a threat for death from as stranger. He has to steal some food without Mrs Joe catching him. If he is caught, then his sister will beat him up as well as the convict killing him. Also Pip gets treated badly by Estella. This too creates sympathy towards Pip. He is a little kid, and is treated badly by everyone around him.
From part one there are a lot of key moments that helps in creating sympathy towards Pip. Nevertheless there are a few parts, which makes us slightly dislike him (leaving and forgetting about Joe).
For instance on pg. 8 paragraphs starting "Mrs Joe throwing the door wide…" Dickens describes Pip being badly treated by his sister. This gives us the impression that Mrs Joe doesn't like Pip. However Joe treats Pip like his son. Example tickler scene when Joe hides Pip. Another part is when Pip is invited to play at Miss Havisham's house with Estella. Estella treats Pip with disrespect like you would treat an animal. "She gave me the bread and meat without looking at me as insolently as if I were a dog…" so we feel pitiful towards Pip. Estella made him feel miserable about himself.
Before going to Satis house, we know that Pip love Joe and Joe loves Pip very much. In chapter 7 Joe tells Pip his own story. How it is similar to Pips. For instance quote on page 40 "young as I was…" Here we share Pips love and feelings for Joe. Before meeting Estella, Pip and Joe are like father and son. The relationship shows that we like Pip. For instance, when Pip came back from Estella's house the first time, he told lies to his sister and Mr Pumblechook. For instance on page 55 "four hundred pounds…" on page 57 "Estella waved a blue flag…" Though Pip lied to his sister and Mr Pumblechook, he couldn't lie to Joe. Joe didn't do anything apart from telling Pip not to do it again. Here we find out that how much of a good willed, kind, caring person he is. Another example of Joe's love for Pip is on page 37 "what a scholar you are…" Joe really doesn't know how to read or write but Dickens shows that he cares about Pip and wants to make him feel good about himself in every way. We then find out that he was an orphan just like Pip.
If Pip never had met Estella, he never would have thought badly about Joe. Pip used to love Joe and wasn't concerned about him being a blacksmith. Infact Pip wanted to be apprenticed to become one.
However, the first visit had changed Pip totally. Charles bombards the words "boy" and "common, which Estella calls Pip. This emphasises how Pip is feeling and makes us feel sympathetic for him. She also criticises the clothes Pip is wearing "to look at my coarse hands and common boots". Here Pip becomes dissatisfied about himself.
There are also some specific scenes with Joe, which helps create sympathy.
After Pip comes running back home from the churchyard, he sees Joe in the kitchen, who tells Pip that his sister was out looking for him. He also warned him that she had a tickler with her to hit Pip with. When Mrs Joe came, Joe told Pip to hide, "get behind the door old chap". This shows that Joe really cares about Pip and doesn't want him to get hurt. He treated badly by his sister this makes us feel sorry for him.
When Jaggers brought up "Great Expectations", Joe is sad Pip is going to leave, but very happy too. "Pips a gentleman of fortun' then," said Joe "and God bless him in it".
When Pip hears that Joe is going to visit him in London, he isn't right pleased. He thought that Joe doesn't have manners and the things to become a gentleman. Examples on page 179 "not with pleasure", "if I could have kept him away by paying money".
All of a sudden, Joe wasn't good enough for Pip.
By the end of the novel the adult Pip had learnt a lot of lessons. He realises how selfish and superior he has been. How much he has hurt Joe. "I only saw a man who had meant to be my benefactor and had felt affectionately, gratefully and generously towards me…" Pip realised that it doesn't matter if you are rich, have manners or wear fashionable clothes. It's what inside that makes someone a great person. He also realises that money makes you greedy and can lead to disasters. However, money doesn't always make you arrogant if you use it sensibly and use it for good purposes and good deeds. For example when he pays to get Herbert work "because he was my young companion…" Pip feels sorry and guilty for his behaviour. Example of him not liking Joe "I knew that it was Joe by his clumsy manner of coming upstairs…"
The fight with Herbert is a good example of humour. It is funny because Herbert is posh and will fight according to rules, but on the other hand Pip just fights, as he wants to. This creates sympathy towards Pip.
I do feel sorry for the character of Pip. Dickens is successful. It was only after meeting Estella Pip wanted to become a "gentleman", as he loved Estella. He knew that Estella wouldn't like Pip, as he wasn't classified in the same class as her. So if Pip wanted Estella, he had a good chance by becoming a gentleman. Even after becoming a "gentleman", there was still some good in Pip. For example when he pays Herbert and he also tries to get Magwitch to safety. He was manipulated by Miss Havisham.
