Another example of Dickens’ excellence is the way he vividly describes, The Satis House. He excellently uses the gothic theme/genre to make the reader feel fearful, as Miss Havisham is and her house is. He describes the house through Pip’s eyes as “which was of old brick, and dismal, and had a great many iron bars to it. Some of the windows had been walled up; of those that remained, all the lower were rustily barred. There was a court-yard in front, and that was barred;” He then brilliantly describes the inside of the Satin House with even more striking description. He writes “and the wooden gates of that lane stood open, and all the brewery beyond, stood open, away to the high enclosing wall; and all was empty and disused. The cold wind seemed to blow colder there, than outside the gate; and it made a shrill noise in howling in and out at the open sides of the brewery, like the noise of wind in the rigging of a ship at sea.” He uses a wide range of similes to get his point across and also make it a vivid image in the reader’s mind. Dickens then describes Miss Havisham very much like the way he describes her house; as a very outdated woman, and the gothic theme in his writing is ever present here, as well. He writes, “She had not quite finished dressing, for she had but one shoe on - the other was on the table near her hand - her veil was but half arranged, her watch and chain were not put on, and some lace for her bosom lay with those trinkets” He describes Miss Havisham as almost like a surrounding or a setting. This creates a very negative image on the reader,; not evil, however, but unusual”
The most striking way Dickens tries to engage the audience in “Great Expectations” is the way he describes characters to engage the reader. He uses many elements in his writing to strike the reader. The main character in his novel Pip is firstly viewed as a poor boy in chapter 1. We then learn about other characters in the novel who are of significant importance such as Mr. Gargery or Joe, Mrs. Gargery, Magwitch, Miss Havisham and Estella, the “young conductress.”
Dickens cleverly starts of the novel with Pip as the narrator. He does this very cleverly, to play with the reader’s emotions. Pip describes how he is living with his sister and how his father, mother and siblings have all passed away without him ever seeing them. he then goes on to try and describe how he thought is mother and father would be. This is already very emotional, as Pip is portrayed as a young orphan who’s life is a misery. The reader feels very sympathetic towards him. Dickens then follows this up by Pip very unfortunately getting caught by an escaped convict, Magwitch. It is here we find out, how young and tender this boy is. He is very naïve vulnerable “"Keep still, you little devil, or I'll cut your throat!" is usually a very sarcastic threat and no human being would have the courage to carry out such an inhumane act, however, Pip is very scared and is willing to do whatever his captor says. The reader feels as if he is too young to be in a big harsh world as he is in. Pip’s imagination is also a key factor in why the reader likes him and feels sorry for him. “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. From the character and turn of the inscription, "Also Georgiana Wife of the above," I drew a childish conclusion that my mother was freckled and sickly.” This shows that he is a very conscious boy of his state, and knows very well about the dangers of this world. We also see that he is a very caring and affectionate boy, and this is typically shown when he says “Goo-good night, sir," to his captor. This shows that he is loyal even to his enmies and that he was bought up with manners by Mrs. Joe.
We also see a very different side of Pip when he goes to the Satin House. Here is he very courteous and like a gentleman. This is typically shown when he says "After you, miss." to Estella. We also see in this chapter (chapter 8) that he starts, for the first time, to question himself. He starts to question his appearance after Estella rudely questions his poor appearance. "And what coarse hands he has! And what thick boots!" We see that Pip has questioned himself when Dickens writes “I had never thought of being ashamed of my hands before; but I began to consider them a very indifferent pair. Her contempt for me was so strong, that it became infectious, and I caught it.” We then see Pip, grow up in maturity as he starts to understand what position he’s in the world. “She came back, with some bread and meat and a little mug of beer. She put the mug down on the stones of the yard, and gave me the bread and meat without looking at me, as insolently as if I were a dog in disgrace. I was so humiliated, hurt, spurned, offended, angry, sorry” It is here that he starts to realise that the Estella is of much higher class and of much more importance of him in the world.
Magwitch on the other hand, is portrayed very differently to Pip in the first five paragraphs. He is deliberately portrayed by Dickens as a very evil and wicked man. He is also shows as very aggressive. This is used cleverly by Dickens to make the reader feel vulnerable to him. “…and your heart and your liver shall be tore out, roasted and ate.” This creates a very negative image on the reader. Right from the entrance of this man we see that he is not welcomed. He was described by Pip as “”A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, and shivered, and glared and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head” this very vast description gives the reader a warning that he is not welcome. However, we start to feel sympathetic towards him later in the novel. He says “I wish I were a eel, or a frog” this implies that he is having a torrid time, and that life must be a living hell. We then see the loyalty of this convict to Pip, when he admits stealing the wittles and a file. This shows that he realizes what Pip has done for him and respects him. “A man can't starve; at least I can't. I took some wittles, up at the willage over yonder - where the church stands a'most out on the marshes." This confession saved Pip from taking the trouble and it showed Pip that the convict wasn’t as bad as he thought.
Dickens uses his writing cleverly to make the reader feel very pro Joe and against Mrs. Gargery. He uses many techniques to get this point forward. One of the main techniques he uses is the description Pip gives them. “Joe was a fair man, with curls of flaxen hair on each side of his smooth face, and with eyes of such a very undecided blue that they seemed to have somehow got mixed with their own whites. He was a mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow - a sort of Hercules in strength, and also in weakness.
My sister, Mrs. Joe, with black hair and eyes, had such a prevailing redness of skin that I sometimes used to wonder whether it was possible she washed herself with a nutmeg-grater instead of soap. She was tall and bony, and almost always wore a coarse apron, fastened over her figure behind with two loops, and having a square impregnable bib in front, that was stuck full of pins and needles. She made it a powerful merit in herself, and a strong reproach against Joe,” These two descriptions are very diverse from each other. In Pip’s eyes (and our eyes, because we are reading the book through Pip’s eyes) Joe is a hero towards him and this is shown in the striking description. He is portrayed as a hero whereas Mrs. Gargery is shown as a very ghastly woman. Dickens’ excellences is shown when he writes “…that was stuck full of pins and needles” this shows that Mrs. Gargery is a very lone woman and does not want to share feelings with anyone else. It also shows that she is not a very inviting woman. Joe and Mrs. Gargery are two very different characters which enables the reader to explore the lives of the two living together. It is one way that Dickens engages the reader.
Dickens’ structure in Great Expectations is outstanding. He engages the reader with this technique he uses. Several chapters in the first part of the play end on a note of suspense. This attracts the reader to read on more to see what happens next. For example, in the fourth chapter he ends it just as the guards have come to the door of Joe’s house. Dickens deliberately does this to encourage the reader to read on and find out what happens as the guards enter.” Are they here for Pip? Have they caught Pip helping the convict? “These questions encourage the reader to carry on reading.
Charles Dickens has used many techniques in his novel “Great Expectations” to engage the reader from the outset of the novel. Many techniques such as the use of gothic genre, the gothic settings and the unusual characters in the novel really engage the reader to read further on. He also cleverly formats the novel in many chapters with cliffhangers to preserve the reader’s attention. Dickens cleverly combines the above techniques to engage the reader. His elegant writing allows the reader to understand the novel and to stay contained in it.
ADNAAN HAQ
