How does Dickens create sympathy for the character of Magwitch in the novel 'Great Expectations'?

9th April 2003

Helen Bewick 10C

How does Dickens create sympathy for the character of Magwitch in the novel ‘Great Expectations’?

Dickens first portrays Abel Magwitch on the marshes as a violent, terrifying escaped convict threatening ‘I’ll cut your throat’. He forces a young boy, Philip Pirrip to help him survive by stealing a file and food for him. At the start of the novel Pip is terrified of Magwitch but gradually as the story unfolds Pip’s attitude towards Magwitch changes. Pip begins to accept him and they become companions. Dickens often uses the characters in his novels to express his own opinions. He portrays the Victorian judiciary system as unfair and unjust and uses the character of Magwitch to this end in ‘Great Expectations.’ The reader discovers Magwitch has suffered unjust treatment and atrocious conditions as a result of his awful childhood. Magwitch has raised himself ‘ thieving turnips for my living’ and has had neither an education nor a proper upbringing. By revealing to the reader the sad details of the young Magwitch’s childhood, the reader is persuaded to feel sympathy for the character and also dismay at the unjust treatment he has suffered at the hands of the Victorian legal system.

One of the ways in which Dickens manipulates the reader into feeling empathy towards Magwitch is Pip’s changing view of Magwitch throughout the novel. The novel opens with the child Pip’s first encounter with Magwitch. Pip’s initial reaction to Magwitch is of “terror”. The reader’s impression of Magwitch through Pip’s eyes conveys his fear of him. He is describes as “A fearful man, all in coarse grey, A man who had been lamed by stones, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, and shivered, and glared and growled.” Magwitch appears to be very threatening and hostile with no trace of humanity.

Later in the novel Magwitch reveals to Pip that he is his benefactor. Pip’s reaction is of disgust towards Magwitch “I could not bring myself to bear the sight of him.” Pip hides Magwitch in a nearby house. It is obvious from Pip’s abhorrence of Magwitch that he is not concerned for Magwitch’s safety. He only conceals Magwitch in order to protect his own reputation and good name. Pip’s doesn’t want anyone to discover that Magwitch is his benefactor because he is so ashamed of his contact with a criminal. The way in which Pip treats Magwitch at this stage in the novel causes the reader to feel pity for Magwitch. Pip shows no gratitude whatsoever at Magwitch’s generosity. Dickens uses the word ‘dreaded’ repeatedly. Pip refers to Magwitch as his ‘dreaded visitor.’ It seems unreasonable to the reader that Pip should refer to Magwitch in this way because Magwitch gave everything he earned to Pip ‘every I earned a guinea, that guinea should go to you.’ Magwitch then offers Pip the contents of his pocketbook and ‘horses’ but Pip shows no interest or kindness towards Magwitch. Pip is completely unable to respond to his kindness.

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As Pip becomes a gentleman he turns into an arrogant unfeeling character. Pip has lost the moral integrity and graciousness he had when he was a child. It is ironic how he has reached his dream and become a gentleman but in the process has turned into a cruel man who denies his background. There is almost a reversal of roles between Pip and Magwitch. Our first impression of Magwitch is as a threatening convict but we discover that he has given up everything for Pip. Pip on the other hand has turned into an arrogant snob and doesn’t deserve any of the money Magwitch has given him. The fact that the reader now feels no sympathy for Pip creates more sympathy for the character of Magwitch. The reader finds it easier to like Magwitch and Magwitch’s sacrifices for Pip seem all the greater because of Pip’s ingratitude.

Pip also shows his negative feeling towards Magwitch in his language. Pip always implies in his speech that Magwitch in on his own and that Pip is unwilling to help him. There is an important absence of the use of the word ‘we’ for example ‘how are you to be guarded, from the danger you have incurred?’ Pip shows no feeling of responsibility for Magwitch’s security.

Pip’s attitude begins to change. Initially Pip wants to send Magwitch abroad to prevent him being caught and linked to him. After chapter 46 the reader can see Pip start to worry about Magwitch’s existence. Referring to Magwitch’s hatred of Compeyson, Pip fears ‘his animosity towards the man might otherwise lead to his seeking him out and rushing on his own destruction.’ When Magwitch first presents himself to Pip, Pip avoids having any physical contact with him. Many times Magwitch tries to embrace Pip ‘he took both my hands, while my blood ran cold.’ This physical reaction Pip feels to Magwitch creates sympathy for Magwitch because it is obvious that Magwitch adores Pip but Pip loathes him. During chapter 46 we see a significant change in Pip’s attitude. He allows Magwitch to touch him, ‘clasping my hands,’ Pip also worries about leaving Magwitch, ‘I don’t like to leave you here.’ By chapter 56 Pip’s attitude has completely reversed ‘ for now my repugnance to him had all melted away.’ Towards the end of the novel Pip is desperate to stop Magwitch being executed. He knows that Magwitch will soon die from his injuries and he begs that Magwitch be allowed to die naturally and with some dignity.

As already mentioned at the beginning of the novel there is an initial description as seen through the eyes of the young Pip, of Magwitch as ‘a fearful man, who glared and growled.’ This description implies to the reader that Magwitch is a frightening and intimidating man but Magwitch is freezing, has no shelter and is very poor. Magwitch has no possessions except the clothes on his back. Dickens wants the reader to pity Magwitch, he is a convict but does he really deserve this kind of treatment? In the first section of the novel Dickens uses the word ‘and’ repeatedly, this shows us there is no end to Magwitchs suffering ‘soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars.’

Pip’s description of Magwitch when he eats on the marshes and his revulsion at Magwitch’s poor table manners, make no allowances for Magwitch’s background even though Pip’s own table manners had been no better before he came to London. Pip compares Magwitch’s eating habits to those of a dog, ‘Similarity between the dog’s way of eating and the man’s.’ He is compared to an animal and seen as less than human. The reader can appreciate that Magwitch had not eaten for days and was probably starving at the time.

Pip first encounters Magwitch on the marshes. Dickens describes the marshes as a ‘dark flat wilderness’ the hostility of the landscape is used to increase the sympathy for Magwitch. Magwitch is being forced to live on this bare, empty, barren land. Dickens also implies that Magwitch’s environment is against him ‘soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars.’ Magwitch’s world has been unforgiving and inhuman.

When Magwitch is dying Dickens creates sympathy for Magwitch. Magwitch is describes as a very frail man who has little strength left, ‘helped from his chair’ and ‘he would answer me with slight pressures on my hand.’ Dickens also wants the reader to know that Magwitch is in a lot of pain and yet doesn’t complain at all ‘breathing with great difficulty.’ Magwitch begins to give up and accept the fact that he will die ‘an absence of light in his face’. This makes the reader feel empathy for Magwitch and increases the pity felt for him. Magwitch has become all too human.

In many of Dickens novels he conveys his awful opinion of the Victorian judiciary system. The judiciary system is presented in a very bad light in ‘Great Expectations.’ The unfair treatment Magwitch receives throughout his life and the way in which he is treated in prison and in the hulks is used to build sympathy for Magwitch. The injustice Magwitch receives is shown in his last trial. He is put on trial with ‘two and thirty’ other people; he could not have received a fair trial with so many people being sentenced at once. Magwitch is imprisoned on the hulks for many years where he would have been forced to work and live in appalling conditions. In eyes of a young child the hulks was describes as a ‘black, wicked Noah’s ark.’

When Magwitch is sentenced with Compeyson the injustice of the legal system is highlighted again. Magwitch tells of how Compeyson was the leader of the crime but he was given a lighter punishment than Magwitch ‘ain’t it him as gets seven years, and me fourteen.’ The reader can tell this is because Compeyson’s appearance is much neater than Magwitch. Compeyson wears ‘black clothes and his white pocket-handkercher,’ whereas Magwitch appears messy and unkempt and is described as ‘a common sort of wretch.’ Compeyson also has a better background than Magwitch ‘he had been to a public boarding school and had learning.’ Magwitch on the other hand was forced to steal to keep himself alive and this had lead to many previous convictions. Furthermore Magwitch has had no education. The judge only took the appearance and background of Compeyson and Magwitch into account when he sentenced them both. This is why Compeyson got off lightly and Magwitch got a heavier sentence. The court prejudice again causes the reader to pity Magwitch.

The juxtaposition of Magwitch and Compeyson is used to highlight the loyal, honest parts of Magwitch’s character. Chapter 42 is a key chapter for evoking sympathy for Magwitch; he reveals his past to Pip and Herbert Pocket. Magwitch suggests he is at the mercy of everyone and everything. Magwitch and Compeyson are arrested for putting forged notes into circulation. Due to Magwitch’s previous convictions, his background and his appearance the blame is solely placed on Magwitch. Compeyson was good at speeches and acting in court ‘warn’t it Compeyson who could speak to ‘em wi’ his face dropping every now and then’ so when it came to the trial Compeyson was very good at manipulating the judge to feel sympathetic towards him and put the majority of the blame on Magwitch.

Dickens reveals the details of Magwitch’s life in a different order than that in which they actually occurred. The reader’s first impression of Magwitch is that he is a guilty convict with no morals who leads a life of crime. This is reinforced by the fighting scene on the marshes that is originally given no justification except that they are both criminals. When Magwitch comes to London the image the reader has of him is changed slightly when Magwitch reveals himself to be Pip’s benefactor. Magwitch then tells Pip and Herbert Pocket the story of why he was convicted and imprisoned on the hulks. The reader discovers the only reason Magwitch committed crimes was because he was starving. This evokes sympathy for Magwitch and causes the reader to feel guilty for judging Magwitch and being prejudice.

During the novel ‘Great Expectations’ Dickens changes the reader’s view of the stereotypical violent convict in Victorian society. Gradually he enables us to get to know the real individual who is Abel Magwitch and not the stereotype. He is actually an honest, considerate person to whom life has never been kind. Dickens uses a variety of techniques to make the reader realise that many convicts in the Victorian age only turned to crime to survive. Magwitch committed crimes because he was forced to fend for himself from a very young age. By depicting Magwitch as a member of that society and a victim, the reader is manoeuvred by Dickens into a situation in which he can feel nothing but disgust for that society and sympathy with Magwitch.