Paragraph Two – Dickens creates tension through the setting in which Pip meets Magwitch and Miss Havisham
When Pip meets Magwitch for the very first time, Pip is petrified because he confronts him. “ I was dreadfully frightened,” says Pip. This shows that Pip is scared and petrified. Magwitch asks Pip to get him a file or Magwitch will kill him. Pip is sad because he had just been to visit his mother and father’s grave. The weather was dull; it a rainy and stormy day. Pips mood was reflecting on the weather. This is called pathetic fallacy. With Miss Havisham Pip is nervous just by looking at the house. “The great front entrance had two chains across it…” this shows that Pip was frightened of Satis House. Also all the windows had iron bars on them and there would be no light in Satis House. “… And had a great many iron bars to it” this shows that the windows had iron bars to them. “… No glimpse of daylight could be seen in it” this shows that it was dark within the walls of Satis House. Dickens uses sinister language choices to create tension an example of this is “ the great…” which refers to Satis House having an immense entrance. This creates tension because Satis House is described as dark and dreary as I have given evidence of this above. In the graveyard it is stormy, its raining, its dark and Pip is sad because he is visiting his parents grave’s. (Pathetic Fallacy), in Satis house its dark and prison like. I have compared both settings. Dickens creates tension through his presentation of Magwitch and Miss Havisham by creating the two similar settings and comparing both Magwitch and Miss Havisham to one another.
Paragraph Three – Dickens creates tension through his initial description of Magwitch and Miss Havisham
Dickens creates tension through his initial description of Magwitch and Miss Havisham by describing Magwitch as a convict; he is scruffy, rough and desperate to get what he wants. Meanwhile Dickens describes Miss Havisham as old, decayed, smelly and she lives in a dirty environment because she is wearing her wedding gown, which has turned yellow over the past years. Evidence of Dickens describing Magwitch in this way is that “a fearful man, in a coarse gray” this shows that Magwitch is feared from and he I dirty. Evidence of Dickens describing Miss Havisham as dirty is that “…and was faded and yellow…” “I saw that the bride within the bridal dress had withered like the dress” these quotations show that Miss Havisham is old, she hasn’t moved from the same spot for years. Dickens creates tension by using these character descriptions because they are almost the same and Dickens is withholding information because the audience doesn’t know why Miss Havisham is still in her bridal dress and also the audience does not know why Magwitch escaped prison and what he’s doing in this poor town. I have compared these two characters and their descriptions. Dickens creates tension through his presentation of Magwitch and Miss Havisham by creating two similar character descriptions and withholding information.
Paragraph Four – How does the reader discover Magwitch and Miss Havisham’s stories?
The audience discover Pip’s and Miss Havisham’s story by first of all withholding information because it is not the character themselves who tells Pip about what they have been through but other characters tell Pip about Magwitch’s and Miss Havisham’s stories. Pip found out who Magwitch really was because Magwitch told him, Pip didn’t have a clue that Magwitch was his benefactor, “at last I done it. I done it” this shows that Magwitch has made Pip a “noble” man. Pip found out about Miss Havisham’s story by talking to Herbert. “…Compeyson is the man who to be Miss Havisham’s lover” this shows that Compeyson was in love with Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham and Magwitch’s stories both create tension because Dickens is withholding info and the audience does not know the full story unless the audience is told. The difference between Miss Havisham and Magwitch’s stories is that Magwitch told Pip who he really was and Miss Havisham decided to keep it a secret because she wanted revenge on all the make sex. Dickens creates tension through his presentation of Magwitch and Miss Havisham by creating the two stories and the different ways in which Pip finds them out.
Paragraph Five – How does Dickens create tension in Magwitch’s escape attempt?
Dickens creates tension in Magwitch’s escape attempt by withholding info.
E.g. the audience does not know that Compeyson is following Magwitch until Compeyson and Magwitch are actually fighting and Compeyson is finally killed. Dickens creates tension though his presentation of Magwitch and Miss Havisham by creating the fight between Compeyson and Magwitch, creating the fight between Compeyson and Magwitch also creates tension created by withholding information because the audience does not know that Compeyson is following Magwitch.
Conclusion
In this essay I have argued about how Charles Dickens has created tension in “Great Expectations”. Magwitch does not die a painful death because he has Pip by his side and he is not hanged. Whereas Miss Havisham is burnt alive with no one to say goodbye to her. Therefore Magwitch dies a happier death and Miss Havisham suffers because Estella and herself were trying to seek revenge on the male sex by hurting Pip and Estella broke Pip’s heart. Dickens creates tension through his presentation of Magwitch and Miss Havisham by creating death scenes.
By Rakesh Sorathia
