How does Dickens present childhood in Great Expectations

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 Ben Benmore

How does Dickens present childhood in “Great Expectations”?

     In Victorian times, children had a very suppressive upbringing; “spare the rod and spoil the child” was a common motto. Children were treated poorly and unfairly, they were expected to be seen and not heard. In “Great Expectations”, Pip is treated very harshly by his sister, Mrs Joe, “...she had brought me up by hand...and knowing her to have a hard and heavy hand”. This shows that Pip is hit by Mrs Joe, the use of the adjectives “hard and heavy” emphasises the force of her strike. Another example of Pips harsh treatment is, “Tickler was a wax-ended piece of cane, worn smooth by collision with my tickled frame.” Pip is often caned by Mrs Joe, the personification and irony of “tickler” gives a sense of them not wanting to admit the truth of the “tickle”, and this may contribute to Pips guilt and timidity. It is stated retrospectively by Pip and as such he appreciates the “brutality” of the use of the cane. He uses irony as a method to emphasise the inappropriateness of its use.

     Pip is a very sensitive, imaginative and intelligent, “My sister’s bringing-up had made me sensitive.” The beatings by Mrs Joe, Pip’s sister, affect Pip. He has a moral conscience and feels guilty about taking “wittles” for the convict, “I fully expected to find a constable in the kitchen, waiting to take me up.” Pip feels so guilty that he thinks he will be found out. He also feels guilty for thinking he has done something wrong because of his treatment by Mrs Joe, who has constantly reminded him that his existence is nothing but a burden on her and the world, “The gates and dykes and banks came bursting at me... ‘A boy with Somebody-else’s pork pie! Stop him!’ The cattle came upon me... ‘Hollo, young thief!’” The example of anthropomorphism in the cattle’s speech shows his guilt and the use of personification shows his guilty conscience. Pip is affected by his upbringing as well as the atmosphere and environments he endures.

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     There is a very tense, frightening, gloomy atmosphere when Pip meets the convict; this makes him feel nervous and scared. “‘Oh! Don’t slit my throat sir’ I pleaded”. The use of the negative verb “oh” shows the terror and surprise, his fear is shown by his pleading. Dickens uses pathetic fallacy, “...the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing.” The weather is fierce and the landscape is desolate just like Pip’s fear and sense of loneliness.

     Pip is treated very badly, verbally and physically, by Mrs Joe. Mrs Joe abuses Pip vocally, “You ...

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