The third paragraph in this extract shows the reader a lot of mixed feelings, including nervousness and tiredness. The metaphor “All night there were coaches in my broken sleep” indicates to the reader that Pip has been ‘tossing and turning’ all night, which therefore implies he is feeling tired after getting little sleep and also he is nervous about travelling on a coach to go to London. The use of listing and parallelism also highlights Pips uncomfortable dream and thoughts; “now dogs, now cats, now pigs, now men…” The language features in this quotation implies Pip feels pre-occupied with thoughts of London to sleep and it also supports the feelings of nervousness Pip is having. Juxtaposition is also used in this paragraph; “Fantastic failures” suggests to the reader that Pip feels the journey to London may not be so successful and therefore highlights again Pip’s anxiety of the journey he is about to face.
In the fourth paragraph, the use of repetition is used, “long after that, and long after”. Here this use of repetition shows how slowly time is passing and also shows that Pip is anxious due to him having to wait a long time. Also the use of onomatopoeia in ‘clinking’ suggests that pip is picking up little sounds and that also suggests that he is very anxious. The use of parallelism and antithesis also highlights his anxiousness; “unlocking and unstrapping…locking and strapping”. The word ‘repeatedly’ is used at the beginning of this phrase and therefore also suggests he wants to keep himself busy to distract him from what is to come.
The next paragraph also uses onomatopoeia; “scuffle” is used to show that he reluctant to leave, also suggesting that he is sad and upset about leaving for London. The semantic field of leaving is also used in the paragraph; “walked out”, “looking back” and “wave” are used to constantly remind us that Pip is to leave for London, and that it is unavoidable.
The sixth paragraph also uses the same language features as the other paragraphs throughout this extract. Sentences at the beginning of this paragraph show Pip’s feelings towards his origins; “reflecting that it would never have done to have an old shoe thrown after the coach, in sight of all the High Street”, this quotation suggests that Pip is ashamed of his working class origins and that the working class traditions, i.e. throwing an old shoe at the coach as he leaves, would be embarrassing. The use of sibilance and personification in a metaphor also reveals many of Pip’s feelings; “light mists were solemnly rising, as if to show me the world”. Here the sibilance suggests that Pip is relaxed with leaving and also is excited. The last bit of the quotation, “as if to show me the world”, suggests some reference to curtains rising at the theatre, as if to show the stage. This therefore suggests Pip’s excitement and also that he views the world as some sort of play. Also the use of contrast and antithesis shows his excitement, “innocent and little”, “unknown and great”. The contrast between these two quotations show that Pip views London as an adventure and therefore suggesting that he is happy he is going.
As Pip finally leaves for London, we discover his sadness, which is shown through the semantic field of emotion and also the repetition of ‘cried’ throughout the seventh paragraph. The metaphor “…tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth” also show Pips extreme flow of emotions and also the reader is able to understand that Pip is now realising the heart-break of leaving his friends behind. The language features. Juxtaposition and collocation, are present in this paragraph too, “hard hearts” suggests that even Pip didn’t realise he felt this strongly or possessed these sad or happy emotions inside of him. Also Pip’s regret is again suggested, “If I cried before, I should have had joe with me then.” Here it tells of Pip wishing that Joe had been with him on the way to his coach, and now regrets that he wasn’t there.
In the eighth paragraph another semantic field is used, this time it is the semantic field of travel which lets the reader know that Pip is travelling and therefore suggests Pip will be missing his friends. Also this feeling is supported by the quotation “aching heart”. This collocation is describing Pip’s feeling of sadness and makes the reader believe that Pip does not want to leave and wants to go back to his friends. “I had not made up my mind” is a clear indication of Pip’s indecisiveness, a feeling mentioned throughout this extract. In the final lines of this paragraph, it is clear that Pip will always long for Joe even if Pip is ashamed of Joe’s background, “I would fancy an exact resemblance to Joe in some man coming along the road towards us, and my heart would beat high. – As if he could possibly be there!” Compared to the sentences in earlier paragraphs, most of which are declarative, this quotation is exclamatory, this suggests that Pip is happy with the mention of Joe and also it is clear that Pip will indeed miss his friend.
The final paragraph of this extract tells the reader that Pip has realised something; “and it was now too late and too far to go back, and I went on.” This quotation reveals that Pip has come to accept that he is leaving his friends behind and that is where they will remain. Also a link to an early paragraph is made in the final line, “and the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me.” This quotation shows that Pip is no longer anxious about being “shown the world”, but it suggests that he is excited and is ready to embrace what happens before him.
Therefore it is clear that, Dickens has effectively used language features, such as semantic fields, collocations, antithesis and many more to present Pip’s feelings throughout this extract from “Great expectations”.
