How Does Dickens use settings to reflect characters in Great Expectations

The novel Great Expectations is narrated by Pip but as the older higher class Pip who has already been through all the events in the novel. Pip is obviously the most important character in Great Expectations. The story is told in his words and opinions which define the events and characters in the novel. A result of this is that Dicken's most important task as the writer is to create Pip's character. This is because Pip's voice is what tells the story. Furthermore as the novel is narrated by Pip we get to have the insight and opinion of what Pip thinks about each of the other characters. We also get to see what Pip is thinking when he is in a difficult situation such as when he meets Magwitch or when he has to go to Satis House to meet Miss Havisham and her adopted daughter.

In Extract One we are introduced to the main character of Great Expectations Pip. Pip is an orphan boy who lives with his sister "Mrs Joe Gargery" and her husband. They live in the"marsh country, down by the river" in Kent. Extract one begins with Pip sitting in an isolated churchyard, staring at his parents and his five little brothers tombstones and imagining what they looked like when they were alive. In the churchyard, Pip is seized by Abel Magwitch who is an escaped convict, this horrific man, growling, dressed in rags, and with his leg in chains threatens Pip saying that he'll "cut" his throat.

This entrance to Great Expectations is an extreme focal point for the novel as it is where the plot for the navel is created. I think Dicken's chose to start the novel like this so that the reader would be intrigued to read on. Starting the novel with the lonesome Pip in the churchyard where all his family lay dead and then making him suffer further by the hands of the convict Magwitch only intensifies the sorrow Pip has gone through in his life. Which I think makes the reader want to find out more about Pips life and what is going to happen to him as he grows up.

The settings of Great Expectations have an important role on the storyline. The settings echo the characters behaviour and circumstances and they also constantly set the tone for what is about to happen next in the novel. Dickens does this by creating dramatic atmospheres for the characters. These atmospheres reinforce the perceptions and the situations of the characters. An example of this is when Pip goes alone into the dark secluded graveyard. The graveyard being a place of death shows that death may be in the area. Throughout the novel many of these comparisons and relationships between characters and settings are made. A lot of of these are subtle and not obvious if they are not reflected upon.

The settings from both extract one and two of Great expectations are very important. This is because they create imagery for the reader which helps make the reader believe the area they are reading about is real. This importance of setting is shown at the start of extract one, which takes place at the graveyard where Pip's family lay dead. This "bleak" place gives the novel an introduction to a tense and frightening mood.

In this first extract there are many hidden connections between the characters and the settings. The first connection is when Pip the narrator describes the graveyard. He describes it as a "bleak place overgrown with nettles". The word bleak alone reflects many characters feelings. The word bleak may perhaps represent how Pip feels about the place he has to mourn for his family and how he is in disbelief that a place of death and rebirth could be so uncared for. I think this uncaring for the graveyard is a strong reflection of Pips character, as he himself is uncared for. It could also symbolize Pip's life so far as being miserable and empty and never having anything to look forward to. However I think the main thing the word bleak is trying to signify is the "fearful man" Magwitch. This convict's life will be bleak even he does not go back to prison. This is because he has no option, no friends or family and he is alone in the world.

Pip the narrator describes the area surrounding the churchyard as a "dark flat wilderness". This quote is another representation of Pip's life .The word "dark" indicates Pip's past and how it is dark and cloudy as he does not know anything about it. The word "flat" signifies Pip's life at the moment as being straight forward and plain with nothing changing and the word wilderness representing Magwitch and how Magwitch is going to change Pip's future from flat and straight forward to wild andchanging. The quote also may represent Pip's existence as he has always been alone, never knowing any of his family apart from his sister. Furthermore the fact that Pip is alone in this harsh abandoned environment makes the area more scary and dangerous. So when Dickens refers to Pip as a "small bundle of shivers" it creates an image in the readers mind of Pip curled up all alone in this "overgrown" "wilderness" which I think increases the readers sorrow for Pip. Moreover the word "bundle" emphasises how small Pip is which may increase the readers sorrow for Pip even more.

This atmosphere created by Dickens gives a good entrance for the character Magwitch. Magwitch is mirrored through the landscape and the words Dickens uses so that he is not only created through words but from the settings. The words and settings that are used to emphasise Magwitch are mainly employed to dehumanise Magwitch so that he seems more like a monster then a man. Magwitch is first introduced at the graveyard, where he scares Pip not only with his words but with his image. This is shown before Magwitch is even introduced into the play by the narrator. The narrator refers to a wind rushing from a "savage lair". I think this wind from the savage lair is Magwitch and how he is being blown ever closer to Pip. I also think that the word "savage" could be referring to the prison Magwitch was in. As it shows the fact that a prison is a place for savages. This idea increases the reader's view of Magwitch making him more of a beast then a man. The assumption that Magwicth is a beast is also supported by the fact that Dickens followed "savage" with the word "lair" the word lair is mainly used to describe an animal's home which enhances the idea of Magwitch being an animal. I think Dickens does this to dehumanise Magwitch further and also to create an image in the readers mind just before Magwitch is introduced into the extract. Magwitch is an escaped convict which makes his options "bleak" that's why I think he ends up at the graveyard because if your options are "bleak" you usually only have the worst choices to choose from. The word "overgrown" suggests how Magwitch is out of control which makes him more like a wild monster. In addition the word "nettles "could be representing Magwitch being sharp, painful and dangerous. These quotes show that nature has personified Magwitch into a wild beast. When Magwitch is first described by the narrator, one of the first things that he is described as is "a man with no hat". I think this is said because in the times of Great Expectations gentleman usually wore top hats. Dickens is trying to show that Magwitch is no gentleman.

At the end of extract one Magwitch asks Pip where his village lies. This I think has a small reference to Mr and Mrs Gargery, as they both are included as the "village" that Pip points to when Magwicth threatens him in the Graveyard. The village "lay inshore among the alder trees,". As a result of this quote we draw together the image of a peaceful village. This quote illustrates the meaning of the word "lay" as this one word indicates that the village was asleep and unaware of Magwitch's presence. This extract shows how well the settings of Great Expectations not only contribute to the story but to the characters emotions as well.

Extract two takes place in Satis House. This old outdated building creates the feelings and atmosphere for this extract. The extract begins with Pip describing the room he is in and giving us an image of what it looks like. Pip then meets Miss Havisham and refers to her as the "strangest" thing he has ever seen. Miss Havisham talks to Pip about herself and gives him a brief outline of her past telling Pip how she has never seen the sun since she was left at the alter by her husband. After this Pip meets Miss Havisham's daughter Estella. Estella and Pip play the card game "beggar" while they are playing. Estella insults Pip by saying that his hands are all coarse. The extract ends with Pip leaving Satis house and then releasing his hatred towards Estella by kicking a wall while he cries.

Extract two on a whole fits into Great Expectations as the Part of the novel that misleads the reader so that the reader thinks that Miss Havisham is the mysterious benefactor who gives Pip money so that he can move to London to become a gentleman. I think Dickens does this to try and remove the character Magwitch from the readers mind so that the reader will not even in the slightest think that Magwitch is Pip's benefactor and that Magwitch role in Great Expectations has ended. However even though Charles Dickens does this, he still leaves a presence of Magwitch in the novel. This presence comes from the character Estella. Estella just like Magwitch is sprung onto Pip. Magwitch is sprung onto Pip in the literal sense as he just jumps out at Pip scaring him. In comparison Estella is released onto Pip in another way. Pip who finds Estella "pretty" is just sprung by the insults and "distain" she shows towards him.

The settings in extract two mainly represent the character Miss Havisham showing why she lives her life the way she does and exposing her past to the reader. The character Miss Havisham is not exactly a very believable character as no one in their right mind would live there life the way she does just because they were left at the alter. However even though she is not a very realistic creation from Charles Dickens she is certainly one of the most interesting characters of the novel. Miss Havisham's whole life is defined by the single catastrophic event of her being left at the alter. From that moment forth, Miss Havisham is determined never to move beyond that day. She stops all the clocks in Satis House at twenty minutes to nine, the moment when she first learned that her future husband was gone.

Extract two begins with Pip the narrator describing what the room Pip is in looks like. The room is described as a "pretty large" room well lit with "wax candles". It is also said that the room does not even have a "glimpse of sunlight." These quotes create the atmosphere of the room which make it seem mysterious and depressing. In addition these quotes reveal a lot about the character Miss Havisham. The quote a "glimpse of sunlight" is not only saying that room does not even have a glimpse of sunlight it is also reflecting things about Miss Havisham showing how she herself is the one without a glimpse of sunlight. The fact that Miss Havisham is keeping herself from the sunlight (the sunlight I believe could represent the public) suggests that she is trying to keep her past from the sunlight by staying in the dark. Sunlight is often associated with bliss and happiness. As there is no sunlight in the room it emphasises her life as being unhappy.

The quote "the room was well lit with wax candles" also has a reflection of Miss Havisham. The "wax candles" I believe symbolize Miss Havisham and how she is slowing melting away and the flame above represents her anger and hate slowly consuming her life.

Miss Havisham's own name if separated into syllables reflects her character. Hav-i-sham. The pronoun "I" is representing her loneliness and how she is separated from everything outside Satis House. The adjective "Sham" is associated with fraud and façade. I feel this is representing Miss Havisham's life as unrealistic. Miss Havisham's life being unrealistic I feel is shown when she says "broken". Pip the narrator describes her saying this as if she is eager to say it as if she was boasting about it. This shows that she is pretending about the pain she has and how she just wants attention.

When Pip meets Miss Havisham in extract two she is "dressed in rich materials - satins, and lace, and silk - all of white" this description of her given by the narrator indicates her social status and wealth. At this part of extract two we are introduced to Miss Havisham's adopted daughter Estella. The character Estella who has been raised to torment men and break there hearts plays a vital role in the Great Expectations novel as she is Pip's first and only love. However even though Pip falls in love with her, she is out of his reach. This is not only because of Estella's own actions towards him. Charles Dickens also does this through Estella's own name. The name Estella means star- like. A star can be very beautiful but can't be touched. A star also emits light. The light associated with a star suggests that Estella doesn't belong with Miss Havisham as Miss Havisham is keeping her from the light (light is associated happiness, joy and bliss).

When Estella is first introduced to the reader she immediately insults Pip by questioning Miss Havisham about why she has to play with Pip referring him as a "common labouring boy". Then Pip and Estella play the card game "beggar my neighbour". Before they begin to play Miss Havisham tells Estella to "beggar him". I think this quote is not only saying to play the game with Pip but to make Estella make Pip beg for her.

While they are playing Estella insults Pip many times saying that his hands are course and his boots are to thick. I think Pip is like a test run for Estella. As if Miss Havisham is testing Estella to see if she can hurt Pip.

For my conclusion I believe that there are many different ways of interpreting the settings and quotes for "Great Expectations". I think Charles Dickens uses the settings and atmosphere he creates to reflect the characters in Great Expectations. These settings show the past present or future of these characters giving a description of the character that could not be given in another way. They also show the emotions that the character maybe feeling. All these things that are shown through many of the characters situations such as in extract one when Pip's surroundings are described as a "dark flat wilderness". The word "dark" representing Pip's past and how it is dark cloudy and mysterious, the word "flat" showing Pip's present and how it is straightforward never change and "wilderness expressing Pip's future. Wilderness representing Magwitch and how Magwitch is going to change Pip's future from flat and straight forward to a wild wilderness where things are always changing who is Pip's future . This is also shown in extract two through the quote "large room well lighted with wax candles", this quote indicates a connection between Miss Havisham and the "wax candles", as it represents her rage and anger.

I believe that the novel "Great Expectations" was so popular because even though the novel was written 1860-70 it still has relevance to these times. The book is about social class and rich and poor which even in these times play a very vital role on peoples jobs and futures. The novel itself has a great story as it shows that even if you are poor it is still possible to move up in social status. The novel also portrays characters like no other novel as it reflects them through settings.

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