Examine some of the ways in which Charles Dickens creates vivid and memorable characters in 'Great Expectations'

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Pre-1914 prose (cross-over piece for English and English Literature)                Joe Moran November 2007

Examine some of the ways in which Charles Dickens creates vivid and memorable characters in ‘Great Expectations’

‘Great Expectations’ is a novel about an orphan boy named Pip. He is brought up by his sister as a commoner, although, as he grows older he becomes increasingly desperate to loose his lower class ways and become a gentleman, so that he can have the girl he loves, Estella, as his wife.

Abel Magwitch is introduced in the first scene as an escaped convict. As a favour, Pip collects him food and a file. Magwitch is very grateful for this and is willing to return the act of kindness. Later on in life Pip is offered the opportunity to become a gentleman, which he accepts. However, Pip does not know that this opportunity is the doing of Magwitch.

‘Great expectations’ is set in early Victorian England. During this time there would have been a lot of orphans, this is mainly due to poor medial facilities and a lower life expectancy. This resulted in lower class children being left without a family or a home. Also during this period in time there were many convicts like Magwitch due to the strictness of the law and the fact that there were not many jobs to bring in money for general living expenses such as food and clothes. There was such a great amount of convicts and because there was such small amount of prison space, they where forever full. This resulted in them giving out many death penalties or keeping them on board a ship until eventually sending the offenders to Australia.

As a teenager Dickens was split up from his true love because her parents didn’t think he was good enough for her. I think his views on marriage are portrayed though Pip and Estella in the novel as he thinks if they love each other, they should not be broken up or brainwashed by other people and should be left to make up there own mind.

Charles Dickens has purposely chosen the name Abel Magwitch because it represents his characteristics and personality. The name Abel can relate to the Cain and Abel story. In the Cain and Abel story, Abel was murdered by Cain because he was jealous of him being preferred by God. Magwitch had to do more time in prison than Compeyson, just because he was of a lower class and Compeyson did nothing about this. Here a compassion can be made because both Magwitch and Abel were let down by their friends. Charles Dickens could possibly used ‘Mag’ from the word magpie because it makes you believe that he steals things. ‘Witch’ has been used because we know that witches are bad and evil.

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Chapter one has been set in an overgrown graveyard. This has been done to create fear and cautiousness for the reader. He has done this by creating a dark and gloomy atmosphere. Charles Dickens creates such fear by adding lines including ‘at such a time I found out for certain, that this bleak place overgrown with nettles was a churchyard…’ This produces a picture of an old abandoned graveyard into your head. It is set in a graveyard because we associate it with the dead, and we think of it as a fearful place. Pip is alone in the ...

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