Hartwick College Essay

In this extract, we ar shown insight into what situations timbre has stick, by reacquainting him with the convict Magwitch. In this second visit, we fucking entrance the contrast between get throughs first encounter, and this more shocking painting how slashs persona has changed from an innocent youth, to a selfish, egocentric piece. Also, we are deliberaten the blow out of the water revelation of touchs true benefactor, in a additive peak of excitement enriched with Dickens unique writing style. Throughout the textbook, attains manner towards opposites, his musical mode of thinking and up to now his narrative phonate trans stamp to create two reasonably different causas.The extract pictures him as a selfish, pompous young man who shows great ingratitude towards Magwitch inquire inhospitably enough whether he would like to come in and energy away a plea for affection, from integrity who has worked hard all his t whizz merely to provide mop up with a gr eat wealth, and an undemanding lifestyle. When Magwitch returns to approach his beneficiary, he is treated with less than minor courtesy. scores jr. character however depends far more innocent, showing respect and even compassion towards a convict, who threatens and oppresses him, glad that his stolen food is enjoyed by a pick out stranger.This highlights a stark contrast between the Pip displayed in the extract, and Pips young self. Indeed Dickens describems to point out the irony of such a title at the point in time when society considers him gentleman he is anything but gentle instead he appears malicious and deprecative of his former friend Joe whose visit he awaits with mortification. The wealthy gentleman is outright a moral shadow of the impoverished yet guiltless Pip we are introduced to at the beginning of the storey.His simultaneous ascent to aristocracy and take place into selfish spendthrift, leading to his subsequent redemption, are reminiscent of the educ ation fable popular at the time. These tales of apprenticeship were often of mistreated orphans who managed to become wealthy and successful. The stories have the many obstacles that the hero/heroine would have to overcome, and their popularity peaked around Dickens time. Typically, they research the youth and young adulthood of a sensitive protagonist who is in search of the meaning of life and the nature of the world (David Cody, Associate prof of English, Hartwick College.)They tended to contain autobiographical elements, and were sometimes influenced by contemporary social and industrial transformations. There are in like manner some other genres on which the story touches upon, namely the sensation novel the numerable plot twists and shocking revelations form a large part of the structure in this extract we soak up the startling disclosure of Pips true benefactor, which most contemporaneous readers would perhaps not have guessed. Indeed, these climatic scenes are pivotal to the books success as a serialisation, as well as a novel.To maintain interest in a book that is staged in weekly instalments, Dickens uses a variety of sub-plots to keep the reader engrossed. This eccentric writing style gives the text a unique quality, and the overall effect on the reader is 1 of shock and intrigue. The rendezvous with the convict in the graveyard, and his death, Miss Havishams fire, and the skirmish with Orlick are among the most memorable climaxs we experience as well as Pips second meeting with Magwitch. In this passage, we can visualize how the writer cultivates tension and makes the most of Magwitchs secret.When extract reaches a stature of excitement, many sentences become long and drawn out, and sentence complexity increases, going away the shorter, snappier why, Wemmick and would it be J? to further promote interest in the plot, and give a tense, nervous atmosphere. As the scene draws to its zenith, as Pips heart (beats) like a heavy hammer of diso rdered action, we work out powerful metaphors, and repetition of prominent, emotive language (dangers, disgraces, consequences) to give a soul of anxiety and intensify the scene. Language is also used here to give the convict from Pip himself.The rich, throaty slang of Magwitchs arterwards, speclated and warmint contrasts against Pips more noble speeches of how he cannot wish to renew that probability intercourse and inquires of the messenger since he undertook that trust. The way Dickens estranges Magwitch from Pip is material it symbolizes the delusional notion that Pip is a gentleman, and that he is superior to the convict. Pip believes himself to be changed since that first chance meeting in the graveyard, and thinks that he is at a time above Magwitch, who is after all a criminal.The irony experienced by the reader is that Pips great wealth and upper illuminate lifestyle is solely attributable to Magwitch himself, and this too is the source of the shock Pip describes. T he way Dickens depicts Pips feelings is extremely powerful, as we see Pip suffocative merely from the shock of this news, news that his almost successful attempt to become a gentleman was funded by the dark relic of his youth, whos criminal past appears further from gentry as is possible.This is of course, not the first time we see Pips character interrupted by members of his childishness there was his meeting with Mr Pocket on his arrival to London, and more important, Joes visit to Pip in his London flat. This meeting, like the superstar with Magwitch we see in the extract, stresses the change we have seen in Pips character by comparing his manner towards someone he knew as a boy, and how he acts towards them now.Upon his visit, Joe is not treated with hostility as such, but Pip denotes that he certainly would have paid money to keep him from coming. As a boy, Pip always stayed friends with Joe despite his obvious stupidity and clumsiness, yet now he wishes more than anything to avoid him. Pips dismissal of Joe in this way turns the reader against him slightly up until now we have supported Pip as the good guy. Pips turpitude from an innocent youngster to a overbearing gentleman, and then back into a more honourable businessman.This cycle of purity, corruption and redemption is an ongoing theme in Great Expectations, and makes subtle references to Christian beliefs of how the life of greed and sin that Pip lived in London, on the wealth of a convict, lead to a corroded innocence that was only liberated through his consequent illness and then his new beginning with Estella. The other theme that appears in the novel, is that of justice and the just penalization of crime.We first see this in the appearance of a convict (though this method of punishment was halt in 1868 several years after the novel was written) and Dickens act of him as an honest man, who admits to the theft of some broken wittles and a fluidram of liquor to save Pip from his sist er, Mrs Joe. And again, Mrs Joe herself ties in to the punishment theme, her harsh disciplining of her hubby and brother again lets us sympathise with those who are chastised, and not the chastisers. posterior in the book, we see another example of this when Magwitch is caught. And more subtle instances of punishment such as Mrs Havisham burning for her corruption of Estella (corruption almost being a theme in itself) are also present in the text, prominent us a thorough impression of how those who commit crime leave always be brought to justice. The time setting of the novel allows Dickens to admit these ideas of corporal punishment, convicts and public hangings. To a modern reader, these archaic, brutal methods of upholding the law appear old-fashioned.However, readers of the time would most probably have experienced these events fist-hand, in one way or another. Moral preachings of more nonoperational action towards prisoners and criminals would be relatively new to them, wh ereas nowadays such views are accepted as standard. The feelings created by the views Dickens has on delinquency, and its retribution, are then significantly different between readers of-the-time and present day students. As a modern audience, we also feel compelled, excited, and fascinated by the books intricate plotlines, particularly in this extract.To inspire such strong emotions, Dickens uses many lingual and structural functions, the aforementioned effectiveness of metaphors and imagery to name one. He also writes in the 1st person, which is pivotal to the feelings the book creates the story is far more personal and involving. Dickens also entwines his plots and subplots very carefully to create a prominent air of tension. As he builds up to the climax of one plot twist, he continues to insert little mini-dramas that leave us time lag for the main storyline to continue. He does this quite often in the novel, and it makes the education most tense and far less predictable.T o a less law-abiding reader, Magwitchs return would be a complete surprise this is where the bulk of this extracts attraction lies. Overall, this extract is in fact one of the most outstanding scenes in the book. The build up of excitement out front the final revelation of Pip your him is done with a variety of complex, literary devices, and the twist in the plot and return of a familiar character add to its success. It calls attention to Pips new assumed role, as a self-centred ungrateful gentleman, and is characteristic of Dickens writing style.