Charles Dickens’ live Essay

Charles Dickens’ highly reputable and famous book, Great Expectations has been one of the most dominating, important and effective novels he has written. It originally emerged in a serialised form in ‘All The Year Round’ (a weekly journal conducted by Charles Dickens) in 1860 -1861 and is, to this day and age, thought to be one of his paramount novels. When the book was published, critics were instantaneous to give diverse and mixed reviews towards the book, disliking the exaggeration of both the characters and plot Charles Dickens had carefully formulated. Although the critics were assorted in their reviews, the readers were genuinely ebullient towards Great Expectations that the 1861 edition enforced five printings. Great Expectations was published during the Victorian era which also was the time in which Charles Dickens’ lived. The Victorian era had a very high mortality rate due to children catching cholera or tuberculosis, which lead to their deaths. Children had strenuous and dejected childhoods, if they were lucky enough to survive in to adulthood; because families did not have enough money children would work to meet financial satisfaction. They were employed in difficult positions, commonly in factories or jobs people would not usually do, with long working hours lasting eight to twelve hours a day and generally six days a week. By the 1830’s certain charities and associations approached the problem and helped children and their families by giving food and clothes. Ensuing the 1840’s, school was an obligation and children stopped working to go to school and to get an education. Charles Dickens’ family did not prosper in wealth, money was a concerning subject in the family. The large family’s needs and living expenses were too much for John Dickens (Charles Dickens’ father) salary that when Charles Dickens was four months the family had to move to a smaller home to save money. Charles Dickens wanted to become a gentleman (an educated man), although it seemed unlikely when John Dickens was arrested and sent to jail due to failure of paying debts. In order to pay off the debt Charles Dickens was sent to a shoe-polish factory. Charles did not have a happy childhood, which I think is reflected in some of his books like Great Expectations. This brings me to the young boy Phillip Pirrip, also known as Pip, the protagonist of the story. I am going to be writing about how Dickens creates sympathy for Pip. Pip never seems to attain his dreams for a more improved life. At the very beginning of the book, we meet Pip and we find out that he will be narrating this story, the book is his story and is told in his words. Pip’s narration, straightaway, brings about his childhood problems which creates sympathy for him. Pip is first introduced in a graveyard. The setting of a graveyard seems very sombre, dark and upsetting. ‘The marshes were just a long black horizontal line then, as I stopped to look after him; and the river was just another horizontal line, not nearly so broad nor yet so black; and the sky was just a row of long angry red lines and dense black lines intermixed.’ Darkness and blood is suggested by the imagery of the landscape of the marshes with black and red lines. It does not give a blissful feeling to us either. Pip talks about his deceased parents, he is an orphan and this makes us feel pity for him. He seemed to be a very innocent child, this is reflected through the inscription on his parent’s graves. Pip has memorised these inscriptions and he has also created an image of his deceased parents and siblings which further tell us that he is an innocent child, as most children have great imaginations compared to adults. We see the advancement of Pip’s life when he meets with an escaped convict, who escaped from hulks (prison ships that transport criminals to Australia), who is later to be revealed as Abel Magwitch. Pip seems to treat the runaway convict with kindness through fear of the convict. ‘After each question he tilted me over a little more, so as to give me a greater sense of helplessness and danger.’ This quote of Pip’s narration, made me feel sorry for him because he is being threatened through fear and you cannot help but feel as if Pip is in grave danger now that he has associated with such a threatening convict. ‘I was dreadfully frightened, and so giddy that I clung to him with both hands.’ Pip is being bullied by Abel Magwitch, it makes us feel compassion for Pip, it also makes us think Pip is so helpless. His violent sister, who always reminds him how grateful he should be for her bringing him up, and her husband, the ever so friendly blacksmith Joe, who is like a brother to Pip, both look after Pip. â€Å"†¦I supposed that both Joe Gargery and I were brought up by hand.† this quote means both Pip and Joe were beaten by Pip’s sister. Dickens makes us feel sorry for Pip in this quote due to Pip’s treatment from his sister’s fierce temperament as no one would like to be beaten. Irony is used when the stick used to beat Pip is referred to as the ‘Tickler’. Tickler is the cane with which Mrs. Gargery hits Pip. The mannerism in which Mrs. Gargery butters the bread for Pip and Joe is ‘†¦trenchant†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢, she has a forceful and vigorous way of buttering. Her apron is coarse, full of needles and is tough. She wears this apron as a reminder to Joe and Pip meaning that she is looking after them. ‘† I tell you what, young fellow,† said she, â€Å"I didn’t bring you up by hand to badger people’s lives out. It would be blame to me, and not praise, if I had. People are put in the Hulks because they murder, and because they rob, and forge, and do all sorts of bad; and they always begin by asking questions. Now you get along to bed!† ‘ To keep Pip well behaved, silent and grateful, Mrs. Gargery threatens, punishes and accuses Pip of ingratitude. Pip himself feels an enormous amount of guilt for his innocent actions, like asking some questions, which have been unfairly warped to seem as if Pip was doing a bad thing. The guilt Pip feels is unprincipled. Although, Pip is not only treated this way by Mrs. Gargery, he is also treated unethically by Mr. Pumblechook, Mr. Wopsle and the Hubbles.