Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations“Great Expectations” is set in early Victorian England and was writtenby Charles Dickens in 1860. It is written as a first-person narrativewith Pip as an older man telling his life’s story. I will be lookingat how his extremely strict upbringing affected how he behaved inlater life. The title “Great Expectations” shows an indication of thechange in Pips fortunes throughout the story; from a poor familyliving in the country with a trade of being a blacksmith, to living aluxurious life as a Gentleman in London. The period of the novel was atime of change as England was expanding worldwide and becoming awealthy world power. The economy was changing from mainly agriculturalto industrial. It was a time when there was a very wide gap betweenthe rich and the poor as the rich enjoyed great privileges and thepoor led a life near to slavery. The novel provides an insight intoboth country life and city life where the only advantages that thepoor have in the countryside is a clean environment.
The book begins with Pip meeting a runaway convict in the graveyardwhere his mother, father and younger brothers are buried on themarshes. The convict threatens Pip and terrifies him in order to gethelp from him. At first he says, “Keep still, you little devil, orI’ll cut your throat!” and this frightens Pip as he describes him as“fearful”. Pip then pleads with the convict and says “Oh! Don’t cut mythroat, sir.” “Pray don’t do it, sir.” which conveys to the readerthat Pip is very afraid of him. The convict treats Pip in this violentmanner because in the Victorian era prisoners were kept in rottenhulks in Nepoleonic wars and treated worse than animals. This explains…
Best services for writing your paper according to Trustpilot
…
Miss Havisham has a strong impact on Pip’s adult life too because sheleads him to believe that she is the one who is providing him with anincome for his new life in London. Her attitude towards Pip is basedon her hatred of men as a result of being jilted on her wedding day.Pip even calls her “the fairy godmother who has changed me” as heassumes that all his good fortune is as a result of Miss Havisham’sgenerosity. It is only when it is too late however, that Miss Havishamrealises what she has done to Pip and how cruel she has been to him.She regrets taking out her anger of men towards Pip and using Estellato break his heart.
In conclusion, there are many characters within the novel who have animpact on Pip’s journey to adulthood and the story illustrates howboth good and bad influences and experiences affected the person thatPip became.
