Dynamic and Static Characters in Charles Dickens' Bleak House and Great Expectations
`Bleak House' and `Great Expectations' are novels in which Charles Dickens develops a range of characters whose behavior, although dramatic, is somewhat far-fetched and implausible. However, it is precisely this implausibility, which allows Dickens to make powerful statements indicative of the condition of Victorian England. Dickens has a flair for giving characters exactly the amount of life required for their purpose in the novel. A tangible, dynamic character is likely to be multifaceted and intricate, however there are very few of these in `Bleak House' or `Great Expectations.' A few characters are complex, but static and incapable of development. The way in which characters in the novels occupy their space is interesting, in that it adds to the drama, although in most cases it boosts the unlikelihood of the character. By examining some of the characters from each novel, it can be seen how this dramatic effect is achieved.
Mr. Bucket is an undercover detective. All three characters that he pursues in the novel ultimately end up dead. From his first introduction into `Bleak House,' he seems to be more mythical and illusory, rather than tangible. His first appearance in the novel is when he materializes, from nowhere, in front of Mr. Snagsby:
Mr. Snagsby is dismayed to see, standing with an attentive face between himself and the lawyer, at a little distance from the table, a person with a hat and stick in his hands, who was not there when he himself came in, and has not since entered by the door or by either of the windows.
It is not the case that Mr. Snagsby simply did not witness Mr. Bucket entering;...
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...o be rather monotonous. Nevertheless, these are all memorable characters from `Bleak House' and `Great Expectations' and serve their purpose in the novel well.
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Dickens, Charles. Great Expectations. Ed. Edgar Rosenberg. New York: Norton, 1999.
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Letwin, Shirley Robin. The Gentleman in Trollope: Individuality and Moral Conduct. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1982.
Platz, Norbert H. "The Symbolic Dynamics of the Gentleman Idea in the Victorian Novel." Literaturwissenschaftliches 38 (1997): 147-65.
It came to mind that after the movie, Two-bit realized that Cherry and Marcia did not have a ride home. So they walk to Two-bit’s house to get the car. As they walk, Ponyboy and Cherry talk about the differences between Socs and greasers and how they act and how poor or rich they are. Later on Ponyboy finds himself talking to Cherry about Sodapops old horse Mickey Mouse. Then Ponyboy realizes that two different worlds we live in are not so different after all because we look at the same sunset everyday. Until Marcia spots a blue mustang that belongs to the socs. At first, the socs didn’t notice them until they see their girlfriends hanging out with the greasers. When the socs get out of the mustang they defend their girls then turn to the greasers.
The “Outsiders”, by S.E. Hinton, is a novel about a young boys journey through life after a horrible tragedy. When Ponyboy's parents died, he struggled with living alongside his two older brothers. Darry, Ponyboy’s older brother, was his legal guardian. Pony should stay with his older brothers, Sodapop and Darry, because they are all each other have. The only family Pony has left is his older brothers and the greasers. Taking him away from his family when he needs it most is wrong.
Sodapop Curtis, Darrel Curtis, Johnny Cade, Two-Bit and Dally Winston. The mood of the story in the beginning is bitter and rebellious and then later on in the middle of the story the mood becomes furious. During the end of the novel the mood changes to anticipation and the tone in the story is aggravation and rage.
One night Pony and his best friend Johnny are attacked by a group of drunken Socs. When one of the Socs tries to drown Pony, he goes unconscious and when he wakes up, he sees that Johnny has killed one of the Socs. The two boys decide to go to their friend Dally; he gives them money and directions to a church in the country. There they hide out for a long week, and after it Dally comes to find them. After eating, they return to the church and see that it has caught fire. A group of children are stuck in the burning building. Pony and Johnny do not hesitate and jump in to save the children, Pony gets out ok but Johnny is hit with a piece of falling wood and serious burnt. The boys appear in the news as heroes, even though they are still wanted for murdering the Soc. Pony is fine, but Johnny is badly hurt. After a while, there is a big fight between the Greasers and the Socs. The Greasers win, but when Dally and Pony go to tell Johnny that they won, he dies during their visit. Dally is destroyed by this and later he calls Pony to tell him that he robbed a store and is being chased by the cops. They hurry to meet him, and see him shot down after he pulls a gun on the police. Pony is scared by what has happened, and convinces himself that he, not Johnny, killed the Soc.
In the late nineteenth century, many European immigrants traveled to the United States in search of a better life and good fortune. The unskilled industries of the Eastern United States eagerly employed these men who were willing to work long hours for low wages just to earn their food and board. Among the most heavily recruiting industries were the railroads and the steel mills of Western Pennsylvania. Particularly in the steel mills, the working conditions for these immigrants were very dangerous. Many men lost their lives to these giant steel-making machines. The immigrants suffered the most and also worked the most hours for the least amount of money. Living conditions were also poor, and often these immigrants would barely have enough money and time to do anything but work, eat, and sleep. There was also a continuous struggle between the workers and the owners of the mills, the capitalists. The capitalists were a very small, elite group of rich men who held most of the wealth in their industries. Strikes broke out often, some ending in violence and death. Many workers had no political freedom or even a voice in the company that employed them. However, through all of these hardships, the immigrants continued their struggle for a better life.
At first Emilia's character is the ideal submissive wife. Iago treats Emilia rather badly during the first scenes of the play. He refers to her as a nagging housewife and Emilia is submissively unresponsive to his harsh allegation...
Abrams, M.H. and Greenblatt, Stephen eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature: Seventh Edition. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001.
Abrams, M. H. et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 1. Sixth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton, & Co. 1993. 200-254.
In chapter one we are introduced to our narrator, Ponyboy. Ponyboy is raised by his two older brothers Darry and Soda. They’re all apart of a gang called the “greasers” which is joined by Dally, Johnny, Two-bit, and Steve. There is another group called “ socs” which stands for socials, and everyone in that group is very wealthy. One day Ponyboy got jumped by a socs group, but luckily Darry was there to help before anything too serious happened. The first element of literature is characterization. Ponyboy is a keen observer, trying to make sense of the complexities of those around him. At the beginning of the story, he stops and spends several pages giving us brief character description on Steve, Two-Bit, Dally, and Johnny. This is also known as direct characterization. He tells us that Steve is "cocky and smart" ( Hinton 9). Two-Bit can 't stop joking around and goes to school for "kicks" (Hinton 10) rather than to learn. Dallas, he says, is "tougher, colder, meaner" ( Hinton 10) than the rest of them.
Poney does not want to be in a boys home, due to his parents death all three boys should be in a boys home. He mentions both in the book and the movie he has to be careful with getting into huge trouble because if the cops found him they would put him in a boys home since he has no parent. Cherry is very kind hearted in both the movies she tells Ponyboy about how you can’t assume if one person from this group is like that, then that must mean everyone else there is the same. She finds a way to figure someone out, if they are a certain way it's because of their past because they've gone through tough stuff she says “Things are rough all over”(S.E. Hinton). In both Cherry spills soda on Dally for trying to hit on her and tells him “get lost hood” (S.E. Hinton), but then tells Pony that if she sees Dally she's afraid she will fall for him, because she sees the good in him. Poney boy also talks to Johnny about the poem Nothing Gold Can Stay in both while watching the sunset about losing your innocence and views in life. When Johnny passes away he tells Ponyboy Stay
3. This story is about a group of kids that are called Greasers, because they live on the East side of town, which is the lower income part of the city. They all slick back their hair with grease, and that’s where the name Greasers came from. Ponyboy Curtis is the main character in this story, and he has 2 brothers, one named Darry, and the other named Sodapop. One night Johnny and Ponyboy are out at the park, and a group of Socs, the nickname for Rich Kids, came by and started beating them up. One of them stuffed Ponyboy’s face into the fountain and tried to drown him, so Johnny stabbed him before he killed Ponyboy. The boy that he stabbed died, and so they went to a friend who gave them money and a gun to run away with. They ran away to an abandoned church, and one day Dallas, the friend who gave them the supplies came by and took them out to lunch, and when they returned the church was one fire. Johnny and Pony saved the kids inside, and a piece of wood fell on Johnny and he broke his back. He died in the hospital a few days later, and Dallas couldn’t take it so he robbed a grocery store and took out an unloaded gun when the police came, so they shot and killed him. Exposition: The gang is introduced and the rivalry between the Greasers and the Socs is shown. Complication: Johnny kills the Soc that almost drowned Ponyboy, and they must leave town Climax: Pony and Johnny go into the burning church to save the children that are inside; Dallas dies. Resolution: Everything goes back to normal, and Pony decides to write about his journey for his English essay.
Greenblatt, Stephen, and M. H. Abrams. The Norton anthology of English literature. 9th ed., A, New York, W.W. Norton & Company, 2012. Pp
Throughout life individuals face many challenges testing their values and personality one situation at a time. In the evocative novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton themes of growing up and innocence are shown. Ponyboy is not your average 14 year old he is part of a gang known to many as the Greasers. He encounters many situations testing his values and beliefs. Having lost both his parents recently he and his brothers stick together like a true family but this relationship is tested when Darry hits Ponyboy. He also experiences the loss several close friends in a very short period of time. Throughout this novel, Ponyboy encounters many life changing experiences that prove he is a dynamic character.
Abrams, M.H., The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Sixth Edition, Vol. 1. New York: W.W. Norton & Co. Inc., 1993
Abrams, M. H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol I. 5th Ed. New York: W.W. Norton, 1986.