Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Chapters 1-3 give you a feeling of welcoming. The first three chapters

aren't just comical but in some places they are edgy. The humour makes

it enjoyable to read and the apprehensive situations make you want to

read on to see what happens. Right from the beginning Dickens has

aroused the readers interest.

The story is told in First Person Retrospective Narrative. This

enables Dickens in the early chapters to re-create the child's eye

view whilst fusing it with adult judgements.

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Instantaneously we know that it is wrote in First Person Retrospective

Narrative because of the use of the pro-noun "I". The main character

"Pip" is introduced straight away and we find out his situation. Pip

introduces himself and tells you a brief background on himself. He

explains where he got his name from and that his sister has been a

mother type figure to him as all his brothers and parents are

deceased.

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"MY FATHER'S family name being Pirrip, and my Christian name Philip,

my infant tongue could make of both names nothing longer or more

explicit than Pip…… ……………--I am indebted for a belief I religiously

entertained that they had all been born on their backs with their

hands in their trousers-pockets, and have never taken them out in this

state of existence."

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Pip laughs at his own childish inexperience as he pictures his parent

appearance just from the tombstones.

By the third paragraph he has already established the setting -

marshland (Desolate Area). He tells us what time it begins at -

Twilight. (Anxiety already created).

"On a memorable raw afternoon towards evening."

We already suspect something to take place.

The convict enters suddenly and Pip is startled. Quick exchanges

between the characters gives a tense feeling. The convict steals Pip's

bread and scoffs it as if he hasn't had anything to eat for some time.

Chapter 2 opens with Pip's naivety setting in again as he describes