Importance of Setting in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations

In Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations how does setting aid the dramatic

effect of the novel?

Introduction

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In this fantastic novel Dickens uses imagery and linguistic techniques

to raise levels of tension. I am going to explore and discuss three

settings from the novel these are the graveyard, Miss Havisham and her

house and London. All of the settings have a effect on the novel as

they reflect to the characters for example in chapter 1 when we meet

Pip in the dull, dark graveyard we see Pip as a small fragile child

like the graveyard. A even better example of this technique that

Dickens uses is during chapter 8 when we meet Miss Havisham the

setting we meet her in, which is her house, is a exact replica of Miss

Havisham herself. The dirty yellow wedding dress she wears is like the

dusty, antique furniture and paintwork of the house. When we go to

London it is a disgusting ruined old place, which also reflects on the

character we meet during this chapter. The settings help the audience

get impressions of who the characters are. The setting matches the

character we meet there giving us some idea of who the character is.

From reading the detailed explanation of Miss Havishams house we

already know she is going to be a dirty old women who has long passed

her prime, like the old house. Great expectations is basically about a

boy named Pip trying to discover who leaves him his fortune, then his

struggle to find someone to love. At the end of the play Joe Gargery,

Pips brother-in-law, ends up looking after Pip. Great expectations is

set in a time when living conditions were very poor a example of this

is Pips house which is small and cramped with several people under

one, very small, roof.

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...ry for her but her and

her house are still dirty, just like the streets of London in chapter

20 which links to the prison and Mr Jaggers office. All chapters have

the same gloomy pitiful mood. This mirrors the contemporaries

harshness of life, the people in his time had things very hard like

most of the characters, they had to work very hard for very little in

return. The settings of each chapter also mirror the characters we

meet in a chapter, such as when we me Miss Havisham. We see her house

first which is uncared for old, broken down and worn out basically

then we see miss Havisham who is exactly the same. I feel that the

most effective setting is Miss Havishams house as it mirrors her

exactly and is a perfect example of the question asked for this essay.

Despite Dickens unusual style he still creates very complex settings

which are sharp and focused.