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Discuss how Dickens creates tension and fear in the early chapters of
Great Expectations.
There is a lot of tension and fear created by Charles Dickens
throughout the early Chapters of Great Expectations.
In Chapter 1 tension is started off when Philip known as Pip hadn’t
seen his parents of any kind, Charles Dickens stated that in 1960 -
1961 they never had photographs of any kind, therefore Pip didn’t even
know what his parents looked like.
Pip was able to see his parent’s tombstones; the shape of the letters
on his father’s grave gave him an odd feeling that his father was a
square, stout, dark man with curly black hair. He saw his mother in
his imagination as a freckled and sickly lady, remember the only site
of his parents he had was his imagination. Pip had an older sister who
acted very much like a mother, her name was Mrs Joe Gargery and she
was married too a blacksmith Mr Joe Gargery. There was a churchyard
which was overgrown with nettles. That’s the place where his family
were buried as so other people too. The wind was rushing, so was the
sea, small bundles of shivers growing afraid of it and Pip the young
boy was beginning to cry. Pip was a young boy, he must have been
scared, fear was building inside him and tension was creeping in. Pip
the young boy heard a voice “keep still, you little devil, or ill cut
your throat!” The voice Pip heard scared the living daylights out of
him. The voice certainly created tension as Pip was scared for his
life, he had a great amount of fear at that point in time and his
blood was rushing through his body. Pip pleaded for his life, what
else could he do, he’s only about 10 years old and his life is at
threat at such a young age, anyone at that age would...
... middle of paper ...
...rite. He is scared of
stealing from his own family; tension is getting higher and higher.
The man Pip had to go to in the early morning was an unpleasant guy,
the man ate like a dog, and it showed that he must have been very
hungry. Pip a young lad, very unfortunate he was, as he had to live
his life in dreadfulness as his whole life was screwed up. His own
sister beats him, his family insults him. When it was Pips birthday,
Pip had the worst food, he should have had the best food but he
didn’t. He had something called left overs. People look at him
weirdly, like he was someone that was doing something wrong all day.
Pip certainly lived with fear throughout his life and tension was sent
as high as it can go. Charles Dickens created a lot of tension and
fear in the early chapters of Great Expectations as he had sent fear
and tension to the highest level.
While he was separated from society, the threat of
The idea of fear is a fairly simple concept, yet it carries the power to consume and control lives. Fears have stemmed from an inadvertent psychological response to situations deemed threating to one’s personal safety, but have evolved into a complex web of often illogical misconceptions which are able to cloud a person’s judgment and result in situations often worse than originally intended. Fears can be hard to quell, but it has been shown the best way to overcome fears is often to face them, as author James Baldwin asserted when he wrote, “To defend oneself against fear is simply to insure that one will, one day, be conquered by it; fears must be faced.” Baldwin makes strongly qualified statement, and his idea fears must be faced to ensure one is not conquered by them is evident frequently, and is especially visible in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic novel, The Scarlet Letter. In The Scarlet Letter, two characters are placed in situations in which they are directly confronted with their fears, but react much differently, resulting in contrastingly different consequences. Baldwin’s assertion is qualified by the journeys of Hester Prynne and the Reverend Dimmesdale in The Scarlet Letter, who show how facing one’s fears can have a positive outcome while defending oneself from their fears can have detrimental consequences.
fear of death. His uncle, one of the persons he loved the most, died of a
make the sets look in such a way that the audience were on edge from
the war. Then when he realized that his life was over he wanted to end it but
Throughout the novel Great Expectations, Pip's character and personality goes through some transformations. He is somewhat similar at the beginning and end, but very different while growing up. He is influenced by many characters, but two in particular:Estella and Magwitch, the convict from the marshes. Some things that cause strength or growth in a person are responsibility, discipline, and surrounding oneself around people who are challenging and inspiring. He goes through many changes some good and some bad
The first way the reader can see that there is some good in the worst of men is through Pip. When Pip becomes a gentleman he also becomes insolent and snobbish. After he looses all his money he realizes how snobbish he is and first turned to Biddy for forgiveness:
Fear plays an important role in Shakespeare's tragic play, Hamlet. Within the play, the main character, Hamlet, attempts to overcome his fear and fulfill his father's revenge. Hamlet's apprehension toward death prevents him from carrying out the murder of Claudius. Although confrontation with death is avoided for as long as possible, Hamlet comes to recognize his weakness, and faces this anxiety.
the sentence where it says “ a man with no hat, and with broken shoes,
Another way that Pip shows his discontent with his present life is by not wanting to be a blacksmith when it would be very practical for him. Pip's brother-in-law is a blacksmith which would make it easy for him to learn the trade. Also, Miss Havisham agreed to pay for his apprenticeship, yet Pip insists that he is better than that and is upset by that fact that he is just a commoner. He states his dissatisfaction" with my home, my trade and with everything" (773). Pip also turns away Biddy when she is something that is obtainable to him. Biddy is somebody in the story that really loves Pip, yet he turns her away and uses her to get what he wants. Pip also gives the impression that he is better than Biddy when he is no less a commoner than she is.
In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens uses diction and imagery to illustrate how if one bases their dreams and aspirations on the values of a society that prizes materialism over character, they will face a life of devoid unhappiness through the character of Pip. In the novel, Pip finds it impossible to change social classes when Joe declares, “That ain't the way to get out of being common. . . as to being common . . . You are uncommon in some things. You're uncommon small . . .
In Great Expectations, the three main settings: the Forge, Satis House and London affect the atmosphere of the novel, as well as Pip’s emotions. The three main locations make Pip who he is, and it represents the aspects of himself – his hopes, fear, pride, and shame. Each of these three locations has symbolic characters which represents the aspects of Pip and also the mood.
Suffering is perhaps the biggest theme or idea of the book Great Expectations. The whole story is about Pip suffering throughout his life and what he seeks to discover that ultimately leads him into more pain. All of the people he is closest to in life suffered their whole life, such as Miss Havisham, Magwitch and Estella. The book ends with some hope that resolves all of the pain throughout all of the main characters and even secondary characters lives. Throughout Pip's childhood he and the ones he was closest to, his process of becoming a gentleman he had suffered as well, and when his journey comes to its end he still deals with more pain in him of lost love and curiosity. If the book would have tone renamed its best title for it would be "Suffering Expected".
The women in the novel, Great Expectations, are not given the ample opportunities that they would have liked in order to live out their lifelong dreams and hopes. Instead, they have some type of devastating impact that has been brought upon them through a situation that they themselves cannot help. This is evident in the lives of Mrs. Joe, a mere teenager who is forced to raise her brother in a time that is hard to support herself, and Miss Havisham, an elderly woman who’s dreams were torn away when she was left at the altar. Dickens’ female characters do not fit into the ideals of Victorian society as a wife and mother, which causes them to be destructive to themselves and/or men.