Great Expectations

Charles Dickens was born on the 7th of February 1812, just before the time that is know as the Victorian Era. Dickens was a political journalist before becoming an author, which may well have helped him to deliver his political messages in his books. Dickens does this well at this, for example from reading Great Expectations one can clearly understand his views on social classes and how he wants to make a change by expressing them to the public, mainly the rich.

Pip is the protagonist and narrator in Great Expectations. Just from his name we can learn some of Dicken’s messages. Pip, is a very short name. Dickens named him Pip to show that just because your small in society, that doesn’t mean you can’t become big. As pip grew up, and rose in the social classes, Dickens is selling the rich that the poor have potential to be big in society.

Pip then explains how he never came to know his father or mother because they had passed away when he was too young to know them. The readers will feel sympathy for pip at this point. Dickens also adds humour to the scene, when he has pip describe his parents by the style of writing on their tombstones, for example when he describes his dad ‘ he was a square, stout, dark man…’ Dickens also uses this to render out a youthful innocence in Pip, as when the convict, Magwitch, asks him about his parents, Pip recites them as they appear on the tombstone.

When Magwitch is introduced by Dickens, describe by Pip as a ‘fearful man’, the readers will feel concerned for Pip and his safety. However, they will also feel pity for the man, as Pip describes him as a ‘man with no hat and with broken shoes’. Dickens does a good job at making the readers feel pity for both Pip and Magwitch at the same time.

The readers will feel like they need to help Pip, as he is threatened with danger when Magwitch says ‘ I’ll cut your throat!’ Although Pip is overpowered by the convict, he is still very polite and kind to him, for example pip replies with ‘Sir’ frequently, showing a sign of respect and good manner. This tells the readers that just because a person is poor, Pip in this case, that it doesn’t mean they are not a gentlemen. Pip is also honest with Magwitch, further emphasizing Dicken’s views. Dickens has Pip be polite to Magwitch; this is because Dickens wants the readers to see how Gentleman-like poor people actually are.

Dickens has Magwitch force Pip to get him some food, by threatening him with an evil companion of his. We soon learn that this companion is actually made up. Dickens does this so that Magwitch is not as evil as he seems to be, and is in someway saving Pip from the so-called menace. It also shows how desperate Magwitch is for food, and how desperate poor people would go just to live.

Onto chapter 8, the readers are introduced to a Mr. Pumblechook. Dickens has added this character to create humour and to emphasize his political messages. Mr Pumblechook thought that he was a gentleman because he was rich. Yet when contrasted to Pip, Pip is the real gentleman. Dickens message is vibrant and clear; you do not need to be rich to be a gentleman.

Dickens has Mr. Pumblechook ask Pip a lot of questions, such as ‘Seven times nine, boy?’ Pip does not know the answer; this is because he is not educated. Immediately the readers will feel sympathy for Pip, as they feel that he deserves one. This will also give the readers the assumption that Mr. Pumblechook. As Pip described, he was unable to eat his breakfast as Mr. Pumblechook kept asking him questions he knew he couldn’t answer, and so theoretically stopping him from eating. Dickens uses this to deliver his message that in order to be fed, one must be educated. This will make the rich believe that the poor deserve education. It will make the readers believe Mr. Pumblechook is a selfish man.

Mr. Pumblechook adds humour to the scene because he can be classed as a ‘wanna-be’ rich person. Both social classes will find this funny so it is an appealing way of Dickens to keep the readers interested and enjoying the book, whilst sharing his political views. Dickens also gave him the name ‘Pumblechook’ because it doesn’t sound very serious, like he is. It will make him sound more like a joke than a gentleman.

When Pumblechook takes Pip to Miss. Havisham’s house, Pip meets Estella, the cruel invention of Mrs. Havisham’s own madness. Estella’s beauty amazes him. However Pip learns that she does not reflect her outer looks on the inside, and instead is cruel on the inside. The message here is simple; the rich look nice on the outside, yet lack that goodness on the inside.

Mrs. Havisham, who adopted Estella, is the owner of the mansion Pip is visiting. She is a mad and vengeful woman, corrupting Estella to break Pip’s heart as her fianc� had done previously. This shows how the rich are selfish of other people’s feelings, and in this case, Pip, the poor young boy. It will make the rich audience think about how they treat the poor, and make Dicken’s messages successful.

The rich also put a lot of pressure on the poor, as demonstrated in Chapter 8. When Pip was playing with Estella, she makes remarks at the difference between the classes. ‘He calls the knaves, jacks, this boy… and what coarse hands he has! And what thick boots!’ This shows that she is disrespectful to Pip because he is poor and uneducated. This also puts pressure on Pip to change; Pip wanted to change because he liked Estella, but knew he she would never like him if he wasn’t a ‘gentleman’. Also, when Miss. Havisham asks Pip about his feelings for Estella, he nervously and shyly replies ‘ I don’t like to say’. Miss. Havisham replies ‘Tell me in my ear’. This shows a sign of disrespect and disregard to what Pip has to say, and politically Dickens uses to describe how the rich disregard what the poor have to say in society.

Miss. Havisham’s house is very big and beautiful. However on the inside, it is old and ugly, ‘the standing still of all the pale decayed objects’ is an example. Dickens does this because it is a representation of how Dickens portrays the rich. It is also to describe how the rich cover their outside with nice clothes to hide the cruelty on the inside.

From chapter one and 8 of Great Expectations, the statement above could be proved true; Dickens writing is purely political. Dickens use of characters, contrast, setting, metaphors, and description, has inserted many messages in ingenious ways so that the reader will learn of them. Dickens is not only a political writer, but is an outstanding writer all together. His ability to combine a great story with political meanings is perhaps why he is known as one of the best novelists of all time.

The evolution of a person can be complicated when one has “great expectations. ” In Charles Dickens’ finest novel, “Great Expectations,” a young boy named Phillip Pirrup known as Pip who’s great expectations are a dramatized exploration of human growth and the pressures that distort the potential of an ordinary individual, especially in the process of growing up. Pip is a simple blacksmith’s boy who aspires to cross social boundaries when he realizes his own upbringing is common; however, he has no means to change; mysteriously, he is given the means, but wealth only brings him arrogance.

He learns that happiness in life can be achieved only by hard work and the great expectations not grounded in reality can only lead to tragedy and heartache. Uncommonness on the inside is more important than uncommoness on the outside. Pip progresses through three stages of life, all of which he goes through different goals. In Pip’s first stage of life he is an innocent boy with a good heart, whose goals are to be apprenticed as a blacksmith with his friend and guardian, Joe Gargery. Perhaps, he doesn’t have very many goals as a seven-year-old because he doesn’t know what the world has to impact upon him.

This shows that Joe is a role model to Pip and is a factor of his life. In Pip’s second stage of life, his goals change a bit to which makes him change his attitude toward his loved ones; he meets Estella, a rich snobby, but beautiful girl, whom rejects Pip, therefore Pip has a goal to become a gentleman to be in the company of Estella. This shows that Estella is an influence to his goals and affects his attitude in life. This also reveals that Pip becomes arrogant because of the predominance of Estella because he wants to be at the same level as her to with her.

Pip’s third stage in life has soon to come, his goal is to still be with Estella, but mostly he wants to help out his benefactor, Abel Magwitch, known as the “convict;” he also learns that his expectations are all one big sham. This shows how is attitude has changed from a cold hearted arrogant person to a warm hearted caring person. This also reveals that he has to help his benefactor in order to feel a level of satisfaction. Ultimately, Pip learns that his goal in life is out of reach and is full of haughtiness. Undergoing his three stages of life, he has many different values toward himself and others.

In Pip’s first stage, his values are very primitive, the only values he has is for Joe, his values for Joe are very father-son like, he feels equal to Joe. Perhaps, Pip has very primitive values because he has very little knowledge about how life works. This also reveals that he might have felt this value because of the way Joe treated Pip. In Pip’s second stage of life, his values for Joe change tremendously because of the money he receives while getting an education. This shows how money can change a person’s values for the people around him.

This also reveals that he thinks he is better than Joe is because he is now wealthier and is high class. In Pip’s third stage of life his values change dramatically, he realizes how is arrogance and selfishness affect the way he treats other people, like the time he is disgusted to be educated by a convict. This shows how Pip and society put a tag on people and it can never change. This also reveals that Pip learns from his mistakes once it has backfired on himself. Pip’s values dramatically change, he learns from his mistakes and his worth of being a human become clear.

The novels “Great Expectations” and “Brighton Rock” concern themselves, at least initially, with a young male protagonist. These are among some of the most memorable characters in literature. Both Pip in “Great Expectations” and Pinkie in “Brighton Rock” are summoned to meet characters that are socially superior. These characters are both rich and threatening. The lexical choices made by Charles Dickens in “Great Expectations” when describing Pip’s first visit to Miss Havisham’s house create an apprehensive and threatening atmosphere.

The house is described as being made of “old brick” and having “many iron bars”. This creates an image of a prison, which overwhelms the young Pip. In “Brighton Rock”, Graham Greene places emphasis on the elegance and splendour of “The Cosmopolitan”. Greene creates the impression that Pinkie is totally overwhelmed by the magnificence of “The Cosmopolitan”, despite his protestations of the opposite. Both Pip and Pinkie are childish sounding names, which highlight the youth and inexperience of both characters. Pip does not understand the motives of Miss Havisham and Estella for summoning him to Satis house.

Pip is tricked into believing that Miss Havisham is his benefactor. Likewise Pinkie believes that he can scare Mr Colleoni but doesn’t realise that his gang is extremely small and insignificant when compared to the might of Colleoni’s gang. Pinkie is also tricked, as he believes that Colleoni will kill Spicer in an attempt to gain favour with Pinkie but Pip has overestimated Colleoni’s respect for him. Colleoni laughs when Pinkie reveals that he is the new leader of the gang. He refers to Pinkie as “my child” and dismisses him as a “promising youngster”.

Miss Havisham sees Pip as inferior as she commands him to “play” and sees him as a “diversion”. Both Miss Havisham and Estella patronise Pip; they refer to him as “boy”. Dickens uses imagery to great effect in his description of Miss Havisham and her room. Images of corpses and death are constantly evoked in the reader’s imagination as Dickens describes Miss Havisham’s “grave-clothes” and “sunken eyes”. This imagery is particularly noticeable when Pip describes his first impressions of Miss Havisham. Vocabulary such as “faded”, “withered”, “ghastly”, “skeleton” and “dark” is used.

This immediately makes the reader wary of her and creates curiosity as to what her intentions are towards Pip. She is presented as a ghost, living in the past. It appears that when her fianci?? left her she ceased to live fully. Therefore she has become a ghost, a ghost with a motive; to wreak havoc on men and to keep alive her bitterness over her lost lover. She seeks revenge on men through her adopted daughter Estella. Estella is, in a sense, Miss Havisham’s apprentice. She intends to be an upper-class lady but her naivety and inexperience, at this point, is too obvious to disguise.

For example, when given Mr Pumblechook’s name she is unsure of the correct response ad so replies “quite right”. Pip, though, sees Estella as a “candle in the darkness” as she carries the candle that guides him out of Miss Havisham’s home. The candle symbolises hope. Estella is the only thing in the Manor House that Pip is attracted to. Pinkie also attempts to disguise his inexperience. When describing Pinkie’s meeting with Mr Colleoni, Greene describes everything that is happening around Pinkie, “chimes of laughter”, the “chink of ice”, bitches whispering and men talking.

This creates an impression that Pinkie is extremely self conscious and insecure in these strange new surroundings. Colleoni, on the other hand, is described as “snug” and “at home”. This evokes a feeling that Pinkie is very uncomfortable in Colleoni’s presence yet Colleoni is at ease in his. Colleoni is presented as a debonair, affluent man. He is in control of the conversation; he never discloses any information that he does not want to, he never corrects himself or seems to want to know something.

He is perfectly comfortable allowing the conversation to wander in what ever direction Pinkie wants to take it, yet he controls the conversation whilst remaining at ease. He never presses Pinkie to answer him and everything he says has been carefully considered to give the exact effect he requires. Greene constantly reminds the reader of Colleoni’s affluence; he writes that “the armchairs are stately red velvet couches stamped with crowns in gold and silver thread” and that the lighter is “real gold”. Both writers have carefully chosen the names of the places in their books.

Greene calls the hotel, in which Pinkie meets Colleoni, the “Cosmopolitan Hotel”. “Cosmopolitan” implies “international” or “sophisticated”. By selecting this name, Greene once again emphasises the elegance of the hotel. The “international” meaning adds to the impression that the hotel overwhelms Pinkie. This is because Pinkie is used to living his life surrounded by local people that he knows and is not used to being in the midst of foreign strangers. Dickens uses an ironic name to make Miss Havisham’s home in Great Expectations unforgettable.

He calls it “Satis House”, which means “enough house”. This is ironic because, although the house seems to be all one would ever want, it is not. Miss Havisham is incomplete without her fianci??. She is described as being half dressed; Dickens demonstrates to the reader that she’s incomplete without her fianci??. She has realised that a house can never be “enough” to satisfy her. So it can be seen that the settings within the novels, and specifically in these sections, carefully reflect the nature of the owners and their impact on any outsiders who may be called upon to visit.

The Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, a novel released in 1861 about social criticism, is a story of a young boy named Pip who was in struggle to find his fortune or to be successful rather than to be confined on being a common man of his time. The novel was set in the mid-nineteenth century and took place in the town of Kent and London, England. Using the first person point of view, Pip, the protagonist in the novel talked about his childhood in the first few chapters of the book, describing his life, the first encounter with the convict who will soon changed his fortune in the following chapters.

He also mentioned the development of his fascination and later on love for Estella, who was trained to break a man’s heart. Unlike the traditional the traditional novels and story structure, the novel of Dickens does not contain a particular antagonist, rather, he visualized some people who will affect the existence of Pip. He made several characters who took charge of the antagonism in the novel in the person of Magwitch, Estella, Orlick, Miss Havisham, Compeyson and Bentley Drummle. They will cause some of Pip’s misfortune and struggles.

Magwitch, Miss Havisham and Estella, in the end of the novel redeemed themselves and reconciled with Pip (Dickens, n. pag). The novel housed many symbols which were explained through the actions of the characters. The clocks which were stopped in the house of Miss Havisham symbolize her attempt to stop time while the other objects like handcuffs, convicts, file and chains stands for guilt and innocence. Joe, the husband of Pip’s sister is the conscience and loyalty. These symbols helped the protagonist to further develop his character (Philips & Cheng, n.pag).

In mixed tones of cheerfulness, dramatic and sympathetic storytelling, Pip showed what his life was all about, what happened to him and what happened to his desire of being trained as a gentleman in the world wherein common people weren’t enough to be respected and treated fairly. Although the novel talked about several crimes and dealt with such criminality, these made Pip a person of much desire. The novel ended when they failed to help Magwitch escape from being imprisoned, following his death.

Miss Havisham was redeemed in the end while Estella and Pip were reconciled with each other. Pip had reconciliation with Joe also and the story ended with Pip and Estella walked hand in hand and promised never to part again (Dickens, n. pag). It is quite interesting that Charles Dickens’ worked on two endings for this novel. The natural writer have a fix idea or story in mind thus, any criticism will not prevent him from publishing what he does like. In this case, Charles Dickens was influenced by what the people might think of the novel.

Instead of giving the readers a tragic and sad ending, he ventured into following the suggestion of his good friend Edward Bulwer to give a happy ending so that he people will be happy with what happened between the characters. While his critics thought that the ending published was less of reality, the people who embraced the happy ending the original ending was too harsh and thought that their past is actually a bridge for them to be together in the end of the novel. They pointed out that their experiences would lead them into mutual development and soon will help both to realize that they were in love with each other (Philips & Cheng, n.pag).

The second ending were Estella and Pip reconciled and walked away holding hands was the one published because of Dickens’ desire to somehow please his readers while the original ending was left hanging and was not used to justify the ending of the story. Like the critics of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, I go in favor with them that the ending used was not appropriate and that it does depict reality. It is quite impossible that after what happened between him and Estella, he would remain to love her despite of her being that girl who broke his heart.

The original ending is far more considerate and realistic in the sense that in life, it is quite impossible to retain the love you feel for the person after going through so many troubles somehow caused by the same person. Also, the difference in their status and the way they were raised is a very big factor why they should not be brought back together. The way that Estella judged Pip because of his status and the fact that he is just a common person, is enough evidence that the two will not be compatible with one another.

In the end, their reunion and reconciliation with each other did not give a better look of reality and it also did not simply give a better justification with the fallen expectations which Pip had. The ending also foreshadowed the main idea of having a fair and equal ending. It also shows that those people who have hurt us can be given a chance to hurt us more for the second time. Although I don’t really criticize the ending of the novel, I would just want to give an opinion regarding the reality that the book should have.

Although it was an autobiography fiction, it should still have a touch of reality in it so that it will be more convincing. Analyzing the background of both Pip and Estella, there was really no hint that the latter will fall in love with the former and that their common pasts of being deceive and fooled does not justify the reason that they became compatible with it. In the end, whether it was a bad ending or a favored ending, the novel brought realization and many teachings to the readers thus, it opens the mind of a person and it somehow touches the heart of someone who gives too much attention of their life expectations.

As the voice of a fictional and, sometimes, nonfictional literary work, the storyteller is frequently the cardinal characteristic in literary plants and is given a figure of duties. Depending on how the storyteller is attached to the peculiar narrative or book, these functions include assisting to impart a voice to the writer ‘s ideas every bit good as frame the narrative and guarantee focal point, present the secret plan, and supply position. Narrative can be delivered by either indirect discourse or all-knowing narrative based on the writer ‘s purpose, supplying a scope of techniques that add credibleness to the narrative or take the reader to inquiry or mistrust the storyteller, depending on the word picture, linguistic communication, and secret plan line that is being utilised. The storyteller can be the chief character but they can besides be a minor character, a combination of characters, or even function an all-knowing function as a narrator who is non portion of the narrative.

On a simple and straightforward degree, both books utilise the storyteller as a manner of reminding the reader about the secret plan, bordering the narrative and concentrating the action due to their serialised nature. In this manner, both storytellers explain spreads in clip and action, talking to the reader and assisting arouse their ideas of what had antecedently happened. Both serve as managers in footings of steering the reader through the narrative and bring outing what they want to be seen or what they want the reader to chew over in footings of the ‘intention of intending ‘ whilst still being able to set up boundaries around what is to be inferred from reading the narrative ( Brooks, 503 ) . On a deeper degree further explored within this paper, both storytellers represent the overruling subject of Victorian literature that Dickens has made celebrated in footings of the weak back uping the strong every bit good as the hapless sating the wealthy ( Bloom, 155 ) . In this manner, the storyteller besides serves as a device to keep up and steer the reader through the building of the narrative but besides a building of the human ego.

As the storyteller of Great Expectations, Pip takes on a figure of functions as he moves from a immature kid to maturate adult male, supplying a humanistic touch to Dickens ‘s frequently black and desperate narratives. The reader can so associate to in these footings of following his outlooks and uncertainties about how he will do in life every bit good as determining his sense of values set against those of society by reflecting on what he is larning about himself. Overall, as a storyteller, it is Pip who serves to link the constructs of character and event within the secret plan, associating these together in a mode that helps the reader stay meaningfully connected to the narrative ( Gissing, 95 ) . In this manner, Dickens uses Pip as a manner of doing a commentary about society, morality, and category battles with an overruling narrative that experiences greed, wealth, and power whilst seeking to stay industrious, ethical, and caring. Alternatively of doing the commentary straight, Dickens establishes the storyteller as a manner of dissociating himself as the writer in the reader ‘s head from the narrative so that Pip becomes the transcriber for what Dickens is seeking to pass on to the reader ( Miller, 249 ) .

What sets the narrative apart in Great Expectations is the complex signifier in footings of Mr. Pirrip, the adult Pip, reflecting on his life as a hapless male child and making so from the position of a mature and slightly successful bourgeois. He seems to state the narrative in a composure and brooding tone that does non look to be angry with his childhood despite holding outlooks in young person that went unrealized. Even in reciting state of affairss that were instead traumatic and cruel, Pip remains detached. This illustrates how Dickens uses this tone to construct sympathy and make a differentiation between the bad society and the good nature of some human existences. He provides a prosaic tone to what could be considered a serious commentary on society of the twenty-four hours. This can be seen as he states, “ I tell this lightly, but it was no light thing for me ” ( Dickens, 235 ) .

This sense of withdrawal and isolation from old events illustrates how a storyteller can be positioned in a manner that shows how all human relationships are non logical and rational in footings of communicating, interaction, and degree of intending but that life is a much more complex and illusory set of actions and mentalities ( Vande Kieft, 325 ) . There are besides times where the restriction of what the storyteller chooses to relay or how it is being relayed will greatly impact on the reader ‘s reaction to what the storyteller has to state, thereby act uponing the reader to potentially pull certain decisions. This can particularly be the instance for Pip as Dickens tries to utilize the narrative to explicate the motion from self-awareness to self-acceptance that outlooks are frequently replaced by uncertainty when society has the power and inhuman treatment to command one ‘s being ( Dessner, 436 ) . Throughout all of his novels, including Hard Times and Great Expectations, Dickens makes it clear that he would wish to stay degage from the narrative and the storyteller he has created, slightly deducing his ain misgiving of the storyteller but recognition that the device helps him accomplish his purpose as a author ( Daldry, 99 ) .

The fact that he seems to alter from doing premises about his childhood to a defensive tone that illustrates assurance in his memory and his feelings places Pip as a more trusty storyteller in footings of doing him more human and kindred to the reader ( Daldry 1987,141 ) . Yet, even the desire to swear Pip ‘s position is taken off-balance when the reader discovers subsequently on in the narrative that they have been deliberately deceived about certain episodes. In this manner, Dickens is able to set the reader in the same frame of head as the inexperienced person and naA?ve Pip who, as a kid, had considered certain people trustworthy merely to happen that he had been deceived. In this manner, the narrative becomes a brooding device that Dickens utilizations to do the reader experience what he is seeking to explicate about society and the deficiency of morality and unity in the universe. This is besides carried out through Pip ‘s sense of that weakness over his state of affairs based on how overwhelmed the other characters make him experience. This adds to the temper and emotion of the novel which is emitted through Pip and to the reader ( Woloch, 178 ) . This sense of being overwhelmed may take Pip to be slightly undependable as the other characters dominate him and be given to determine his ego and the reader ‘s sense of his personality and character ( Woloch, 178 ) .

The continued focal point of Dickens on the construct of how personality signifiers ( Morgentaler, 1 ) is besides explored through the narrative techniques of Hard Times. Like Pip, the anon. storyteller in Hard Times is besides used as a device to assist the reader experience a sense of isolation of ego set against a rough society ( Miller, 251 ) every bit good as express an person ‘s sense of ego in relation to society and in relation to other persons ( Miller 1958, 225 ) . There is a similar realization with this storyteller in footings of explicating what he had perceived as world that, upon farther being and geographic expedition, was non right nor was it logical, taking him to re-examine himself and his life ( Dickens, 29 ) .

Using this technique in both books is besides a manner for Dickens to impart a deeper position for the reader in footings of supplying what may look like a confusion or atomization of positions by the two storytellers ( Shires, 18 ) . This atomization can be seen in how Pip and the anon. storyteller tend to alter their heads about assorted actions or state of affairss that they are associating every bit good as going more emotional at times whilst other state of affairss are explained calmly and rationally, directing the reader through a kaleidoscope of positions about assorted events in the book. In this manner, Victorian literature utilised the storyteller as a device for traveling off from Realist literature that was focused on rapprochement and integrity. Alternatively, books by Dickens and others during the clip pushed the boundaries of what the reader could manage by supplying a storyteller who could steer and border the reader ‘s journey through which positions were ‘tested, altered, or replaced by another ‘ ( Shires, 18 ) .

This unfastened sense of the universe and society provides an all-knowing sense to the narrative within Great Expectations, which one critic described as a first-person storyteller trapped within 3rd individual narrative universe ( Woloch, 178 ) . In understanding the differences in narrative technique, first individual narrative ‘makes a qualitative differentiation between the human figure who narrates the narrative ( and it is therefore presented as an agent or topic of perceptual experience ) and the characters he writes about ( mere objects of perceptual experience ) ‘ ( Woloch, 178 ) . In this instance, Pip is narrating his perceptual experience of his ain character or ego, which leads him to continually try to detach himself. The reader so determines what the mature Pip is truly believing about in footings of his life, his connexion to society, and his sense of ego.

However, it is within Hard Times where Dickens more slackly uses an alternate personality to cover up his direct communicating to the reader in the signifier of an indirect discourse and the usage of all-knowing narrative. In this mode, there is a framed construction because the storyteller is stating a narrative that apparently has a different supporter than the storyteller ( Woloch, 178 ) . This was a manner to convey his position on political and societal issues of his clip even though his purpose was for the reader to concentrate on the creative activity of an all-knowing storyteller who is merely assisting the reader expression beyond the fictional universe and draw decisions about existent society and the one within Hard Times ( Watts, 135 ) . As an omniscient storyteller, there is besides a vagueness that is pronounced in footings of how state of affairss are described or what they are to symbolize in footings of doing an illation to the political and educational systems of the twenty-four hours ( Watts, 138 ) .

Whilst there are many topographic points in which it would look as though the storyteller would come out and direct the reader to a certain belief, such as destructing Millss, it is ne’er said ; it is merely inferred ( Watts, 139 ) . Hence, the decisions based on the re-examination and rating of ego through the all-knowing storyteller is left more up to the reader in Hard Times than the more direct, but still slightly caged, responses of Pip in Great Expectations. Whilst apparently left up to the reader, there is room to see the possibility that, despite room for reading that an all-knowing position allows the reader to pull their ain decisions, Dickens still seems to let both storytellers merely plenty licence to reexamine certain information by which to pull strings control of the reader ‘s point of position thereby motivating a certain understanding or disdain for different groups of people within society ( Boege, 90 ) .

This same position was besides noted by a research worker who said, ‘In a sense, the whole intent of the novel is to convert us of a figure of equalities, most peculiarly that between the educational doctrine of Gradgrind and the economic theory and pattern of the new industrialism ‘ ( Bloom, 120 ) . Leaving the narrative to be conducted by a slightly anon. ‘voice ‘ is Dickens ‘s manner of non concentrating the reader on the existent elements of character of the storyteller but maintaining the reader entirely set on understanding the intent of the novel. In this manner, the reader is connected to the information provided by the anon. reader in an unemotional mode that does non convey personal involvement into the controversial topics of the novel, including ‘the crunching ugliness of industrial development ; the abstract theory of Utilitarianism ; shallow opportunism ; the anti-social force of the capitalist ; and merchandise brotherhoods ‘ ( Hosbaum, 174 ) . In many ways, information and perspectives about these topics are provided in a degage mode slightly similar to Shoot who seemed, at times, to be narrating person else ‘s life.

In both novels the storytellers attempt in a personal and direct manner with Pip in Great Expectations and with an all-knowing mode in Hard Times to state the reader about society and how what is ideal and moralistic is non needfully what world involves, particularly in visible radiation of the persons who apparently are non able to do a difference in footings of get the better ofing society with their outlooks of how things should be ( Jordan, 70 ) . Both transmit Dickens ‘s messages about the battles of humanity against a powerful and avaricious society ( Jordan, 78 ) . In both of Dickens ‘s texts, the storytellers provide the tools by which the reader can have the context of what Dickens wants to pass on so as to transform the relevancy of the societal and political messages that appear in these books ( Walsh, 36 ) . Whilst the information within the texts is viewed as fiction, Dickens employs his storytellers to supply a degree of genuineness, honestness, and relevancy to the fiction by which the reader can reap cognition of specific events and issues that have occurred in the existent universe as opposed to merely being viewed as fictional events ( Walsh, 36 ) .

As one critical analysis of narrative techniques noted, ‘The cognition offered by fictionaˆ¦is non chiefly specific cognition of what is ( or was ) , but of how human personal businesss work, or, aˆ¦how to do sense of them-logically, evaluatively, emotionally ‘ ( Walsh, 36 ) . Hence, through an all-knowing presence every bit good as through the presentation of a sympathetic storyteller like Pip, the reader can do connexions to these books, which helps intensify the contextual consequence that Dickens is seeking to make. The storytellers are a manner to link the cognitive procedures of the writer and the reader, thereby go throughing on cognition of world but making so through a fictional procedure that is guided and controlled by the storyteller. Throughout both books, Dickens efforts to take the reader into the head of his characters, himself, and society as a manner to link the reader to the events and issues of his twenty-four hours whilst still seeking to supply a figure of positions by which to humanize the narrative and to construct understanding for the points he is trying to do about the existent universe.

The text under consideration presents an excerpt from the novel “Great expectations” by Charles Dickens who is one of the world’s greatest novelists of the 19th century famous for his criticism of the bourgeois society of his time with its evils and contrasts of wealth and poverty, his unique mastery of character drawing and optimistic point of view concerning life and the world around him.

The reader highly appreciates Dickens’s spirit of optimism, his love for common people and his strong belief in the final victory of good over evil as well as his humour which is to be found on every page and in characters and incidents of the greatest diversity. However, Dickens possesses a great dramatic instinct which can be proved by the following extract. On a stormy rainy night a young man named Pip is reading a book when a strange visitor interrupts him appearing unexpectedly.

Pip lets him in wondering what has brought the man to his flat. While talking to him Pip suddenly begins to recognize the guest whose strange behavior confuses the young man. The stranger turns out to be Pip’s mysterious benefactor whom he helped escape from pursuit when a child and this fact shocks Pip so much for he considers his present status to be his own achievement. The convict reveals secret after secret and does not conceal his pride of Pip’s being a real gentleman.

The extract under consideration presents a piece of 1st person narration which proves to be more objective from the point of view of the novel protagonist with elements of colorful description and vivid portrayal intercepted with a dialog and flashbacks deepening the reader’s penetration into the character thoughts. The prevalent mood of the excerpt is gloomy, nervous and disturbing, full of anxiety and tension maintained by the weather behind the window of the Pip’s room with an air of approaching disaster.

With every coming word the author creates the atmosphere of a lonely stormy evening that brings not only disaster but also renders the character’s thoughts, his state of mind and soul, his vague foreboding of radical but inevitable changes that are both captivating ad dramatic. With the tonality of the narration gradually shifting along the scale of intensiveness the text under analysis can be split into four logical parts and the following names can be suggested for each of them.

The 1st part titled “An anticipatory fear” introduces the reader into the story and forms the background against which all the events take place. The 2nd one bears the name “The stranger in the room” acquainting the reader with the uninvited guest who is the embodiment of mystery and enigma. The 3d part of the excerpt called “The present meets the past” provides the reader with some new information concerning the protagonist’s early life and reasons his present behavior.

The final part which presents the climax of the extract can be named “The revelation” answering the questions aroused in the previous parts. Let us consider each part of the text separately. The 1st part of the extract serves as introduction into a stormy and dark evening provoking the whole chain of mysterious and striking events happening to the protagonist of the novel Pip reading a book late at night in his small London flat at the top floor of the building.

Every detail introduced by the author is called upon enhancing the gloominess of the atmosphere and preparing the reader for the events forthcoming. To intensify the wretchedness of the weather of the weather the writer resorts to the whole palette of stylistic devices – numerous repetitions (“stormy and wet, stormy and wet”, “mud, mud, mud”) to form the background against the events take place and gradually draw the reader into the story who comes across another SD – polysyndeton (and… and… and) that is another type of repetition which intensifies the increasing strain and growing nervousness.

Apart from that Dickens metaphorically compares the clouds with a heavy veil which being vast, heavy and all-embracing covers the whole city reinforcing the image of inevitable disaster by means of hyperbole (an eternity of cloud and wind, the worst day of all) lending an additional expressiveness to the narration. The wind is personified by the author and likened to a terrible monster, primeval beast which deals death and destruction and demolishes everything in its way (violent blasts, rages of the wind, the wind assails and tears the sound) in order to emphasize the implied feeling of the ramatic events coming. The lexical expressive means are strengthen by definite syntactic structures used by Dickens to contribute to a more colorful and probable presentation of the scene. The expressive intensive sentence “So furious had been the gusts” brings additional vividness and luster to the description is accompanied by a SD of detachment which primary function is to add significance to the part of the sentence manifesting itself in the following phrase: and gloomy accounts had come in from the coast, of shipwreck and death.

The time is flowing carrying away the last moments of Pip’s peaceful reading and the final one is burned out by the Saint Paul’s and all the many church-clocks striking. In this paragraph the author’s godsend is the use of SD of onomatopoeia (the sound of the clocks striking – leading, accompanying, following) that perfectly presents the idea of the clock chime as a sign of approaching danger or disaster.

The parallel construction of this sentence is backed up by anaphora accentuating the temporary state of affairs (some… some… some). The SD of parallelism is also used by the author in the next phrase “The sound was curiously flowed by the wind and I was listening and thinking” which is gradually bringing the reader to the 2nd part of the excerpt “The stranger in the room” further intensifying the tense atmosphere of the 1st one.

Gloomy prophesies turns out to be true – the strange uninvited guest is coming up the stairs to intrude into Pip’s apartment and Pip’s life. Dickens masterfully resorts to the SD of metonymy to maintain the air of mystery and growing suspense – Pip hears a footstep, not a man (I heard a footstep on the stair, the footstep stumbled), talks to a voice that seems to be the echo of his own words (There is nothing the reflected by matter? Nothing the matter…) presented by anadiplosis, sees a face – larding the image of the stranger with a special choice of words including epithets rendering not only the character’s thoughts but also enhancing the general sense of anxiety the whole extract is permeated with (nervous folly, awfully connected, dead sister, blown out lights, incomprehensible air, mere instant, the darkness beneath, a shaded lamp etc. ).

The author has a firm grip on reader’s interest inserting an indefinite pronoun “whoever” which precedes the actual description of the night visitor built by the author with the help of antithesis (he was substantially dressed, but roughly), simile (like a voyager by the sea and tha abundant use of various epithets (muscular man, strong on his legs, large brown venous hands, browned, hardened). His hair is metaphorically called iron-grey, and judging by his appearance one might say that this person is used to hard work.

The paragraph is practically built on parallel constructions backed up by anaphoric repetition (that… that) to make the description of the stranger more expressive. Pip gets involved in the conversation with his visitor and we cannot but notice that these principle characters are opposed to each other at different levels and in different ways – both in speech and their attitude towards each other.

All kinds of deviations from standard English – phonetic (arter, fur). Grammatical (you’ve grow’d up, I have never forgot it, you was a saying, wot) and lexical (nigh, alonger) are typical for Pip’s guest speech as contrasted to Pip’s highly educated phraseology that forms the huge gap between these two people that at first sight seems to be insuperable.

Besides with the dialog intercepted the reader should pay the closest attention to the politeness the visitor addresses with to Pip (by your live, Master) and Pip’s inhospitable answers and nervous reactions finding their expression in such words as “resent the recognition of brightness, unwilling, ask as civilly as he can” revealing his inner shapeless fears and temporary mental state.

One must feel the constant intention of the stranger to reach to Pip, to express joy caused by the sight of him (bright and gratified recognition that shone in his face), holds out both his hands to Pip – the phrase which runs like a refrain through the whole text merging its parts to a single whole and totally enjoys the view of Pip’s flat “looking about him as if he had some part in the things he admired”.

Ascribing some positive intentions to the strange visitor on the one hand the author intensifies Pip’s negative attitude towards him on the other, laying an emphasis on the fact that Pip suspects the stranger to be mad, recoils from him talking to the interlocutor even in somewhat humiliating way (Why do you, a strange coming into my rooms at this time of the night, ask that question? ) when the first hint at disappointment of the night visitor gradually realizing him being an uninvited guest appears expressed by the epithets (his coarse broken voice) and his moment hesitation presented by epiphoric repetition (I’ll speak in half a minute.

Give me half a minute, please) although his strong believe in Pip and his admiration remain unshakable. The atmosphere of growing suspense and tension maintained in the previous part bursts into a well-considered moment of recognition causing a tsunami of thoughts and feelings that threatens to devour the principle character. Pip’s night guest turns out to be the convict he helped escape from pursuit long time ago – and now this man so suddenly and unscrupulously interferes with Pip’s life.

In order the reader forms a clear view of the situation, the author gives a flashback into the past events proceeding the present ones with a perfect use of causative-consecutive ties and connections. It is necessary to point out that repetition takes various forms in this paragraph. By means of anaphoric reiteration (For I knew him, but I new him, I knew him now! ) the writer sets an unmistakable rhyme reinforcing with every beat of Pip’s heart his feeling of realization and anxiety that is immediately communicated to the reader.

No need to take a file, no need to take the handkerchief, no need to hug himself – there is something sinister about the fact that the phrase “no need to” is repeated so many times that the reader may find disturbing. As always when a repetition takes place, it results in a parallel arrangement of constructions (had driven away, had scattered, had swept us to the churchyard) which is meant to accentuate certain significant details of the past horrible for Pip.

The constant use of the verb “to know” which is definitely a key word of the paragraph deserves special attention, as it is employed so as to emphasize the very fact of recognition. Moreover, the author resorts to a special choice of words aimed at lending an additional expressiveness to the moment described to produce the greatest possible effect achieved by the smallest possible means: to detect, to recall, feature, recognition, identity, suspect, consciousness, distinctly etc.

The dramatic opposition of the characters previously introduced by Dickens finds its further development in the course of narration when being under the influence of moment hesitation Pip finally gives his hands to the convict – reluctantly – who grasps them heartily, and kisses them, and holds them which forms a kind of antithesis in the attitude of the personages towards each other. While the convict interprets Pip’s unconscious resignation as a good sign even going to embrace him, the protagonist overcomes his shock and astonishment to keep the distance (I aid a hand upon his breast and put him away) raising his voice in a fit of anger and in his desperate desire to be as far from this man as possible. The author favors reiterations in great abundance expressing one and the same idea from different angles to reveal Pip’s hesitation, lack of self-confidence with the help of root repetition (grateful, gratitude, to thank, to be thanked), anaphora (I am glad, I am glad) and chiasmus (I deserve to be thanked, you have come to thank me).

As the author puts it Pip loses his self-possession not knowing what to do and the SD of aposiopesis (But surely you must understand – I…) is an excellent proof of it. The last phrase of the sentence bringing up the paragraph may be regarded as a logical summing up of what was previously said presenting the reader with a magnificent metaphor “the words died away on my tongue” proving to be an apotheosis of Pip’s temporary state of numbness and shock.

While analyzing the text we must take into account the fact that both characters are presented in evolution – but each of them in his own unique way. At the beginning of the excerpt Pip is self-confident, self-reliant, a bit arrogant considering himself to be a master of the situation although this state does not last long. Pip tries to keep at the same level of formality but he is confused, nervous, anxious. Pip recognizes him but he’s unwilling to renew the chance intercourse with him (But our ways are different ways).

In the course of narration he suffers lack of words and numbness while concerning the convict Dickens makes a well-thought-out swift in the mood of the personage shifting from friendly tone to somewhat ironic and self-assured one. The convict also repeats himself but deliberately as it produces quite a different, even opposite impression on the reader – his speech is now imbued with bitter disappointment and irony seems to be a perfect tool for its expression.

Apart from this he tries to sound poetic (many a thousand mile of stormy water, since you and me was out on them lone shivering marshes) and all the dialect and uneducated features of his speech prominent not only in phonetics, but also in vocabulary and syntax cannot prevent the reader from perception of his romantic nature. In the stream of consciousness Pip turns off to his past again remembering some significant details about his acquaintance with the convict.

Dickens resorts to anaphora (I was a poor boy, and to a poor boy they) to lay a special stress on the fact mentioned intensifying it with oxymoron (they were a little fortune) to lend probability and additional expressiveness to the description of Pip’s joyless childhood full of hardship and privation. The fact that the convict gave some money to Pip finds its reflection in the present when Pip is trying to repay to him to split all the bonds between them and get rid of the feeling of obligation. The protagonist’s actions insult the convict who does not care of money, burning them down.

It is necessary to point out that Pip’s actions are connected polysyndetically to indicate Pip’s hurriedness and nervousness whereas the convict’s actions are joined asyndetically displaying perfectly his self-reliance. The contradictions of the convict’s manifest themselves in the recurring SD of chiasmus (with a smile that was like a frown, and with a frown that was like a smile) employed by the author confuse Pip even more when the night guest puts a question truing to sound greatly and deeply ironically – May I make so bold as ask you how you have done well? laying a special stress on “how” which is italicized. The question influences Pip in a strange and frightening way and the author reinforces his hidden fears using the emphatic it-structure in the following sentence – It was only now I began to tremble – in order to mark the moment when Pip’s numbness is ready to set him free giving way to much wilder feelings and emotions. To impart to the paragraph its own stylistic value Dickens resorts to the SD of metonymy (lips had parted and shaped some words that were without sound) to deepen Pip’s hesitation and feeling of uncertainty.

The question is piled on the question while the convict deliberately disparages himself (a mere warmint) to let Pip feel in full measure, keenly, acutely the convict’s ironic attitude towards him as a naive boy who thanks his lucky stars having no slightest idea of his real benefactor. Along with the epithet “wildly” the author make use of a colorful simile – with my heart beating like a heavy hammer of disorder action – and the SD of suspension (as to the first figure now.

Five? As to the 1st letter of this layer’s name, now. Would it be J? ) to introduce the reader into the final part of the extract under consideration containing the denouement of the whole text. The final part of the text presents the climax of the excerpt with Pip’s state of shock being underlined in a number of ways and exaggerated. The author’s chief weapon is hyperbole. The abundant use of hyperbolic plural orms (disappointments, dangers, disgraces, consequences) blended with metaphoric (all the truth of my position came flashing on me, rushed in in such multitude) and some other hyperbolic expressions (I was borne down, had to struggle for every breath, could not have spoken one word though it had been to save my life, suffocating) give the reader a vivid sense of revelation befallen Pip who is about to faint which is proved metaphorically by the author (the room began to surge and turn) as well as metonymically (bringing the face that I now well remembered).

The final part is based on the SD of suspense which makes the idea of revelation more prominent and surely holds the reader’s attention till the very last word. The use of emphatic it-construction (It’s me wot has done it! ) deepens the reader’s understanding of it. The last paragraph is practically built up on parallel constructions backed up by anaphoric repetitions (as ever I earned a guinea, that guinea should go to you, as ever spec’lated and got rich, you should get rich) and the SD of antithesis (I lived rough, that you should live smooth, I worked hard that you should be above work).

Rhetorical questions that do not need any answers but stimulate some meditations upon the real state of affairs strengthen the crash of all Pip’s great expectations. Disparaging himself deliberately the convict desires to sacrifice a lot for Pip’s sake that emphasizes his magnanimity and Pip’s pettiness. The young man’s happiness is the only compensation he needs and exclaiming – I could make a gentleman – and, Pip, you are him! – he sounds proud and satisfied with what he has done.

In his novel Dickens touches upon some burning issues of his time in a life story of a young man whose being poor and lonely gets a chance to change all his life with the help of money and the power they give abandoning his friends and family, almost betraying the only people who ever loved him. With an ironic and satiric touch the author uncrowns all the great expectations of the young man who is subject to go through disappointments of his adult life much harder to overcome than childhood ones. For me the great value of the extract consists in my desire to read the whole story appeared while analyzing this text.

To tell you the truth I’ve experienced some controversially feelings reading this passage trying to understand it completely and utterly. As they say good deeds are those you are not telling of so no matter how proud you are of your success and your achievements concerning some other person’s destiny you should not come to him to point out the connection between your actions and his fortune in order to avoid the annoying feeling of obligation, especially in case you do not know this person well enough to make him feel obliged.

From my personal experience I cannot but say that friends and family will realize themselves whether they should thank you or not, as regards some other people you’ve ever secretly helped – sometimes it’s even a pleasure to watch them coping with their lives knowing that you’ve taken part in their success but keeping it to yourself to enjoy privately. Good deeds will be rewarded in any case – no need to force people thanking you or this gratitude will bring no good.