Chapter One of Great Expectations Essay - 832 Words

What is the Significance of Chapter One of Great Expectations in Relation to the Novel as a Whole? Great Expectations is a novel written by Charles Dickens and is considered to be one of his best stories. The plot follows a young boy named Phillip Pirrip or Pip and it focuses on his growth as he matures from a young boy into a fully grown man. He had always had great expectations of himself, wishing to become someone of high social class - as this was set and written in the Victorian era when social class was a huge factor of society - and when he ends up visiting an eccentric woman called Miss Haversham he meets a beautiful young girl called Estella who becomes more important later on. After he discovers that he has a†¦show more content†¦Also the fact that the novel follows his growth and the word Pip is also used to describe a small seed which grows into something bigger. The setting from the start of the book is very important starting with the bleak and stereotypical graveyard that gives the chapter tension and a gloomy mood. The graveyard is a typical example of how the setting contributes to the atmosphere of the story. Starting the book in a graveyard immediately informs the reader about a lot of information about Pips history and under different circumstances it would have taken a lot longer to explain; things like Pips parents and family, which were quickly and subtlety explained to the readers using the gravestones when Magwitch asked Wheres your mother? and Pips response being There sir as he points to his Mother, Father and five siblings gravestones. Throughout the book the setting reflects Pips mood e.g. Pips experiences of suffering and torture, both mental and physical, by his sister were reflected by the surroundings being rough. The language and dialogue is unusual for a novel, this may be because originally it would have been written for a newspaper or magazine and it may have been published monthly because of this you will notice that all of the characters have either comical or unusual names, Dickens used this technique to make sure that these characters are not forgotten also you can also see subtle reminders ofShow MoreRelatedChapter One of Great Expectations Essay767 Words   |  4 PagesCOURSEWORK ‘How effective is chapter one as an opening to â€Å"great expectations†?’ The first chapter is set in the grave yard, where pip is looking at the tombstones of his dead parents and brothers. ‘Arranged in a neat row beside their grave, and were sacred to the memory of five little brothers of mine- who gave up trying to get a living exceedingly early in that universal struggle’. He is stating that all of his brothers gave in to death, which gives the idea that life expectancy wasRead MoreEssay about Chapter One of Dickens Great Expectations1858 Words   |  8 PagesChapter One of Dickens Great Expectations The title of the novel that I studied is, Great Expectations, written in the 19th century by Charles Dickens. Pip, an orphan often goes to the cemetery to mourn for his dead parents and brothers. While mourning one day, a convict hiding in that same cemetery scares him. All that he thinks of is to listen and obey the man. As the story evolves, we are also introduced to the sentimental part of Pips life. He is in love withRead MoreChapter One and Thirty Nine of Great Expectations Essay1814 Words   |  8 PagesCompare chapter 1 of Great Expectations, in which Pip first meets the convict, with chapter 39, when the convict returns. Charles Dickens is considered to be one of the greatest English novelists of the Victorian period. This greatest of Victorian writers was born in Landport, Portsmouth, on February 7, 1812. His father John worked as a clerk in the Navy Payroll Office in Portsmouth. It was his personal experience of factory work and the living conditions of the poor that created in DickensRead More Compare Chapter One of Great Expectations, in which Pip first meets1737 Words   |  7 PagesCompare Chapter One of Great Expectations, in which Pip first meets the convict, with Chapter 39 when he returns. Pip Pirrip is our main character of the story ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens. From what we’ve read in chapter one, we have found out that he is an orphan living in Kent with his older sister and her husband, Joe Gargery. We are not sure about his age but we can guess that he is around eight years old. He meets an escaped convict by the name of Magwitch, who asks himRead MoreEssay about Settings in Great Expectations928 Words   |  4 PagesShow how Dickens uses settings in Great Expectations to enhance our understanding of character and the symbolic elements of the plot - Great expectations Show how Dickens uses settings in Great Expectations to enhance our understanding of character and the symbolic elements of the plot. As we notice in the novel Great Expectations, Charles Dickens uses many different narrative techniques other than the usual description. One of these techniques is that of describing character throughRead More How the Views of Magwitch Change through the Course of the Novel734 Words   |  3 PagesHow the Views of Magwitch Change through the Course of the Novel Great Expectations is about a boy called Pip, who has Great Expectations and doesnt want to be poor all his life. Along his way, a lot of strange things happen to him, such as meeting strange people and getting money off unknown people. Great Expectations was wrote in 1860 and was Dickens thirteenth novel. This essay will be about how our views on Magwitch change through the story, such as at the beginning us thinkingRead MoreThe General Theory Of Employment, Interest, And Money.1653 Words   |  7 Pageshis toddler years in Cambridge where he attended kindergarten. In 1889, he attended his first kindergarten lessons at Perse School for Girls where he was supposed to attend lessons for five days a week. At the initial stage of education, he showed great interest in Arithmetic, laying a firm foundation for his future career as an economist (Bateman, et al. 2010) As his health was not good at this time, he had to take his lessons from home lessons since he could not attend classes on a regular basisRead MoreEssay about Great Expectations, Life of Pi and the Great Gatsby1274 Words   |  6 PagesEnglish Literature Summer Task The Great Gatsby, Life of Pi and Great Expectations: The Opening Chapters The opening chapters of each of these three books are both similar and different in many ways, and succeed to keep the reader interested enough to carry on their journey with Pip, Nick or Pi. The way characterisation is put forward in these three novels is rather similar, in the fact that all three are written in the first person, giving the impression that the character in question is tellingRead MoreThe Relationship Between Pip and Abel Magwitch in Charles Dickens Great Expectations1125 Words   |  5 PagesMagwitch in Charles Dickens Great Expectations In this essay, I am to observe the changes in the relationship between Pip and the convict Abel Magwitch in chapters 1 and 39 by examining Read MoreCharles Dickens: Great Expectations Essay988 Words   |  4 PagesCharles Dickens: Great Expectations Describe how Dickens creates atmosphere and introduces characters in Chapter One of Great Expectations. In this essay I am going to describe how Dickens successfully uses tension and drama to create atmosphere and to introduce his characters status, emotions and identity in the opening chapter of Great Expectations. The central character, Pip, is followed from youth as he makes the journey from poverty to riches and back again as