Young orphan boy Essay Example

Young orphan boy Essay Example Young orphan boy Essay Young orphan boy Essay Essay Topic: Black Boy Great Expectations is an enthralling, complex tale with a surprising twist. It is a rags to riches story for a young orphan boy, whose name is Pip. In the beginning of the novel, Pip the protagonist, has a chance meeting with Magwitch an escaped convict, still in leg irons. Pip is threatened, and shortly returns with food and a file, which pleases Magwitch. Pip has no idea of the significance that this chance meeting will have on the rest of his life. Some time later, Pip meets the wealthy, eccentric Miss Havisham and her adopted daughter, Estella. Miss Havisham is a deeply troubled individual. On her wedding day her groom fails to turn up and the wedding is cancelled. This has lead to Miss Havishams vendetta against all men, and she uses the beautiful Estella as the main tool in this quest. Despite Estellas spitefulness, Pip immediately falls in love with her. Pip learns that he has a mystery benefactor, which he assumes is Miss Havisham. With his new found wealth, Pip decides to go to London to pursue to life of a gentleman. Pip disowns and is embarrassed by his past. Many years later Magwitch appears on the scene and announces that he is the secret benefactor, which leaves Pip in a state of shock. Pip eventually reacquaints himself with his past and befriends Estella. Pip has learnt during his life that money is not everything and happiness is more important. In Great Expectations there are many themes the most important of which is power. For example, Miss Havisham seeks total power over men. Another major theme is friendships. The manner of friendships is explored and how they can change over time. Finally ambition and self improvement is a potent theme. Pip seeks to gain an education and is not satisfied in being a blacksmiths apprentice. The wealthy, barely sane Miss Havisham lives in a decaying mansion called Satis House. Firstly, Dickens describes her appearance as being withered along with her bridal dress. He also says that she looks like a waxwork and a skeleton crossed together which seems inhuman to Pip, as a young boy. Furthermore Dickens says the dress had been put on it a rounded young figure of a young woman, and that figure of which it now hung loose We can learn from these descriptions that Miss Havisham no longer cares about her figure after being jilted on the day of her wedding, as she still sits in her wedding dress. Another way Dickens represents Miss Havisham is by showing her actions. He says that she sits there each and every day corpse like. Miss Havisham also orders Pip around, for example she says Play, play, play! This would make Pip intimidated as he is just a young boy, this would also make the reader dislike Miss Havisham. Additionally, Dickens uses her interactions with others to describe her. Firstly she talks to Pip as though he is not in the room, for example she says to Estella Well! You can break his heart. This implies she wants to hurt Pip and she does not care about his feelings. Miss Havisham is a very demanding person. For example she says to Pip I have a sick fancy that I want to see some play. There, there! This implies that she has nothing good to do with her life and is extremely bored. Miss Havisham also fells sorry for herself. When she touches her heart she says Broken! Dickens writes that she says it in a boasting tone of voice which again implies that she wants the listener to feel sorry for her. After reading chapter 8 nobody will feel any sympathy towards Miss Havisham. She treats Pip with disdain when he has done nothing wrong. Miss Havisham presents herself as a disturbing character because of her clothes, speech and general rude behaviour. Miss Havisham comes across as an arrogant person. This shows through her hatred of men, and the way in which she has moulded Estella into her way of thinking. As the story progresses we come to understand just why she is so obsessed with destroying mens lives. Dickens reveals that Miss Havishsams mother died at an early age, which immediately set her on the wrong path in life. The first experience of a man betraying her came when her father secretly marries his cook. Miss Havisham is completely oblivious to this, it is only when his new wife dies that Miss Havisham is informed. Worse still that she also has a secret half brother. In Victorian times all of these matters would have been seen as unacceptable. Indeed, Mr Havisham being a wealthy, powerful businessman should not be seen marrying a mere cook. But what was to happen next to Miss Havisham would be far more damaging. In time Miss Havisham falls in love with a less than kindly gentleman. In fact it is said that she idolised him. He insists on taking over all of Miss Havishams business interests. Little does she know that her fianci e and her estranged half brother have been plotting together to ruin Miss Havisham. It is at twenty minutes to nine on her wedding day that Miss Havisham discovers her fianci e is an evil trickster and that the wedding is off. Victorian women were expected to be hard working around the house and to have and respect a husband. Women were also expected to have children. Additionally, Victorian women would not have been expected to have control over business affairs. So it seems that on all these issues Miss Havisham has failed. She has been jilted on her wedding day, has no child but an adopted daughter, and has handed over her business affairs to her swindling fianci e. It is in chapter 22 that Dickens changes our view of Miss Havisham. Our feelings towards Miss Havisham do change somewhat. It is apparent that Miss Havisham is a victim of an evil plot where two men have betrayed her. This has been the trigger that has started her vendetta against all men. When Estella returns from London in Chapter 38, Dickens shows a different side to a usually in control Miss Havisham. When Miss Havisham is arguing with Estella, she shows characteristics of how Pip was feeling in Chapter 8, such as being helpless. Miss Havisham is now speaking in a desperate manner as she knows she is losing the power she once had in her self contained world. This shows when she turns to Pip for support and says Did I ever give her love! This also shows that she needs Pip where before she just needed him to tease. This is an example of her losing control over Estella. Furthermore Miss Havisham now interacts with others differently. For example, when she is talking with Estella, Dickens adds exclamation marks to emphasise the more desparate nature of her speech. This is in contrast to Chapter 8 where she is in complete control. Now it seems she is stressed, as she knows that she is losing Estella which is worrying her deeply. In Chapter 38, the reader may start to sympathise with Miss Havishams plight, as she is losing the only thing that she lives for, Estella. Miss Havisham is now seen as being pathetic as Dickens says She hung upon Estellas beauty, hung upon her words, hung up on her gestures This shows that she is obsessed by her and is afraid of her walking out of her already dismal life. Therefore the reader has sympathy for Miss Havisham very much in contrast to Chapter 8 Is Miss Havisham a victim of her own bitterness and anger? I do believe that Miss Havishams response to her life problems is ridiculous and out of all proportion. One should remember that she had a wealthy and privileged up bringing. However the dreadful experiences she has had have been truly harrowing. Towards the end of the novel Dickens does wish the reader to sympathise with Miss Havisham. My belief is that Miss Havisham has led a misguided and wasted life.