Gargery House Fire

In the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, fire is symbolic of many things. It is noticed in all the stages of Pip’s expectations, from his being raised by hand to his entrance into the shipping business. It is used to represent a variety of things; happiness, bonding, livelihood, destruction, lack of warmth and emotion, and freedom. In the time in which Great Expectations takes place, there were no heating systems to warm the home. There was always a fire in the hearth to heat the home and keep the people inside it warm and happy. This especially applies in the Gargery house, because Joe is a blacksmith, their life depends on the fire of the forge. It is used in two bonding scenes between Pip and his guardians. The first is
The first is when Pip’s indenture papers are burned by the fire at his house. He was reeling with resentment towards his family. He looked down on them because he had been spending time in the pro-aristocratic atmosphere of the Satis house. When the indenture papers are burned, Pip sees it as freedom to go and be a better version of himself. The second occurrence where fire is tied to somebody’s freedom is when Magwitch is taken back into custody for the first time. As Magwitch and Compeyson (the other convict), are returned to the prison ship, the soldier guarding them extinguishes his torch in the river. The putting out of the torch is representative of the putting out of the Convicts’
The first occurrence of this is when Pip’s indentures are burned. This represents the first major change in his life; his change of social status. As the indenture papers burn, he becomes extremely happy, realizing he won’t have to be part of the inadequate social level of the Gargerys. As his previous life is burned in the fire, his new life is born. The second appearance of this is when he finds out that it is not Miss Havisham, but Magwitch that is his benefactor. In these scenes, the fire in the hearth and the flames in the lamps are mentioned several times, whether in lighting or Pip staring into the fire. This is a time of change for Pip, because it is the first time he truly realizes that things are not as they seem. This is the first time he understands that Miss Havisham never had intentions for him to be married to Estella. The last occurrence of the association between fire and change happens when Miss Havisham gets burned. Just previous to her incident, she spoke about how she had made mistakes and that she regretted things such as how she raised Estella and her choice to live a loveless life. This is a major change in Pip’s life solely because it confirms his desperate situation. There is no future with Estella, nor is there any hope of his ever being a gentleman. It is at this point in the story that we truly see Pip lose his hope and become an adult, exposed to the grim realities of