Great Expectations-How Does Dickens Use Setting in Great Expectations to Show Characters Feelings and Situations?

How does Dickens use setting in 'Great Expectations' to show characters feelings &+ situations?

Charles Dickens was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, during the Victorian era. In 1822, when Dickens was ten, the family relocated from Kent [where they had moved when Dickens was 5] to Camden Town, London. These places of residence are symbolic of certain occurances in Dickens life; throughout the novel, these areas play an avid role in the creation and development of the characters situations and feelings. This essay shall explore the numerous ways in which Dickens uses setting to portray his characters feelings and situations in 'Great Expectations'.

In the opening chapter, we are introduced to the novel's protagonist Phillip Pirrip alias Pip. In the first few paragraphs, we learn that Pip is an orphan child (this is shown by 'Phillip Pirrip, late of this parish, and also Georgiana wife of the above, were dead and buried') whom feels alone and isolated in the world. This statement was established by the marshes depiction as the 'dark flat wilderness beyond the church yard...was the marshes...the distant savage lair from which the wind was rushing in was the sea'. This can be interpreted as Pip's opinion regarding his social status; the marshes being portrayed as 'dark...wilderness' suggest Pip feels isolated from the rest of the world, meanwhile use of the word 'dark' suggests he feels left in the darkness whilst the upper classes go about their lives.
The misty marshes are extremely significant throughout the novel, as they create an atmosphere which is sinister, which indicates some form of foreseeable danger and uncertainty. It is where he meets the escaped convict at the start, and later, is where he is kidnapped and nearly killed by Orlick. Symbolically, he passes the marshes on his way to London, a seemingly positive and exciting phase in his life. However, this setting indicates that perhaps, this experience will be a dangerous one.
Another significant location is Statis House. This is where Pip was sent to spend time with the upper class Miss Havisham and her adopted daughter Estella. Satis House is a gothic setting which reflects her situation - it is in ruins, like Miss Havisham. Since Miss Havisham was jilted on her wedding day, she stopped the clocks and remains in her wedding gown with the decaying feast of food around her. This setting represents Miss Havisham's desire to freeze time and her wedding dress symbolizes her past. The decaying food represents her decay as she has become frail in her old age.
Satis House was "of old brick, and dismal, and had a great many iron bars to it. Some of the windows had been walled up; of those that remained, all the lower were rustily barred." The iron bars, symbolise the feeling of being imprisoned- Pip is imprisoned in his unrequited love for Estella and Miss Havisham is imprisoned by her past as she refuses to move on from it. This, alongside the locked main gate and high surrounding walls, add to the feeling of imprisonment. In addition to this, it could be interpreted as the separation between the upper and lower classes.
Also, Miss Havisham's courtyard is a reflection of her life and situation. The quote 'grass was growing in every crevice' highlights her feelings of neglect and being unloved.

Futhermore, the empty brewery next to the house which was once successful has become abbandoned and deserted,
'No brewing was going on in it, and none seemed to have gone on for a long time.' much like Miss Havisham has been since the day she was jilted at the alter.

Dickens portrayal of London is also consequential, as upon arrival Pip's first impression of London is that it is unattractive and dirty, ['wretched weather; stormy and wet, stormy and wet; mud, mud, mud'] yet it is where the second, 'exciting' stage of Pip's expectations begin. In my opinion, this is Dicken's way of portraying his views on Pip's superficial desire to rise up the social ladder from lower class to upper, which in the era Dicken's lived in, was a common goal of society.
In conclusion, Dickens effectively used setting to portray his characters situations and feelings throughout the novel. When 'Great Expectations' was first written, it was released as a serial production, meaning a small section of the novel was released on a regular basis -i.e. weekly. Due to this, the characters situations and feelings- among other things- had to be throughly developed in order to keep the reader intrested till the next installment. Hence the reason, [in my humble opinion] this novel has become a best-selling classic.