How Does Dickens Create Tension In Chapter 1
‘Great expectations’
Having read ‘Great Expectations’ how effective is the opening chapter? Discuss the methods Dickens used to ensure his readers continuing interest.
‘Great Expectations’ tells the story of Pip, a young orphaned boy from a poor background who has the ambition to become a gentleman. Which he is given by a mystery benefactor to become the man he has always wanted to. We travel with Pip on his journey to become a gentle which in turn is a voyage of self discovery as he learns that what he may desire the most may not necessarily be what he needs.
Charles Dickens wrote ‘Great Expectations’ in the 19th century. Dickens was one of the key social commentators of the time; born in 1812 he came from a modest background although he and his family experienced both moderate wealth and crushing poverty, the latter a result of his fathers overspending to retain social standing. ‘Great Expectations’ was written in 1861, Britain at that time was a country of change; profits gained overseas from The British Empire and from industrial improvements at home ensured the growth and success of the country. This time also saw the introduction of the middle classes; individuals who were for the first time able …show more content…
to gain an education and given a chance in society to better themselves.
The first chapter is set in a graveyard, here we are introduced to Pip, and he is at the graveside of his parents and brothers, whilst there he is set upon by an escaped convict. This man threatens and intimidates Pip, to ensure Pip returns to him the next day with food and tools to remove the great iron on his leg. The readers interest is kept, firstly with Pips’ introduction of his family; a clear picture is painted of how alone he is, much emphasis is placed on what little he knows of his family, he is reduced to using the shape and appearance of their tombstones to formulate images of them because he has no tangible means of recollection for them “As I never saw a likeness of either of them (for their days were long before the days of photographs)”, as a reader we are keen to know what will become of this orphan boy. The introduction of the convict at this early stage in the book also maintains the readers interest for the following chapters initially as we are keen to know if Pip returns the next day with the items requested of him and then the long term of the story we are kept interested as the mysterious character of the convict is repeatedly mentioned.
The themes introduced to the reader in the first chapter are power and powerlessness and parents and children. The theme parents and children you can see straight away where Pip is talking about his parents and that he lost them at a very young age and the rest of his family. This theme is continued throughout the novel. One good example of this is Miss Havisham and Estelle you also see this through Jaggers and Pip. Either way both Jaggers and Miss Havisham are taking on the rose model and are molding Pip or Estelle how they want,
I the opening chapter we are told a story by a young boy about himself. At first he tells us that he has lost his parents at a young age. The sympathy felt for Pip is through the fact that all he has as any way of knowing what his parents were like is through how their tombstone for example “The shape of the letters on my father’s grave gives me an odd idea that he was a square, stout, dark man, with curly black hair.” You also feel sympathy for Magwitch because even though he is the hunter, he is only hunting as such because he has been forced to because he was always getting into trouble or could not hold a job. At this moment we feel more sympathy for Pip as he is the one in trouble and being threatened. The reader would feel that Pip is a very unfortunate boy who is very quite and keeps himself to himself even though at the beginning he is tellings us a very personal story of his parents and siblings. The reader would feel that Magwitch is a bully and picks on smaller easy prey. I feel that Magwitch though is as fragile as Pip emotionally because he also keeps his emotions locked up inside and this is maybe why he sometimes lashes out at people or acts aggressively. Dickens describes Magwitch as “pirate” looking this would make him very hard to approach or to befriend,
Maybe why Magwitch has chosen the life of a loner is because he does not want to be hurt emotionally. Dickens has made Magwitch like a loner to create sympathy for him even though he is a nasty scary character. One reason Magwitch is a loner is that is hard to approach this can be seen where Dickens writes “A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes and an old rag tied round his head” This backs up what I said before because a man that looks like that would be hard to approach because he is scary. Magwitch be like this on purpose to create sympathy by the reader and that Magwitch had been hurt before and this is a way of stopping it happening again. A word to back this up is “Pirate” This just backs up the idea of being hard to approach.
In “Great Expectations” Dickens develops the characters and how the reader feels towards them. for instance Pip was once a young boy who seemed very weak, timid and easily bullied but as the novel unfolds he becomes a gentleman and leaves everything behind him. At this stage Pip has lost sight of what really matters and will regret this later on in the book. The reader feels glad that Pip has finally achieved his expectations he wanted when he was a young child but they will also feel that Pip has done this in completely the wrong way. This is where I think our sympathy is passed on from Pip to Magwitch because in the beginning he was just some aggressive drunk but now he seems to be a changed man as he has made money in Australia and is sending every spare penny to Pip. When Pip finds out that it was Magwich who sent the money he is not grateful he is busy trying to hide him and trying not to be noticed with him because it might affect his social life. This is where the reader no longer feels sympathy for Pip. Instead they feel sympathy for Magwitch.
The first chapter is set in a graveyard which gives the affect of death and sorrow. A graveyard is a place where bad things usually happen. The weather also implies that something is going to happen “raw afternoon towards evening” The dark is a word known for being scary so mix that with being in a graveyard the reader is going to feel enticed to read on to know if anything is going to happen. Dickens also uses pathetic fallacy to improve the atmosphere and give the reader a better clearer view. “Rushing wind” This just adds to the already scary tense atmosphere. It could also mean that even the wind is running from this place of death.
The atmosphere in the first chapter is obviously fear and this also creates tension for the reader.
Dickens uses adjectives to help create the fear a good example of this is “A man who has been soaked in water and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars” These adjectives help the reader to picture Magwitch a a big scary tough man. Dickens has described him as “pirate” looking. All these adjectives add to the fear because without them we would not be scared of Magwitch as he could be weak as well if not for the adjectives. Dickens also uses humor in this chapter “I wish I was a frog, or eel!” I believe that Dickens has used humor here to show the start of a long friendship between Pip and
Magwitch.
The atmosphere in the chapter 54 is completely different to the first chapter. Dickens uses humor and suspense. You can see the humor because Pip has no expectations and has realized what really matters, you can see this where he says “I will never stir from your side” this shows that he has learnt his lesson and now knows what is important in life.
The themes in ‘Great Expectations’ are built upon throughout the novel for example gentleman and respectability is built upon because at the beginning it is the main focus of Pip and he thought that being a gentleman would give you respectability but at the end he finds out that it is not the case and being a good person will gain you more respect to the people you care about. With crime and punishment you see evolve through Magwitch as at the beginning you see him as a drunk aggressive convict but as the novel unravels you see him as a more caring emotional character as he has finally met someone that he can trust and try to repay. Through the characters of Pip and Jaggers you see the theme of parents and children. This is a good example because Jaggers has taken the parent role and is showing the way of becoming a gentleman to Pip who is the child in this case. This is effective because Pip has never had a gentleman like role all he has had is Joe. The last theme is power and powerlessness which is introduced very strongly in the first chapter between Pip and Magwitch. I believe that this theme doesn’t develop that much through the novel because even though Pip is the gentleman it is all Magwitch and his money that has made him that way to he could easily just take it away and with that all his power as well.
The opening chapter raises a lot of questions for the reader such as who is the young boy Magwitch talks of, will Pip survive, will he bring the things back for Magwitch and many more. The one I am most interested in is the young boy Magwitch talks of and is this true or just a bluff by Magwitch. All of these questions create tension for the reader because all of these questions are very life threatening question especially for Pip. Another reason the reader would read on is because of the theme power and powerlessness. I feel this is a main theme in the first few chapters because the reader wants to know how this weak boy could ever become a strong minded gentleman.
Having read ‘Great Expectations’ how effective is the opening chapter? Discuss the methods Dickens used to ensure his readers continuing interest.
‘Great Expectations’ tells the story of Pip, a young orphaned boy from a poor background who has the ambition to become a gentleman. Which he is given by a mystery benefactor to become the man he has always wanted to. We travel with Pip on his journey to become a gentle which in turn is a voyage of self discovery as he learns that what he may desire the most may not necessarily be what he needs.
Charles Dickens wrote ‘Great Expectations’ in the 19th century. Dickens was one of the key social commentators of the time; born in 1812 he came from a modest background although he and his family experienced both moderate wealth and crushing poverty, the latter a result of his fathers overspending to retain social standing. ‘Great Expectations’ was written in 1861, Britain at that time was a country of change; profits gained overseas from The British Empire and from industrial improvements at home ensured the growth and success of the country. This time also saw the introduction of the middle classes; individuals who were for the first time able …show more content…
to gain an education and given a chance in society to better themselves.
The first chapter is set in a graveyard, here we are introduced to Pip, and he is at the graveside of his parents and brothers, whilst there he is set upon by an escaped convict. This man threatens and intimidates Pip, to ensure Pip returns to him the next day with food and tools to remove the great iron on his leg. The readers interest is kept, firstly with Pips’ introduction of his family; a clear picture is painted of how alone he is, much emphasis is placed on what little he knows of his family, he is reduced to using the shape and appearance of their tombstones to formulate images of them because he has no tangible means of recollection for them “As I never saw a likeness of either of them (for their days were long before the days of photographs)”, as a reader we are keen to know what will become of this orphan boy. The introduction of the convict at this early stage in the book also maintains the readers interest for the following chapters initially as we are keen to know if Pip returns the next day with the items requested of him and then the long term of the story we are kept interested as the mysterious character of the convict is repeatedly mentioned.
The themes introduced to the reader in the first chapter are power and powerlessness and parents and children. The theme parents and children you can see straight away where Pip is talking about his parents and that he lost them at a very young age and the rest of his family. This theme is continued throughout the novel. One good example of this is Miss Havisham and Estelle you also see this through Jaggers and Pip. Either way both Jaggers and Miss Havisham are taking on the rose model and are molding Pip or Estelle how they want,
I the opening chapter we are told a story by a young boy about himself. At first he tells us that he has lost his parents at a young age. The sympathy felt for Pip is through the fact that all he has as any way of knowing what his parents were like is through how their tombstone for example “The shape of the letters on my father’s grave gives me an odd idea that he was a square, stout, dark man, with curly black hair.” You also feel sympathy for Magwitch because even though he is the hunter, he is only hunting as such because he has been forced to because he was always getting into trouble or could not hold a job. At this moment we feel more sympathy for Pip as he is the one in trouble and being threatened. The reader would feel that Pip is a very unfortunate boy who is very quite and keeps himself to himself even though at the beginning he is tellings us a very personal story of his parents and siblings. The reader would feel that Magwitch is a bully and picks on smaller easy prey. I feel that Magwitch though is as fragile as Pip emotionally because he also keeps his emotions locked up inside and this is maybe why he sometimes lashes out at people or acts aggressively. Dickens describes Magwitch as “pirate” looking this would make him very hard to approach or to befriend,
Maybe why Magwitch has chosen the life of a loner is because he does not want to be hurt emotionally. Dickens has made Magwitch like a loner to create sympathy for him even though he is a nasty scary character. One reason Magwitch is a loner is that is hard to approach this can be seen where Dickens writes “A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes and an old rag tied round his head” This backs up what I said before because a man that looks like that would be hard to approach because he is scary. Magwitch be like this on purpose to create sympathy by the reader and that Magwitch had been hurt before and this is a way of stopping it happening again. A word to back this up is “Pirate” This just backs up the idea of being hard to approach.
In “Great Expectations” Dickens develops the characters and how the reader feels towards them. for instance Pip was once a young boy who seemed very weak, timid and easily bullied but as the novel unfolds he becomes a gentleman and leaves everything behind him. At this stage Pip has lost sight of what really matters and will regret this later on in the book. The reader feels glad that Pip has finally achieved his expectations he wanted when he was a young child but they will also feel that Pip has done this in completely the wrong way. This is where I think our sympathy is passed on from Pip to Magwitch because in the beginning he was just some aggressive drunk but now he seems to be a changed man as he has made money in Australia and is sending every spare penny to Pip. When Pip finds out that it was Magwich who sent the money he is not grateful he is busy trying to hide him and trying not to be noticed with him because it might affect his social life. This is where the reader no longer feels sympathy for Pip. Instead they feel sympathy for Magwitch.
The first chapter is set in a graveyard which gives the affect of death and sorrow. A graveyard is a place where bad things usually happen. The weather also implies that something is going to happen “raw afternoon towards evening” The dark is a word known for being scary so mix that with being in a graveyard the reader is going to feel enticed to read on to know if anything is going to happen. Dickens also uses pathetic fallacy to improve the atmosphere and give the reader a better clearer view. “Rushing wind” This just adds to the already scary tense atmosphere. It could also mean that even the wind is running from this place of death.
The atmosphere in the first chapter is obviously fear and this also creates tension for the reader.
Dickens uses adjectives to help create the fear a good example of this is “A man who has been soaked in water and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars” These adjectives help the reader to picture Magwitch a a big scary tough man. Dickens has described him as “pirate” looking. All these adjectives add to the fear because without them we would not be scared of Magwitch as he could be weak as well if not for the adjectives. Dickens also uses humor in this chapter “I wish I was a frog, or eel!” I believe that Dickens has used humor here to show the start of a long friendship between Pip and
Magwitch.
The atmosphere in the chapter 54 is completely different to the first chapter. Dickens uses humor and suspense. You can see the humor because Pip has no expectations and has realized what really matters, you can see this where he says “I will never stir from your side” this shows that he has learnt his lesson and now knows what is important in life.
The themes in ‘Great Expectations’ are built upon throughout the novel for example gentleman and respectability is built upon because at the beginning it is the main focus of Pip and he thought that being a gentleman would give you respectability but at the end he finds out that it is not the case and being a good person will gain you more respect to the people you care about. With crime and punishment you see evolve through Magwitch as at the beginning you see him as a drunk aggressive convict but as the novel unravels you see him as a more caring emotional character as he has finally met someone that he can trust and try to repay. Through the characters of Pip and Jaggers you see the theme of parents and children. This is a good example because Jaggers has taken the parent role and is showing the way of becoming a gentleman to Pip who is the child in this case. This is effective because Pip has never had a gentleman like role all he has had is Joe. The last theme is power and powerlessness which is introduced very strongly in the first chapter between Pip and Magwitch. I believe that this theme doesn’t develop that much through the novel because even though Pip is the gentleman it is all Magwitch and his money that has made him that way to he could easily just take it away and with that all his power as well.
The opening chapter raises a lot of questions for the reader such as who is the young boy Magwitch talks of, will Pip survive, will he bring the things back for Magwitch and many more. The one I am most interested in is the young boy Magwitch talks of and is this true or just a bluff by Magwitch. All of these questions create tension for the reader because all of these questions are very life threatening question especially for Pip. Another reason the reader would read on is because of the theme power and powerlessness. I feel this is a main theme in the first few chapters because the reader wants to know how this weak boy could ever become a strong minded gentleman.