The Mist In Charles Dickens Great Expectations
In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens uses the mist’s presence or lack thereof, as a tool to foreshadow big events in Pip’s life, and to relay Pip’s emotions or feelings in response to whatever may be happening at the time of the mist’s reference. Dickens can only express so much of Pip’s feelings with his words, so to further allow the audience to connect to Pip and truly understand how he is viewing and/or processing his current situation, Dickens uses the mists. He also uses the mists to foreshadow major events in Pip’s life, so that he can create a sense of suspense that leaves the audience anticipating more. By doing this he can continue to pull the audience into the story and ensure that they continue to read and keep up with the story.
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When Pip is confronted with the convict, Abel Magwitch, as a young boy he is told to go home and fetch him a file and some food and bring it to Magwitch. Dickens writes about how Pip snuck the needed supplies for the convict and then ran off into the “misty marshes,” (2.64.2). Then as Pip gets farther out onto the marshes he states that “the mist was heavier,” (3.2.1). The mist is used here to show how Pip is fearful of the uncertainty that goes along with his helping the convict. He is unsure of whether or not the convict will hurt him and he is unsure of whether or not he will be caught helping the convict and therefore get into trouble himself. While Dickens uses Pip’s outright thoughts to express how fearful Pip is, he uses the mists to express his uncertainty on the situation. He clouds the marshes with a mist and makes them thick, so that it is unclear on what exactly you are walking into and where exactly you are going; which better portrays Pip’s feelings more effectively than he could have with words. Later on in the book Dickens again uses the mists to represent Pip’s feelings of uncertainty. While Pip is visiting Miss Havisham, he appears to be reluctant to play cards again, but willing to “work”, so Miss Havisham tells him to go wait in another room for her. One of his observations on this mysterious room is that there was a
When Pip is confronted with the convict, Abel Magwitch, as a young boy he is told to go home and fetch him a file and some food and bring it to Magwitch. Dickens writes about how Pip snuck the needed supplies for the convict and then ran off into the “misty marshes,” (2.64.2). Then as Pip gets farther out onto the marshes he states that “the mist was heavier,” (3.2.1). The mist is used here to show how Pip is fearful of the uncertainty that goes along with his helping the convict. He is unsure of whether or not the convict will hurt him and he is unsure of whether or not he will be caught helping the convict and therefore get into trouble himself. While Dickens uses Pip’s outright thoughts to express how fearful Pip is, he uses the mists to express his uncertainty on the situation. He clouds the marshes with a mist and makes them thick, so that it is unclear on what exactly you are walking into and where exactly you are going; which better portrays Pip’s feelings more effectively than he could have with words. Later on in the book Dickens again uses the mists to represent Pip’s feelings of uncertainty. While Pip is visiting Miss Havisham, he appears to be reluctant to play cards again, but willing to “work”, so Miss Havisham tells him to go wait in another room for her. One of his observations on this mysterious room is that there was a