What Moral Purpose Was Charles Dickens Trying to Put Across in His Novel free essay sample

He later turns from rags to riches with help from his mysterious benefactor Abel Magwitch; the convict that he had saved from starvation at the beginning of the novel. As he progresses to the upper class, and gains wealth and power, he loses his kindness and becomes a little ignorant of the plight of the poor. Dickens has highlighted this to show that money does not always make you a better person or always make you happy, as Pip still struggled miserably to win the heart of his first love Estella. On a bleak evening, Pip is sitting in the churchyard by the grave of his family surrounded by people who have failed `the universal struggle. ` At the period that Great Expectations was written, life was a constant challenge for the many orphans in England and many resorted to child labour, begging or stealing until the end of their short lives. The name Pip suggests that the novels narrator is small and week but throughout the novel, the seed that is Philip Pirrip grows and flourishes. The grim evening reflects Pips own mood – made worse when the escaped convict, Abel Magwitch, seemingly resurrected from the grave shouting â€Å"keep still you devil or ill cut your throat†. The word â€Å"and† is repeated over and over when the scene is being described to create the feeling of isolation; of Pip being all alone in the world. The same word â€Å"and† is alliterated again producing strong and distinct mental images of Magwitches major struggle on his run from the law. Magwitch manipulates pips vulnerability to get what he needs but then eases off when he finds out that his parents are deceased showing that he is not completely heartless. Pip is terrified at the man standing before him threatening to literally eat him and he believes every word. As the confrontation nears its conclusion, Pip is tilted back against a tombstone – â€Å"after each question, he tilted me over a little more, as to give me a greater sense of helplessness and danger† Dickens has done this to build tension and show that Magwitch was fully in control. Pip is forced to say â€Å"say lord strike you dead if you don’t† which petrifies him further as in the 19th century the church played a more important role in life and he genuinely believed that he would be struck dead on the spot if he didn’t comply after swearing to God! In the eighth chapter, Pip is requested to â€Å"play† at Miss Havishams mansion; a total strangers house – were he is greeted with an icy reception from Havishams adopted daughter Estella. As she leads him through the dark dismal passages, she insists on calling him â€Å"boy† to show that a person of lower class than her is of no value and does not deserve to own a name. This was common in the Victorian era, as the rich and the wealthy (higher classes) often looked down their noses to the poor. When they approach Miss Havishams dressing room, Estella leaves him, â€Å"and even worse, took the candle with her†. Pip is left in the dark in both terms, as he is now standing in the shadowy hallway alone, and he is unsure about what he will face on the other side of the door. Pip meets and eccentric old women who was left humiliated and heartbroken at being jilted at the alter in her youth. She has let her past experiences consume her and had all the clocks stopped at the exact point at which she had learnt of her betrayal, attempting to freeze time and appearing to be existing, rather than living with no goals or relevant future. From that day on, she imprisoned herself in her decaying mansion, never removing her now withered and yellowed wedding dress which had gone sour like her mind that has turned bitter and cruel. He is asked to call Estella – â€Å"she answered at last, and her light came along the dark passage like a star. Dickens has used this language to symbolise social class differences; of Estella being angelic and pure as a star (that will grow to be Pips light), and Pip being common and insignificant. Havisham seems to revel in Pips discomfort saying â€Å"well, you can break his heart. † Making sure that Estella would not have to suffer as she had at the hands of a man, was Havishams only goal in life casting about for boys who could be a testing ground for Estella’s education in breaking men’s hearts as vicarious revenge for her own pain: â€Å"I stole her heart away, and put ice in its place†. When Pip feebly requests to leave, Miss Havisham replied â€Å"you shall go soon†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬Å"play the game out†. Making the point that she owns everything in her property, including Pip. The title of the novel suggests a bright future for Pip and as he started on a low – being threatened by an escaped convict at an isolated graveyard and scrutinized by a crazy deranged women in her dark and dingy mansion, there seems nowhere else to go but up, hence the name ‘Great Expectations’. The next time Pip and Magwitch meet in chapter 39, the tables have turned. When Magwitch reveals himself to be Pips benefactor, he does not feel gratitude towards him but rather disgust and repulsion as he discovered where his money had come from – â€Å"The abhorrence in which I held the man, the dread I had of him, the repugnance with which I shrank from him† Dickens has purposely made Pip the narrator so that the novel is told from his understanding of it; when Pip believes that Havisham was his benefactor the reader believes the same, until the truth is exposed to both Pip and the audience simultaneously. We develop knowledge of the story at the same pace as Pip and the reader shares his surprise when Magwitch turns up showing Dickens’s impressive skill as a writer. In Magwitch and pips first encounter, Pip is receiving death threats and is being hurled around by the same man that is now saying â€Å"I wish to come in master† This is one of Dickens major skills as a writer showing circular structure; the poor becoming rich, and the poor dying out as the process is repeated over and over again. However, Pip feelings towards Magwitch improve when he learns the history and he takes part in hatching a plan to get him out of the country and into safety, marking the end of the second stage of Pip’s expectations. Magwitch is caught at the hands of his old enemy, Compason after a frantic getaway attempt and awaits trial in a court of law but becomes very ill in prison. The trial in which Magwitch is proved guilty is described as having a â€Å"broad shaft of light between the two-and-thirty-and the judge†, symbolising God being the light that separates the good and the righteous from the evil sinners. Magwitch is given the death sentence but he dies at Pips side before it can come into place Between the first and final meeting the master and the beggar switch places as, as Havisham is now at the mercy of Pip. There is a total character change. She now has â€Å"a new expression on her face, as if she were afraid of me and her movements are tremulous† which is repeated over and over to show what a fragile and desperate state she was in. When Havisham finds out that Pip has found out about her hidden motives, she tries to bribe him – â€Å"If I give you the money for this purpose, will you keep my secret†? This shows how low she is prepared to stoop to keep her secret hidden. Havisham owns a once grand mansion, and great wealth, but she breaks down completely at loosing the one and only precious thing to her – Estella. â€Å"She dropped to her knees† at Pips feet symbolising them literally switching positions as Havisham is now below Pip in both sense of the word. She â€Å"hung her head of it and wept† repeating â€Å"what have I done, what have I done! as she wrung her hands and crushed her white hair â€Å"as if she was reliving the pain of the day she was left at the alter and finally realising her blindness to what was most valuable to her all her life. Dickens uses words such as â€Å"grievous, â€Å"diseased† and â€Å"monstrous† to describe Havisham and her dark past, showing just how emotionally scarred she was from her past experiences. Pip seems almost to be interrogating Havisham, ordering her to answer direct questions – â€Å" who’s chid is Estella’s† which is an extreme change from the first meeting when Pip had said little more than two words. He has now grown confident enough to talk to her as an equal. The time of day is described as â€Å"twilight† which is Dickens using a form of pathetic fallaway symbolising the approach of the end of the day, the end of Havisham and the end of the novel. When Pip examines the brewery, he notice that â€Å"the damp wood had started and swelled† symbolising Havisham weeping and â€Å"the hinges were yielding† referring to Havisham confessing to Pip. In the brewery, Pip has a premonition of Miss Havishsam hanging to a beam, as she has clung to the past almost all her life. Near the end of the chapter, Havisham dies horrifically, as she is burnt alive after getting too close to the fire. The event â€Å"disturbed beetles and spiders, running away over the floor and the servants coming† Showing that the moment Havisham is gone, life returns back to the house. Pip fails to notice his hands were burnt until after the encounter, symbolising him playing with fire to try to win the love of Estella. Pip did not bear any grudges towards Havisham, as he was kind enough to pay for the funeral expenses, and he had â€Å"I forgive her† written under her name. I believe that Dickens moral purpose for Great Expectations to teach us that although money is a good thing, it can also make us act out of character and change us for the worse. It can make you arrogant and can even blind you to the feeling of others. Money can change your personality, enabling you to treat others as if you were a common criminal. Dickens teaches us that we should treat everyone as equal regardless of class or background. We never know if or when the tides may turn, and we may find ourselves one day at the mercy of the very same people that we treated badly. Dickens wants us to use feel compassion for Magwitch, as he is a good person, but has been labeled as a criminal, therefore he dies peacefully. Whereas Havisham, who has lived a bitter and twisted existence, dies horrifically for her sins, which refers to divine justice this is highlighted by Pip and Havishams, Magwitch and Pips relationship during the novel. I believe that Dickens has put his point across clearly and successfully.