Great Expectations Essay

Dean Wilson 12DPC – English Coursework

 In 1820s England, children were to be seen and not heard. According to

custom, the pests were just petulant and ignorant by nature. The adult

society was always right. Therefore, the view of a convict through a child’s

eyes would be cast aside in place of cold, adult persecution. It is these

differences upon which I am to be writing this essay. The Abel Magwitch

known by Pip as opposed to the Abel Magwitch judged by society.

The novel shows us how Pip’s feelings change dramatically towards the

convict throughout the duration of his life.

The pair first meet as Pip is standing in a graveyard, thinking upon the

family he has lost. Five brothers and his mother. Thus leaving him orphaned

and leaving his sister, Mrs. Joe to raise him “by hand”. The pre-Victorian

attitude to children was a savage one- they were there to work and help the

household- not be insolent or speak out of turn. Naturally, in memory of his

 unknown family, he begins to weep. Quite nosily, we would assume as he

is abruptly roused by a coarse yell: “hold your noise!” this is Magwitch.

He escaped from the Hulks, decommissioned warships in use as overflow

prisons during the early 19th century. Pip describes him as fearful and is

naturally terrified. The eyes of a six year old boy see not a battered man but

a savage beast. The reader sees that the man is in desperate need of food

 and shelter but Pip still fears for his life. When the ‘young man’ is

introduced, it appears that Pip became more afraid of him than of Magwitch.

It is understandable, as the lie has been known to have a tendency towards

young boys hearts and livers coupled with the fact that Magwitch is

apparently holding him back “with great difficulty”. With that threat, Pip sets

off to fetch some “wittles” and a file- but not without a backward glance. It

is here that the reader is struck with a sense of maturity from Pip as, for the

first time, he sees not a terrifying monster, but a frail, shackled man who

even the dead could better.

By chapter three, Pip has gone against his strong sense of morality and

stolen Magwitch’s order. He feels incredibly guilty, pie in tow walking

through the marshes. Then he spots the convict. He thought that he might

be more pleased if this much needed food came upon him as a surprise.

Therefore, the child creeps up to him and taps him on a shoulder. The

reader is informed that the convict has donned a hat from somewhere but

Pip is not swayed. The man wakes up and is not Magwitch. It was another

convict. Pip knew there was another escape due to the firing the previous

night and he, quite logically assumes that this is the young man with whom

Magwitch was having difficulty restraining. He then ran as fast as he could

to find his convict. He runs at a blinding pace and finds him, pacing and

hugging himself. As he sees him, a great wave of compassionate pity comes

flowing out. Pip “half expected to see [Magwitch] to drop down before

[Pip’s] face and die of deadly cold.” He then has to quickly reassure

Magwitch of his loyalties as he vehemently denies that that he was not a

deceiving imp nor had he given anyone the office to follow him. Then, in

fear for his heart and liver, upon watching the convict eating not unlike his

dog, Pip reminds him to save some for the young man. Magwitch laughs as

he knows that he is not real. He reassures Pip that “he don’t want no

wittles” to which Pip replies that he looked like he did. Magwitch is

astounded and, upon confirmation that this was the man of whom he was

thinking, he started filing at his shackle with the keenest ferocity.

Chapter five sees Pip in an awful state as the Redcoats, a pre-Napoleonic

British army arrive at Joe’s house for his blacksmithing skills as he was the

sole of that profession in the village. Gargery is a valued member of the

community as, as a blacksmith he is needed to make tools, shoe horses,

adjust keys and locks and the like. A town couldn’t survive without one. Pip

initially believes that the soldiers are there to arrest him for theft, but as it

becomes apparent that they are not, Pip develops a different fear- what if

Magwitch believes that he outed him to the state? He gave his word that he

was not a deceiving imp and, for all Magwitch’s threats and violence, Pip still

feels a great sense of compassion and pity for him. Pip is carried on Joe’s

back whilst the party search for the convicts. During this, Pip’s mind wars

with itself, twisted with guilt. When they eventually find the men, they are

sparring madly in a ditch. Pip alights from Joe’s back and shares a glance

with Magwitch. He desperately tries to convey his innocence through that

look. He shakes his head and slightly moved his hands. This child knows

that Magwitch is going to the Hulks and that it is extremely unlikely that

they will ever meet again, but yet he could not bear the thought of his

convict leaving, thinking that it was Pip himself who gave him to the guards.

This is such a massive difference to the relationship the two had in the

beginning. Pip is growing more afraid that Magwitch didn’t understand his

message until the man himself stands up and states that it was he, and not

the child who stole the food. From shaking him up and down for food to

lying to protect him. These two have formed a close bond in the most

unlikely of circumstances.

As per the attitude of the time, children were thought not to have opinions

or argument- not anything valid at least. Ironically, the conversation of the

dinner guests is nothing but prejudiced nonsense whereas the one person

not permitted to speak is he who knows the convict better than all of the

adults thrown together. In Great Expectations, the attitude of Victorian

wider society is summed up by two parties: Mrs. Joe’s dinner guests and the

Redcoat army. We are told that the former of the two parties feel it an

opportunity lost if they do not poke fun at Pip’s expense. He is treated

dreadfully, but not uncommonly throughout the entire meal. His only solace

is the rising amount of gravy on his plate, as offered by Mr. Gargery in way

of consolation. When the Redcoats do arrive, a great fire of excitement is lit

within the house. We are told that “The interest of the impending pursuit

not only absorbed the general attention, but also made my sister liberal.”

the hunt for the convict has become a great source of entertainment for the

guests, even making the nasty and foul-tempered Mrs. Joe relaxed and

cheerful. This is in great contrast to Pip’s fear- he fears for his convict’s life

out on the bleak Kent marshes whilst the adult amalgamation of both guest

and redcoat have a roaring time at his expense. It is not unlike the bleak

brutality of the Roman coliseum, the sheer lack of human compassion really

shows how a hard, 1820s lifestyle has soured these people’s minds. The

hunt for Magwitch is the cherry on the cake for these people- for example,

Pip tells us “what terrible good sauce for a dinner my good friend on the

marshes was [for the guests]”. This shows how the child feels about

Magwitch- his “good friend”. Not a beast or an animal, a friend. And “what

terrible good sauce”- the hunt really is just the cherry on top of a fantastic

evening for these sadistic adults.

The only adult of the party that does not seem to hold the views of the rest

is the blacksmith- Joe Gargery himself. He is the lifeblood of the village and

his work is crucial to it’s continued development yet he gets no respect

whatsoever from his wife and his opinion counts for little at the table. He is

an example of change: a changing attitude to our fellow man- although an

adult, Joe’s view is much closer to Pip’s than anybody else’s in the novel. He

is always there, passively defending Pip whilst fending off blows from his

wife. Mrs Joe is a vile woman and, in the early 19th century it was not

uncommon for men to beat their wives but she did not get the punishment

that, I think she deserves. That just stands for Joe’s character- he is strong

from his years in the forge and could easily do some serious damage but

would not hit a woman. He really does love his wife, even if the feeling is

not mutual. Joe the blacksmith is certainly one of the more curious

characters of the novel.