An essay I wrote in year 12 as a homework. I did very well 
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.
