Look over chapter 39 once more, with special attention to the atmospheric way Dickens sets the scene for the dramatic re-entry of the convict and the revelation of the source of Pip's expectations. Like a theatrical director he orchestrates sights, sounds and lighting to create the utmost tension and foreboding in the reader as well as his protagonist.
For this blog, consider Dickens the writer as much as you do his story. This is the last chapter of part one, and most certainly comprised an installment of the serialized novel. The stakes were high, therefore, and he rose to the occasion. Don't indulge in an orgy of flattery, but comment on what most strikes you about the opening 30 paragraphs or so of the chapter leading up to Pip's realization: diction, tone, pacing, etc.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
29 comments:
Dickens begins the chapter by acting as a stage master and by setting “the stage” for the revelation of Magwitch as Pip’s benefactor. He wraps up the loose ends of events that have occurred within the second stage (for example, by mentioning the end of Pip’s study with Mr. Pocket) and reminds readers that Pip still has not received word on the “…subject of [his] expectations” (245). In this way, Dickens makes way and hints at the revelation to come. The most striking aspect of chapter 39, however, is the foreboding atmosphere that he creates with his description of the sights, sounds, and temperament of the storm brewing the night of the revelation. By describing the night as being violently blasted by rain and wind, he creates an eerie atmosphere. He further crafts this sense of suspense and foreboding as he describes the weather as a “…vast heavy veil…driving over London” (245). This use of diction is appropriate not only because it creates a moody and mysterious atmosphere, but because it symbolizes the veil with which Magwitch enters London and the veil that has long blinded Pip to the true origin of his expectations. Dickens also constantly alludes to the sea, (as when he compares the sound of the storm to the breaking of the sea), not only as a way to create a foreboding and mysterious atmosphere but to foreshadow Magwitch’s arrival by the sea. Dicken’s use of diction and tone really increases the tension within the story as it draws closer to Pip and Magwith’s meeting.
However, the suspense is not over, even when Magwitch finally appears at Pip’s doorstop. Dickens prolongs the tension and suspense by allowing Pip substantial time to acknowledge Magwitch’s identity and his purpose in coming to London. He uses situational irony as a way of prolonging the suspense. The audience knows who Magwitch is and immediately guesses that he is indeed Pip’s benefactor, however, it takes so long for Pip to realize this. Readers are literally at the end of their seats waiting for Pip’s revelation. Dickens does not help it along by having Magwitch make “guesses” about the state of Pip’s expectations. This steady and excruciating slow pace further heightens the suspense, intrigue, and foreboding of the whole chapter.
What strikes me most about the chapter, especially the beginning, is that there is something about the descriptions and the wording that makes the scene almost mystical. It's not only the description of the storm outside and the weathered sailor-like man entering, but how this description is carried out: curt dialogue from both sides, extremely long descriptions from the narrator, and the overall drawn-out method in which information is passed on. I recall being extremely frustrated with this chapter because I wanted to find out who this crazy seafearing man was at Pip's house, but it took several pages for the man to even take off his coat. It provides a certain ambience of perpetual anxiousness (it can be argued if a certain climax is met or not) and mystique of the strange character.
I find it feasible to believe that Dickens had originally led on that Havisham or Jaggers or some other character of high-standing was Pip's benefactor, but created this twist in events for a dramatic surprise to keep readers "tuned in", for lack of a better phrase. Even the phrases used by Dickens provide some insight that this was not meant to be foreseen: "But didn't you never think it might be me?" "Oh no, no, no ... Never, never!"
Granted, Magwitch was supposed to have some relatively large role from the beginning, or else he would have not had such a grand and exquisite introduction. I just don't believe he was originally planned to end up having such a large role.
Dickens's method of establishing the grand entrance of Magwitch, back into the story is very theatrical in a way that we can clearly see the stage set. The first couple paragraphs of Chapter 39 contains vivid descriptions such as "there were an eternity of cloud and wind. So furious had been the gusts, that high buildings in town had had the lead stripped off their roofs...trees had been torn up, and sails of windmills carried away;..." (348) This beginning scene is very relatable to Magwitch's entrance in that it builds an incredible amount of suspense in wondering who the man walking up the steps is. Also, to further the gloomy atmosphere of the scene, Pip is all alone in the house that he is living in, giving us the familiar sense of a greater attention to the surroundings caused by loneliness and anxiety. I feel that one of Dickens greatest strengths is his ability to recreate a particular emotion and atmosphere that is very familiar to us. And he does this through his use of diction and comparisons. "We lived at the top of the last house, and the wind rushing up the river shook the house that night, like discharges of cannon, or breaking of a sea."(349) Though most of us have not experienced the shaking of when a cannon is shot, we still get the feeling of the intensity of the rain and wind outside. When Magwitch finally makes his entrance back into the book, the feeling of suspense does not end. Dickens prolongs the shocking information that Magwitch is Pip's benefactor for as long as possible until the last moment. This prolongation also accounts for Pip's speechless shock when he is notified of his true benefactor. Again, Dickens describes the stage with frightening accuracy. "I stood so, looking wildly at him, until I grasped at the chair, when the room began to surge and turn." (355) By stating that the room around Pip was surging and turning, it gives us a better picture of what Pip is going through at the particular moment. Dickens's different comparisons and use of diction not only sets a vivid scene for Magwitch's entrance, it allows us to experience the suspense and curiosity that Pip feels as the chapter continues.
For this chapter a few sentences really struck me as quite brilliant and set the mood for the events that would follow later in the chapter. The first of these senteces was in paragraph four of chapter 39(page 303 in purple book from B&N). The sentence is the frist one in the paragraph and it reads, "It was wretched weather; stormy and wet, stormy and wet; mud, mud, mud, deep in all the streets." This sentence struck me so much, I believe, because of its odd syntax. It is so descriptive and so visual that I can truly envision that night. It also gives the chapter a sense of foreboding and mystery, and really sets the stage for what is to come later in the chapter.
The other sentence that really struck me was in the 3rd paragraph on page 305(in my book). It reads, "He looked about him with the strangest air -- an air of wondering pleasure, as if he had some part in the things he admired -- and he pulled off a rough outer coat, and his hat." The biggest hint or "theatrical setup" here is the air of pleasure he as. Pip descibes it not just as being pleased but being pleased and happy about something he had acomplished or taken part in doing This was my biggest clue in to te fact that this was not just some random old man, but perhaps he knew something that Pip, and therefore myself, didnot know. As it would turn out, and as we all know, he reveiled himself as Pip's benefactor and became a crucial part of the plot line for the last third of the book.
Dickens was clever in the way he set up this chapter and how he led into the reveiling of Magwitch as Pip's benefactor. He used different styles of writing all put together to build the climax to a breaking point and then proceeds to give you a huge chunk of information that quite frankly is, at first, hard to processes. Dickens did a great job on this chapter and I really enjoyed the buiding suspense.
What Dickens did was create a feeling of solitude, a feeling of security before he introduced Magwitch to Pip. Being safe away from the elements, away from the rain and cold which he emphasizes in the fourth paragraph, “stormy and wet, stormy and wet; mud, mud, mud, deep in all the streets… So furious the gusts, that high buildings in town had had the lead stripped off their roofs; and in the country, trees had been torn up, and sails of windmills carried away… and the day just closed as I sat down to read had been the worst of all” (303). Being alone in the house after Herbert has left, sitting and reading feeling content at home. However, the effect that Dickens uses as he notes the clocks chiming in the distance, being distorted by the rain gave an eerie feel, and as Pip notices the footsteps, it reminds him of his dead sister which makes the situation more tense. When Pip receives Magwitch, I thought that the roles had switched from when Pip was a child. Magwitch, now the innocent and trying to make the best out of everything, while Pip feels contempt and anger towards the stranger. However, Pip does retain his self criticism and apologetic manner that he’s known for in the book as he notices that Magwitch had begun to tear up.
After Magwitch revealed to Pip that he was the guardian, it was unbelievable how he finally realizes that Miss Havisham and Estella had been dragging him along and just using him for their expense. I thought that the paradox of his confusion was really effective in that we know that he is still a naïve child even though he may show himself as knowledgeable, “Throughout, I had seemed to myself to attend more to the wind and the rain than to him; even now, I could not separate his voice from those voices, though those were loud and his was silent” (311). The knowledge that Pip gained through this is his maturing point, the “bildungsroman” because afterwards he tries to save Magwitch from an impending death, confronts Miss Havisham and Estella in a proud yet humble farewell, and finally finds peace with Joe and Biddy. Things he would never have done before, things that would make him look weak in society or he would never even consider to think about. I think he finally sees that being a gentleman is not just about being able to read or buy new fancy things, but having the heart to be themselves and do what they know is right.
Dickens takes great deal in putting much detail into his description of the events and the mysteriuos "stranger" who enters Pip's room. He describes the scence of which events suddenly and almost violently occur, where pip was no time at all to maintain his composure. Dickens gives us a feel of gloom where pip is living and then suddenly gives up a plethora of discription about the events that occur, and has the events happen so hastily. He directs the scene much like a theatrical piece.He keeps the author and pip at suspense at to who the mysterious sailor is. It is really affective because throughtout the whole book, the reader is made to wonder who is PIP's benefactor, and to have the answer come so quickly is very interesting.
Dickens uses a variety of diction to really set the mood of the scene. "We lived at the top of the last house, and the wind rushing up the river shook the house that night like discharges of cannons [349]. Dickens really sets the already turbulent and gloomy mood just set by the house and where pip lived. This weather violently occurs just like his first meeting with magwitch. "That he was a muscular man, strong on his legs, and that he was browned and hardened by exposure to weather." [350]. Dickens description of magwitch really paints a vivid but still rather a mysterious picture of the "stranger" to us. Throughout this chapter, there is very vivid description and that the dialouge between the characters is rather long and full of diction to dramatize the scence.
What a mood Dickens evokes in this chapter! The time and place immediately established - a year has passed since Pip's departure from Barnard's; Pip is alone in London, waiting for Herbert to return from Marseilles - soon gives way to a sinister, foreboding atmosphere rife with violence and rage and misery. That such savage conditions should accompany Magwitch's reentry into the story says a great deal about Magwitch's character and seems to mirror the tempestuous nature of the convict himself: just as Magwitch is passionate in his love for Pip, in his hate for Compeyson, in his regret for his wrongdoings, the storm is passionate in its "veils" of rain that dash against windows, in its violent and furious gusts, in the "shipwreck and death" (p. 303) it brings about.
Dickens' wretched tone in this chapter also seems to complement and clarify the convict's repugnant nature, the disgust that he inspires in Pip by being Pip's benefactor. The ghastly weather seems to grow more malevolent just as Magwitch's revelations grow more heinous - says Pip at one point, "I had seemed to myself to attend more to the wind and the rain than to him; even now, I could not separate his voice from those voices, though those were loud and his was silent." (p.311)
And, just as the weather worsens, so does Pip's view of Magwitch - no longer is he merely a scruffy convict; rather, he is now a savage, a monster, a violent offender, an animal, whose presence causes Pip to shiver and whose touch causes Pip to recoil. Dickens uses the weather to illustrate the sudden dissolution of Pip's great expectations, for just as the rain will sweep all dirt and injuries away in a violent furor, so will Pip's hopes crumble, suddenly and unexpectedly, absolving him of his wrongdoing, of his prejudice toward Joe and Biddy and others he once loved. As Pip comes to see the true shape of things and not merely the shape he'd prefer, he becomes clean, like the earth after rain.
Dickens does indeed treat this chapter much like a theatrical stage. The scene begins as all plays must; with the raising of the curtain.
"I was three and twenty years of age," starts off the chapter in a very "no ifs-ands-or-buts" manner. He then fills in more detail and colors in the picture by telling us through Pip what has been going on in the time between chapters.
The stage Dickens sets is a dark one, using very gloomy diction. The weather is dark and stormy, it's heavily overcast, there is news of "shipwreck and death," and the house stands dark with the lamps blown out. The talk between Pip and Magwitch is almost like that of two conspirators, discussing thier plans with hushed tones in a house silent but for the storm outside. And, as far as I can tell, Pip's shaded reading lamp and fireplace are the only lights in the house, and you can imagine the deep shadows the flickering flames of the fire must cast, and the sense of forboding that comes with long shadows late at night.
Also, the very nature of Magwitch's appearance is troubling. A grey-haired, weather-worn man wet from the storm intruding upon a darkened home...from that alone you can tell this scene isn't going to to well. Throw in the abrupt moment of realization at the bottom of page 351, "...I could not have known my convict more distinctly than I knew him now..." By refering to him as "my convict," Dickens hits the reader with a surge of surprise, and re-awakens whatever feelings and thoughts you had about him when he was first introduced in the opening pages as he hung Pip upside-down in his search for food.
It's almost naustalgic really, having him reapear so far into the book. However, meeting him again also makes the reader very anxious as to what will happen next, especially under these conditions. Then, the slow realization that dawns on the reader and Pip simultaniously, that Pip's own convict is the provider of his fortune, and with that realization, Pip's dreams of betrothal to Estella are shattered.
"...the clocks of the Eastward churches were striking five, the candles were wasted out, the fire was dead, and the wind and rain intensified with thick black darkness." With these words Dickens dims the lights of his stage, and drops the curtain so that the scenery may once again be rearranged.
Knowing what is going to happen makes reading this chapter a very different experience. Looking back upon and keeping in mind that this was a serialized novel, this chapter could stand on its own as a short story. In the beginning, Dickens constantly builds up the suspense and ominous feeling with the arrival of the stranger in the darkness of a stormy night type scene, breaking the monotony of "stormy and wet, stormy and wet; mud, mud, mud...day after day" suddenly with the truth that dawns on both Pip and the reader of how he became a gentleman. I believe I began suspecting that the convict had a much larger role that was yet to be revealed and Dickens makes the reader wait right along with Pip to learn who was his mysterious benefactor. The intensity of tis chapter builds with Magwitch, "'may I...ask you how you have done so well...what property [and] whose property." Pip understands now. The rest of the chapter deals with "tieing up the loose ends" and the destruction "of the second stage of Pip's expectations." The pace of this chapter is exciting and would not be out of place as a short story in current times.
Dickens creates this atmospher full of suspense and mystery, in the form of a violent strom, when Magwitch comes, his footstep sounds to pip as his dead sister's, symbolizing something from the past is coming to haunt him. Also making Magwitch to come out and into the light is usefull as well creating the image of a mysterious stranger who might be familiar figure. When Magwitch reveals who he is he put it forward like as if he's playing a guessing game with Pip, while pip goings through various feelings of being horrified, making Magwitch seem almost hysterical. This scene seems serialized because it seems over dramatic and create a cliche like scene, where the main character has something unexpected revealed to him.
The way Dickens described the arrival of Magwitch was very dark, impatient, and anxious. He created the scene full of suspense and tension, "day after day, a vast heavy veil had been driving over London from the east..." This made the reader want to know more by him using suspenseful diction to entangle us into the story line of the book. Dickens never fully stated that Pip was nervous about the sounds downstairs, but we could sense he was with the feelings all the words brought together. The scene is really similar to the character of Magwitch. He is very mysterious and dark in his own ways. So the storm outside and the tension of the night evoked images of Magwitch that did not need to be directly stated by the author.
The conversation that Dickens provides of Magwitch and Pip made you want to jump out in shock. The characters talked in a calm way, but the reader was even tenser than them. The dialogue was perfect for the revelation of Magwitch being Pip's benefactor. Dickens did so much without actually expressing what was happening, it made the reader get onto the conclusion on his or her own terms. As readers, we found out about this great twist the same time as Pip did, so it affected us similarly to how it affected him. Dickens did a great job expressing how Pip felt in very few words. For example on page 311 he says, "…I had seemed to myself to attend more to the wind and the rain than to him; even now, I could not separate his voice from those voices.." That sentence sums up so much in so little. Dickens translated Pip’s feelings of betrayal, shock, bewilderment, dread, and all those other feelings into one simple phrase that connected the reader’s emotions to Pip’s emotions. The furious weather and the to-the-point diction created made the reader feel the things Pip felt and sense the things Pip sensed.
For quite a while, at least two to three paragraphs, Dickens simply makes enormous descriptions of the storm that is brewing and the atmosphere that lies within it. A sentence I found quite interesting was, “it was wretched weather; stormy and wet, stormy and wet; mud, mud, mud, deep in all the streets” (303). It was almost difficult for me to read because it was very distinctive and unusual sentence structure. This peculiar style of repetition that Dickens uses is found numerous times throughout the novel. Here, it seems as though Dickens wants to emphasize certain aspects of the setting, or therefore enhance the deep and mysteriously dark storm that is overhead. In way, it may be that the storm somewhat symbolizes Magwitch’s arrival, in the sense that he is coming to tell Pip that he is Pip’s secret benefactor, not Mrs. Havisham, and therefore ruining some of Pip’s great expectations.
Dickens also reveals more about the weather and uses words such as, “rages”, “death”, “gloomy”, (303). In addition, Dickens describes the lighting, and how the lamps were all “blown out” which adds to the murky mystery (304). Then he uses Pip’s lamp as the only source of light, and guidance through the cryptically dim night, and unveiling the shadowy figure. To add to the eerie atmosphere Dickens adds “whoever was below had stopped on seeing my lamp, for all was quite,” (304). Later on, when Pip allows the figure into his apartment, he treats him nervously and haughtily, which again, adds to the uncomfortable feeling Dickens evokes. In all, Dickens uses curious and strange diction to reveal a dark and mystical night.
I would agree with everyone that Dickens’ description of the weather sets up an ‘ominous’ prelude to the dramatic discovery of Pip’s benefactor. His emphasis on the storm and its effect seem to have an important purpose other than to bluntly say that 'all the lights were blown out’. Although the lamps being blown out are essential to the later suspense, which is brought upon by Magwitch’s reappearance, Dickens’ creative dual-usage (maybe there are more) of the storm is a clear example of how he jig-saws elements in this section to create not only a realistic scene, but also a suspenseful one.
I noticed at the end of this sentence, in which many people posted, “… the day just closed as I sat down to read had been the worst of all,” (p 348) and could not explain what it meant. Is it that the worst is over, or am I misunderstanding part of the sentence?
Before Magwitch’s re-entry, the mood is set through the weather (as Dickens had previously done using the mists in the marshes and the stars in the clear night sky). In the first sentence describing the weather, Dickens uses repetition to pound it on our heads: “Stormy and wet, stormy and wet: and mud, mud, mud.” Already we know, through Dicken’s use of dramatic images and details, that the atmosphere of this chapter is different.
We are presented with a number of similes and metaphors to complete the images of this violent storm. “The wind rushing up the river shook the house that night, like discharges of cannons, or breakings of a sea.” This language, which conjures up vivid images for the reader, helps maintain the feeling of impending doom, or the height of drama. The storm seems to get more violent and thunderous, creating more tension and acting as a sort of crescendo point before Magwitch’s re-entry and ensuing reveal. I saw Chapter 39 as the end of Pip’s Great Expectations, and it seems that Dickens wanted the end, and the moments leading up to it, to be dramatic.
Also, the reader is able to feel anxious along with Pip. We know within the first few paragraphs that Pip is alone, with Herbert away to Marseilles, and that he is feeling “dispirited and anxious”. Because of the lengthy descriptions of the storm, we as readers feel the growing threat that Dickens is setting something up, and are caught in the suspense.
Once Magwitch is heard on the stairs (the sound reminding Pip of his sister’s footsteps—any idea why Dickens included that?) the mood shifts. The long paragraphs of description are now punctuated by dialogue, speeding up the pacing of the chapter. Now, Pip’s mood is mirrored in the atmosphere of the scene. He, along with the readers, are anxious and confused as to why the convict has sought him out, and must deal with the growing realization of what it means. As the chapter closes, the pacing has reverted back to the slow descriptive reflection of Pip’s thoughts and feelings on the events, the atmosphere almost a bit melancholy as he deals with his new “dreadful burden.”
The chapter closes on a final description—“the candles were wasted out, the fire was dead, and the wind and rain intensified the thick black darkness.” The unease of the storm continues.
What truly struck me the most in chapter 39 was the great irony that followed Magwitch's unveiling. When Magwitch enters Pip immediately feels resentment towards his presence. Pip is in a rather gloomy mood, matched to the eloquently described weather. Several times throughout the passage he describes things as being wretched. The whole of London seams to be suffering from the violent storms, the horrible weather sets a perfect stage for the appearance of Magwitch. But, this is not the most significant element of the chapter. The description of the storm is narrator to flow naturally and effortlessly into the description of Magwitch; his venous brown hands and travel worn clothes. Pip is as unwelcoming to his appearance as he is to the storm. He addresses Magwitch curtly according to his class. His resentment only escalates with the realization that the guest is "his convict". The horrible irony comes when Magwitch, the object of Pips hatred primarily due to his lower caste, is indeed the reason why Pip is a gentleman. Suddenly the great fantasy Pip has created for himself of his upbringing being a motif of Miss Havisham crashes around him. His once idealized wealth is suddenly unwanted, the gold is wretched from a wretched man. This extreme hypocrisy is almost comical as Pip now pridefully resents the source of his upper class pride. The lavishly describe misery of Pip on finding this information is melodramatic, but it is used satirically. The extreme shallowness of the upper class is exposed through Pip, who instead of thanking his benefactor wishes he had never left the Forge. He is unhappy with his position when he was brought into it by lowly means.
Dickens knew that darkness held questions while light held answers. So in order to introduce the convict he starts out with a lot of darkness and therefore a lot of questions. Who is this man going up the staircase? Why is he "substantially dressed?" What business does he have with Pip? As the figure in the dark comes closer to Pip he is seen through the light, a light that is dull and shaded, where there is ambiguity and uncertainty. Thus Pip cant be too sure as to what he is looking at. The light slowly reveals the person's age, apperiece, and intentions (he was holding his hands out in an unconfrentational manner). But this is done slowly. The reader gets the information right as Pip is getting the information. We are placed in his shoes. This builds suspence. As light and observations are made about this mystery person we lose the suspence of being scared of what lies in the dark. This unknown person doesnt seem to be harmful so we arent scared.
This doesnt mean Dickens doesnt continue the suspence of what is going on. No physical harm is present but we begin to wonder why is this person here and more importantly who is this? Dickens does this by showing the "air" this man has about him. "I had seen a face... with an uncomprehensible air of being touched and pleased by the sight of me." "He looked about him with the strangest air... as if he had some part in the things he admired." With this strange behavior Dickens creates more questions and with more questions more suspence. Why does he come by such dark means yet appears to have known Pip all his life? Why does he look upon Pip's stuff like its his? To the reader it becomes obvious, thus creating a dramatic irony. The reader is then put on the edge of their seat wondering what is Pip going to do next. We know whats going on, so how is our protagonist going to react? Dickens creats more suspence and more questions.
Dickens goes from putting the reader in Pip's shoes as information is slowly being revealed to him about this mystery man coming up his stairs to a form of dramatic irony that leaves the reader craving to know what Pip is going to do next. Once Magwitch reveales himself all is confirmed and the suspence pretty much goes away.
Chapter 39 is a literary carnival, filled with repetition, tone, mood, foreshadowing and many other literary devices, all combined to give the reader a ‘run for their money’ so to speak.
Dickens begins by describing the outside weather. He uses repetition and an anxious tone to set the mood. He describes each movement calmly, while giving the reader a feeling of increasing tension and uneasiness. This initial atmosphere foreshadows the reader’s continued feeling toward Magwitch.
Dickens sets the pace for the scene to be a slow and descriptive one; this begins to build tension and offers the opportunity for the reader to take in everything that has and will happen. The reintroduction of Magwitch to the story is an example of this. First a sound is heard, and then a voice, then slowly a face, and finally the reader meets Magwitch for the second time. It allows the reader to know him and see him as a new person before the reader realizes they have met him before.
As the conversation between Pip and Magwitch unfolds, it continues to be civilized and calm. At this point in the novel, Magwitch’s intentions have not been proven, nor has the reader any reason to trust him. Dickens uses this to create fear in the reader and to promote an urgent sense of alarm and panic.
The beginning of Ch.39 starts with an explanation of how Pip has progressed, clearing up some of the plot points that occurred during the second part of the story. Herbert and Pip had moved to a new residency, Herbert’s job that Pip had secured for him was going well, and Pip was no longer being taught by Mr. Pocket. Pip also mentions that he had, "not had another word" on the identity of his benefactor (348). This foreshadows the unveiling of the source of Pip's great expectations only a little later on in the chapter. Pip also notes that Herbert is out of town on business and that he's alone at his house, subtly hinting at the vulnerability that comes with being alone.
The night of the important reveal, Dickens vividly describes the wretched and somewhat ominous weather. He tells of the "furious gusts" of wind and "violent blasts of rain" (348). He also mentions how all the lights and lamps, both on the staircase and in the court, were blown out. That evening, Pip is reading and then decides to stop at eleven. When he does, all the clocks of the city’s churches chime, their sound altered due to the wind, making it a more eerie noise than usual to Pip. Over the howling wind, footsteps can be heard and Dickens connects this moment back to the past by having Pip think wildly for a moment that it’s his dead sister coming up the stairs.
Having Pip be scared also makes the reader uncomfortable. Dickens builds up the suspense by having the mysterious visitor come into the life for a brief moment and Pip doesn’t recognize the face. Dickens also describes the face as looking pleased to see Pip. The reader gets the feeling that this person may be here to harm Pip. The stranger also calls him “master,” a strange way to address someone. Suddenly, Pip recognizes him as the convict from the beginning and, in a moment of pure shock, is revealed to be his benefactor. The unnerving situation and mood transforms to one of amazement.
I see the way Dickens begins the chapter as tying up, almost intentionally stagnating, the other plotlines that are in motion at the moment. He reaches into the river that his stories are travelling down and runs the other lines aground, so when the revelation of Pip at the source of his expectations comes, you are almost relieved at the "introduction" of this old plotline. Dickens dismisses the Mr. Pocket education almost on the side, presenting it as something will known that has already happened, for "Mr. Pocket and [Pip] had for some time parted company"(312). The way this idea is constructed for introduction to the reader alters the way it is percieved.
Again, with the air of a stiff dismissal, Herbert is taken out of the picture and the sea and stormy weather, both metaphorically and physically really begins with the subtle placement of Herbert on some distant vessel. The alliteration and repetition that follows is characteristic of the next couple pages, and really sets the stage for the mood of the setup to Magwitch's appearance. "...wretched weather; stormy and wet, stormy and wet; and mud, mud, mud, deep in all directions"(313). With this beginnning to the passage, Dickens has accomplished the most important objectives in the introduction to any powerful plot twist: introducing the mood and setting up the reader to be excited by the shake up.
Dickens was clearly deeply involved in the business of saving his magazine. He makes a huge effort to pull the reader in at this point, and to keep the guessing and reading. Although, not in chapter 39 the end of chapter 38 should not be over-looked; Pip’s casual mention of a looming fate is hardly something to be brushed over. The extended metaphor ending in a blow and the roof “of his stronghold dropped upon him (37), was clearly crafted in order to force his readers to read the next chapter.
And the suspense doesn’t end there, with the stormy weather predicting a bad day, and his mysterious visitor, the reader cannot help but wonder what significance this person has.
That being said, I agree with my classmates in saying that Dickens sets the tone majestically for the crumple of all of Pip’s hopes and dreams. He’s become accustomed to reading, he’s finished his tutoring with Mr. Pocket and moved out of Barnard’s Inn. And yet both Pip and the reader have an impending feeling that his comfort will not last long, that would be a boring additional 200 pages.
I also wanted to add that I disagree with Krista’s comment that Pip resents his becoming a gentleman because of its source. I think that Pip was disgusted by the convict but not necessarily with the source of his great expectations. He was only interested in becoming a gentleman was because of Estella, and I don’t know that he ever really believed he was intentioned for her. I think that Magwitch being the source of Pip’s wealth was more a channel for dickens by which to show us the insignificance of becoming a gentleman. Especially considering that after he has no more money, he remains a good person and fixes his problems before. I believe his argument was that being a gentleman did not necessarily make you better, it merely gave you shallow gratification in life.
Looking back at the end of chapter 38, it certainly does add to the suspense. We left Mr. Pip as he was putting the lid on the pot and blowing on the fire. We come back a considerable amount of time later to check on the pressure. This time, something has to give.
I wonder if he magnificently pulled this out at last minute, with a brush of pure luck and genius, or if he had this planned all along, secretly hording his master plan, and maniacly giggling when people said the book was too slow, or need a twist, or something.
But anywho, what struck me most was his description on pg310 (Moving the lamp...both his hands to me.) It reminded me of a Greek God, coming down to meddle in the lives of common man. Given by the sea and taken by the sea. It seems just like something they would do, come in on the unholy night of the decade as a stranger in the night, while our protaganist is alone, calling him "Master", mysterious, holding his hands to our friend, only to yank the rug from beneath our unprepared Pip, and leap away into the night (by Pip's help, nonetheless). And laugh and laugh as he feasts back at Olympus. It would have almost worked too! had he not been fatally wounded. But that too, could be part of this god's plan; Mess up his life as much as possible, get wounded, and watch the young thing grow an attachment to what had caused his so much grief of late. Ohohoho, these silly mortals....
*Cough* But back(ish) the the subject. To respond to Camden, I do think Pip was disgusted by his source of becoming gentleman, simply because there WAS money, but he refused it, even though he was already in debt with an nice income. But then, if he hadn't become severely in debt and had to be though in prison, while sick, then he wouldn't have ended up being taken care of by Joe and he would have died the fool that patronized us with his stubborn actions for so long.
Dickens creates an atmosphere of suspense and mystery, in the form of a violent storm.
Another instance is when Magwitch comes, his footstep reminds Pip of his dead sister's, symbolizing something from the past is coming to haunt him.
Also making Magwitch come into the light creates the image of a mysterious yet familiar figure.
When Magwitch reveals himself, its as if he's playing a game with Pip, while Pip goes through various feelings of being horrified, scared, relieved, and finally suprised.
This scene is satirized and over dramatic with a scene where the main character has something unexpected revealed to him.
The chapter starts out sad and depressing. Pip sounds as if he is writing a letter to his family or a friend about missing Herbert and being alone. A few paragraphs later it changes tone to a more anxious and dramatic feeling, especially when Pip closes his book right as the church clocks strike hour. Anxiety rises as the convict enters Pip's room and begins speaking what Pip and readers think is nonsense. When Pip realizes it is "his" convict he is repulsed and sounds a bit stuck up.
The convict making Pip anxious and making him guess where his property and funds have come from begin the downward spiral of Pip's hope for Miss Havisham being his benefactor. He realizes that when she has nothing to do with him being a gentleman that Estella was never supposed to be in his future. There is more dismay when Pip learns the convict broke out of jail again and it was dangerous for him to be in London again. He also feels bad about deserting Joe and Biddy for his new life as a gentleman, when really he is still no better than them, maybe even worse since he is depending on a convict to pay his bills. The chapter ends with Pip's sadness and depression taking over again as the rain and wind continue outside and the blackness taking over.
I belive that the storm that started days before that was described as wet and muddy and made "a vast heavy veil"(pg 348) fall over London acted as a gloomy foreshadowing entrance to the events that were about to occur with Pip and Magwitch. It made the scene more suspenseful and interesting, as well as making me understand that something bad was about to happen to Pip or another character.
I also agree with what Austin said, that Pips thought of his sister briefly when he heard the footsteps coming up the stairs symbolized how something from his past was coming to haunt him. His relationship with Mrs. joe was abruptly ended when she was crippled just as his relationship with Magwitch had ended when he was taken back to jail after fighting the other criminal.
This chapter is loaded! Dickens wastes no time indulging in excessive description in this chapter. There is a couple striking sentences that I’d like to point out. One of them being, “Occasionally, the smoke came rolling down they chimney as though it could not bear to go out into such a night; and when I set the doors open and looked down the staircase, the staircase lamps were blown out…in the rain.” I would highly advise you guys look over the sentence in entirety in the book, this quote really doesn’t do it justice. I was first stuck by the vivid personification. I instantly pictured an avalanche of smoke bellowing down the slopes of the roof. Intense, right? Dickens goes on to give intimate details of the lighting, rain, etc. Instead of going into too much examination of Dickens’ ability to paint pictures in the reader’s mind, I thought about why Dickens’ put so much effort into the description. Like many of you, I interpreted it as Dickens’ way of foreshadowing and dramatic turn of events in the coming pages. Darkness is commonly representative of mystery, and the absence of knowledge. This setting is quite apt for the successive events. Pip had no clue that his life was about to dramatically change, that his past was essentially back to haunt him. Pip had tried so hard over the years to overcome the infidelity he believed he had committed that night in the marshes, only to find out that it is that event that determined his life.
Dickens certainly is foreshadowing the haunting return of Pip's past with the dark stormy weather and his being alone only adds to it. By using personification, Dickens creates an atmosphere that is most unsettling, not only for the reader, but Pip as well. One has the sense that something major is about to happen, whether for good or ill, is yet to be determined by the mysterious visitor.
Once Magwitch presents himself to Pip and poor Pip realizes who this tattered sailor is, everything is changed. With this awful realization comes the occurrence that Pip was never meant to be with Estella, which is the biggest blow of all to him. With Magwitch, or rather Provis, having revealed himself as Pip's benefactor, Pip is completely repulsed by the fact. Dickens makes this ever so clear by saying how Pip always shudders whenever Provis would touch him. Pip's feelings even go so far as to say that he wishes Provis had just left him at the forge. Even though he may not have been content, but at least by comparison happy (311).
The diction that Dickens uses throughout this chapter gives it a dark unfortunate feeling. There is also something about the chapter, not exactly sure what, that gives the sense that Pip is in a shock that makes everything seem unnaturally slow and unreal.
Post a Comment