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Hartwick College EssayIn this invite out, we are shown insight into what daubs eccentric has blend, by reacquainting him with the convict Magwitch. In this second visit, we can see the contrast between straps first encounter, and this much shocking scene how Pips persona has changed from an innocent youth, to a selfish, egocentric gentleman. Also, we are given the startling divine revelation of Pips true benefactor, in a cumulative peak of excitement enriched with hellion unique writing style. throughout the text, Pips manner towards others, his way of thinking and even his narrative voice transform to create two moderately different characters. The extract pictures him as a selfish, pompous young man who shows great ingratitude towards Magwitch request inhospitably enough whether he would like to come in and pushing away a supplication for affection, from one who has worked hard all his emotional state merely to provide Pip with a great wealth, and an easy lifestyl e. When Magwitch returns to greet his beneficiary, he is treated with less than minor courtesy. Pips younger character however appears far more(prenominal) innocent, showing respect and even compassion towards a convict, who threatens and oppresses him, glad that his stolen food is enjoyed by a cop stranger.This highlights a stark contrast between the Pip displayed in the extract, and Pips younger self. Indeed Dickens seems to window pane out the irony of such a title at the point in time when company considers him gentleman he is anything but gentle instead he appears malicious and critical of his former hero Joe whose visit he awaits with mortification. The wealthy gentleman is now a moral shadow of the impoverished until now guiltless Pip we are introduced to at the beginning of the story.His simultaneous ascent to aristocracy and fall into selfish spendthrift, kick the bucketing to his subsequent redemption, are reminiscent of the education novel popular at the time. T hese tales of apprenticeship were often of ill-treated orphans who managed to become wealthy and favored. The stories featured the many obstacles that the hero/heroine would contrive to overcome, and their popularity peaked around Dickens time. Typically, they seek the youth and young adulthood of a sensitive protagonist who is in search of the meaning of life and the nature of the world (David Cody, Associate Professor of English, Hartwick College.)They tended to contain autobiographical elements, and were sometimes influenced by contemporary amicable and industrial transformations. There are likewise some other genres on which the story touches upon, namely the gumption novel the numerable maculation twists and shocking revelations form a large part of the structure in this extract we see the startling disclosure of Pips true benefactor, which most contemporaneous readers would perhaps not carry guessed. Indeed, these climatic scenes are pivotal to the books success as a serialisation, as well as a novel.To maintain post in a book that is staged in weekly instalments, Dickens uses a variety of sub-plots to keep the reader engrossed. This eccentric writing style gives the text a unique quality, and the general effect on the reader is one of shock and intrigue. The rendezvous with the convict in the graveyard, and his death, Miss Havishams fire, and the clash with Orlick are among the most memorable completions we experience as well as Pips second meeting with Magwitch. In this passage, we can see how the writer cultivates tension and makes the most of Magwitchs secret.When extract reaches a pinnacle of excitement, many sentences become long and drawn out, and sentence complexity increases, leaving the shorter, snappier why, Wemmick and would it be J? to push promote interest in the plot, and give a tense, nervous atmosphere. As the scene draws to its zenith, as Pips heart (beats) like a heavy hammer of disordered action, we see powerful metap hors, and repetition of prominent, emotive language (dangers, disgraces, consequences) to give a sense of anxiety and intensify the scene. Language is overly used here to alienate the convict from Pip himself.The rich, throaty slang of Magwitchs arterwards, speclated and warmint contrasts against Pips more noble speeches of how he cannot wish to re novel that chance intercourse and inquires of the messenger since he undertook that trust. The way Dickens estranges Magwitch from Pip is significant it symbolizes the delusional notion that Pip is a gentleman, and that he is superior to the convict. Pip believes himself to be changed since that first chance meeting in the graveyard, and thinks that he is now preceding(prenominal) Magwitch, who is by and by all a criminal.The irony experienced by the reader is that Pips great wealth and speed class lifestyle is solely attributable to Magwitch himself, and this too is the source of the shock Pip describes. The way Dickens depicts Pip s feelings is extremely powerful, as we see Pip suffocating merely from the shock of this news, news that his almost successful attempt to become a gentleman was funded by the dark relic of his youth, whos felonious past appears further from gentry as is possible.This is of course, not the first time we see Pips character interrupted by members of his puerility there was his meeting with Mr Pocket on his arrival to capital of the United Kingdom, and more important, Joes visit to Pip in his London flat. This meeting, like the one with Magwitch we see in the extract, stresses the change we have seen in Pips character by study his manner towards someone he knew as a boy, and how he acts towards them now.Upon his visit, Joe is not treated with hostility as such, but Pip denotes that he certainly would have paid money to keep him from coming. As a boy, Pip always stayed friends with Joe despite his obvious stupidity and clumsiness, yet now he wishes more than anything to avert him. Pi ps dismissal of Joe in this way turns the reader against him slightly up until now we have supported Pip as the good guy. Pips corruption from an innocent youngster to a snide gentleman, and then back into a more honourable businessman.This cycle of purity, corruption and redemption is an ongoing theme in Great Expectations, and makes tough references to Christian beliefs of how the life of greed and sin that Pip lived in London, on the wealth of a convict, lead to a corroded innocence that was only liberated through his consequent illness and then his new beginning with Estella. The other theme that appears in the novel, is that of justice and the just punishment of crime.We first see this in the appearance of a convict (though this method of punishment was stopped in 1868 several years after the novel was written) and Dickens portrayal of him as an honest man, who admits to the theft of some broken wittles and a dram of liquor to save Pip from his sister, Mrs Joe. And again, M rs Joe herself ties in to the punishment theme, her harsh disciplining of her husband and brother again lets us sympathise with those who are chastised, and not the chastisers.Later in the book, we see another example of this when Magwitch is caught. And more knotty instances of punishment such as Mrs Havisham burning for her corruption of Estella (corruption almost being a theme in itself) are also present in the text, giving us a thorough impression of how those who put crime will always be brought to justice. The time setting of the novel allows Dickens to include these ideas of somatic punishment, convicts and public hangings. To a fresh reader, these archaic, brutal methods of upholding the law appear old-fashioned.However, readers of the time would most probably have experienced these events fist-hand, in one way or another. Moral preachings of more passive action towards prisoners and criminals would be relatively new to them, whereas nowadays such views are accepted as s tandard. The feelings created by the views Dickens has on delinquency, and its retribution, are therefore significantly different between readers of-the-time and present day students. As a modern audience, we also feel compelled, excited, and fascinated by the books intricate plotlines, particularly in this extract.To inspire such inviolable emotions, Dickens uses many lingual and structural functions, the aforementioned effectiveness of metaphors and imagery to name one. He also writes in the 1st person, which is pivotal to the feelings the book creates the story is far more personal and involving. Dickens also entwines his plots and subplots very carefully to create a prominent air of tension. As he builds up to the climax of one plot twist, he continues to insert little mini-dramas that leave us waiting for the main plot line to continue. He does this quite often in the novel, and it makes the reading most tense and far less predictable.To a less observant reader, Magwitchs retu rn would be a complete surprise this is where the majority of this extracts attraction lies. Overall, this extract is in fact one of the most outstanding scenes in the book. The build up of excitement onwards the final revelation of Pip your him is done with a variety of complex, literary devices, and the twist in the plot and return of a familiar character add to its success. It calls attention to Pips new assumed role, as a self-centred ungrateful gentleman, and is characteristic of Dickens writing style.