Miss Havisham

Another important aspect of the setting is the labyrinthine, claustrophobic and exotic space into which the plot is set. Since Walpole's `Castle of Otrano' (1764) the Gothic castle is one of the key features of the Gothic novel. The Gothic castle is a labyrinthine and claustrophobic place which evokes feelings of "fear, awe, entrapment and helplessness" (Raskauskien 50). Characteristic of the Gothic castle are mazy, over- and undergrounded corridors, creaking doors, shuttered windows, trapdoors…

would be aware that ‘Havisham’ refers to Miss Havisham in the book. The lack of an honorific title symbolises her embarrassment and denial about her rejection in love and moreover puts her on par with characters like Hamlet and Othello, who weren’t at any point called ‘Prince Hamlet’ or ‘General Othello’. This technique used by Duffy portrays the persona as being of great importance; however, to anyone who hasn’t read the book, the question remains: who, or what is ‘Havisham’? Both the title and…

England has a history of creating policies and cultures that shame and look down on those individuals who are apart of the lower classes. Class wasn 't always based off of wealth. Early in England’s history an individual’s social status was based on their lineage, as described by Stephen Liddell “though not common, it was entirely possible for an aristocratic family to be almost bankrupt whilst still retaining their upper class rating (1). This culture likely lead to the idea of “respecting…

Reflection In the book, "Great Expectations," social and financial status play a big role throughout the story. The author of the book, Charles Dickens, displays through his work how the wealthy tend to be held in higher respects for the money they have while the lower class are often seen as uneducated people with no redeeming benefactors. He also raises the question on social status, and often demonstrates how social status in a large town relates to how well people treat a person and how…

Guilt is a soul sucking feeling of remorse after having committed a crime whether it was on purpose or not. Every person who ever lived has committed a crime at some point because these crimes are what make us human. Guilt almost always follows behind a crime and makes people realize the mistake made. It’s the emotionally strong people who can take responsibility to the crime and make it right. Charles Dickens, has sculpted his book “Great Expectations” around the idea of crime and guilt…

classes, allowing him to be less avaricious. “Ours was the marsh country...that this bleak place overgrown with nettles.” This quote from the very first page of the novel shows how Pip started out the book as a poor orphan and did not have a lot. “Miss Havisham’s…

The first moment the reader notices Pip’s distaste for the lower class is when Joe goes to Miss Havisham’s house for the first time. Joe loves Pip so he wants to appear sophisticated for his meeting with Miss Havisham, so he dresses himself in his finest clothes, unfortunately his clothes are too short and too tight for him and he looks ridiculous. Also, Joe does not speak to Miss Havisham directly; he is anxious and speaks through Pip. This embarrasses Pip, and ever since then, Pip looks…

The way that Dickens opens up the book, I immediately sympathize with Pip and his struggle of not knowing his parents and 5 brothers. The fact that his 5 brothers died as infants shows that they lived a tough life during a harsh time with a high infant mortality rate and low life expectancy. This quote shows that even though Pip had to deal with the deaths of his family, he is still able to have that childlike quality of imagination. I find it ironic but very sad that Mrs. Gargery is an actual…

Essayist Henry David Thoreau once said, “Do not be too moral. You may cheat yourself out of much life so. Aim above morality. Be not simply good, be good for something.” In other words, it is better to do the right thing with specific purpose then to always do what may seem right for no valid reason. This quote discusses the goal of being a moral person, being good for the good of something. In Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, one can question the morals of many characters, especially…

In Charles Dickens’ novel, Great Expectations, Pip is portrayed as a boy brought up in a poor family. He inherits a large fortune from an unknown benefactor and leaves behind his whole life as he had known previously, and starts anew. Pip abandons his family and friends and only comes back to visit them when it benefits him, or whenever Estella wishes for his assistance. Things go great for Pip until near the end of the story, when his money is lost and he now must depend on his friends and…