Miss Havisham and Magwitch from Great Expectations Essay

Discuss the relationship between character and location in the case of Magwitch and the marshes; Miss Havisham and Satis House (chapters 1-19) Both the characters Miss Havisham and Magwitch are linked closely with their respective surroundings, as Dickens employs imagery and pathetic fallacy to illustrate this. Although many characters in Great Expectations reflect their environments, the relationship of Miss Havisham and Magwitch offer a particular contrast. The novel echoes many of Dickens’s own life experiences, and the reader is given a strong flavour of Victorian history and commonplace. There is no doubt that when Dickens describes the marshes in the early stages of the novel, he is influenced by his own passion for the†¦show more content†¦Pip’s imagination is left to run wild, and by blending a child’s view of things with the more detached attitude of an adult narrator, Dickens creates a world of violence and humour. Magwitch and the marshes are similar in the way they are both shrouded in mystery. On the one hand, we have the mist and the natural elements of the marshes which make the environment appear mysterious, and then the convict, who Pip knows little of, and indeed it is not until the end of the novel that Pip realises Magwitch has been supplying him with secret sums of money. Miss Havisham’s relationship with Satis House is deeper, perhaps more sinister. When Pip first witnesses Miss Havisham, he remembers being taken to see, â€Å" a skeleton in the ashes of a rich dress, that had been dug out of a vault.† Like the interior of the house, the overgrown garden and the disused brewery are suggestive of Miss Havisham’s own decayed and barren, misused body. The idea of the emptiness of possessions, which is to be a recurring theme in the novel, is also underlined by the meaning concealed in Miss Havisham’s name. The, â€Å"Have a sham† reflects how this gaunt woman has been warped in time by the pretence of the wedding. The â€Å"Satis† name of the house means â€Å"enough† and one could conclude that the building is tired of all the neglect. Miss Havisham’s body reflects the festering of herShow MoreRelatedCreating Tension Through the Presentation of Magwitch and Miss Havisham in Great Expectations1182 Words   |  5 PagesHow does Dickens create tension through his presentation of Magwitch and Miss Havisham in Great Expectations? Introduction ============ Great Expectations is about a young boy, Pip, who lives in a deprived town with his sister (Mrs Joe) and her husband (Mr Joe). Pip meets a fugitive, Magwitch and after meeting with this runaway he fears from his life. Pip is then summoned to go and play at Miss Havisham’s house. 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