Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Great Expectations 3

Through both the journeys of Pip and Estella both have realized their new places in the lives of people around them. Pip finding his benefactor has finally realized the ultimate truth behind his "Great Expectations" and shows a great disgust in the news. Pip's realization of his place in society is not so black and white to him anymore. He has realized that the life he wanted to live with Estella is not in his reach and reacts negatively toward the convict bringing this news to him. As Pip explains, " The abhorrence in which i held the man, the dread I had of him, the repugnance with which I shrank from him, could not have been exceeded if he had been some terrible beast"(319-320). Clearly Pip has changed his emotions on the subject of his inheritance. He does not greet is expectations with positive outlook anymore, but instead he looks at his benefactor as a "terrible beast".
Estella on the other hand has changed her positions in relation to Ms. Havisham. Estella has realized that she does not have her own life but rather Ms. Havisham has taken complete control of her life shaping her into whatever she wishes Estella to be. But now Estella has realized this and we see that she has begun to fight back to Ms. Havisham. When Estella and Ms. Havisham fight Estella says, " All I possess is freely yours. All that you have given me, is at your command to have again, Beyond that, I have nothing" (304). It is seen that Estella has definitely come to the realization that she does not control her own life and that now she has just begun to fight back against Ms. Havisham, starting with their fight seen in chapter 38.
Both Characters realizations will have profound effects on their futures. Estella will begin to distant herself from the control of Ms. Havisham and will become her own women, not some wretched evil daughter of Ms. Havisham. This possibility is especially probable seeing that Estella is now going to be more often away from Satis house and Ms. Havisham. She will begin to build her own life and form her own individual personality.
Pip as a result of realizing his benefactor and becoming disgusted with his finding will begin to question his life in the higher class and will most likely go back to Joe more often seeking advice from him. Pip will eventually realize that with Estella out of reach his expectations have become completely useless to him, and he will return to the forge in the hope of rebuilding a relationship with Joe.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Great Expectations 2

Dickens' creation of the character, Orlick, acts as not only asistance to Joe in the forge but also has quite a effect on Pip's life. Dickens chose orlicks name based on the two obvious syllables "or" and "lick". These two words combine to desribe Orlick based on his position in society and his actions toward Pip.
"Or" meanig "to indicate an alternative"(www.merriam-webster.com) to a situation or idea, describes Orlick's position in relation to Joe's blacksmith industry. Orlick provides alternative support and help in Joe's trade by acting as his assistant as introduced by Pip as saying how Joe held him as, " a journeyman at weekly wages whose name was Orlick"(112). This example clearly shows Orlicks position in life in is proffesion. He simply acts as an alternative helping source in the Forge and is nothing more to Joe.
Lick as desribed as one of the possible defintions at www.merriam-webster.com, can mean "to strike repeatedly". This definition pays tribute to how Pip has desribed Orlick as to treating him. Pip's description includes statements of, "he gave me to understand that the Devil lived in a black corner of the forge, and that he knew the fiend very well: also that it was necessary to make up the fire, once in seven years, with a live boy, and that I might consider myself fuel"(112-113). These past occurences that Pip has explained a inhumane side of Orlick of repeatedly striking Pip with outragous claims that can cause fear in a young boy. These strikes may not be physical strikes but they are repetive strikes that have ceartinley impacted Pip to the extent that he has now mentioned them as a description of how awful Orlick is. Orlick actions toward Pip have been cruel and harsh just as the actions of anyone who is committing the act of "striking repeatedly".

Friday, January 30, 2009

Great Expectations response 1

In Great Expectations when Pip provides help to the convict by steeling from his sister, his reaction to being a thief shows Pip's conscience has great weight of influence on his life. Although Pip does steel his dramatic weight of his conscience shows that he is no thief.
When Pip hears of the hulks nearby he explains, "…I felt fearfully sensible of the great convenience that the Hulks were handy for me. I was clearly on my way there. I had begun by asking questions, and I was going to rob Mrs. Joe.”
Here Pip shows his guilty conscience by foreseeing a totally ridiculous occurrence of the hulks taking him into custody. His steeling of the pantry from Mrs. Joe has clearly affected his conscience; the fact that just the presence of the hulks scares him into thinking he will be taken shows that his conscience is showing signs of guilt.
In addition to showing guilt in his decision to steal from Mrs. Joe, Pip shows fear to the situation as well. As shown above, "I felt fearfully sensible sensible of the great convenience that the Hulks were handy for me. " Hear Pip shows his fear of prison as a great negative from steeling from Mrs. Joe. Although this fear combined with guilt shows that Pip is no real criminal. Although he does steal he shows that he is no man for crime because of his guilty conscience along with a great fear that is aroused just from the presence of the Hulks that are clearly not after him.
Pip may have stolen but he shows us that he no criminal. No real criminal would have a guilty conscience that haunts him like Pip's conscience does. Pip turns out to be just a boy caught in a unfortunate situation.