Great Expectations And Symbolism Essay, Research Paper

In life, symbolism is present all around us. Whether it is in the clothes we

wear, the things we do, or what we buy, everything has a meaning. Symbolism is

also present in literature and it is shown in Charles Dickens Great

Expectations. The symbols of isolation, manipulation, the tragic hero, and

wanting to be someone else are seen throughout the book through the characters

of Estella, Magwitch, Miss Havisham, and Pip. The character of Estella

represents the symbols of isolation and manipulation. By acting as an adult when

she was still young, she separated herself from Pip and others. This was due in

large part to the way Miss Havisham, her stepmother, raised her. She had no

emotion, as Miss Havisham used her for revenge on men. On his first visit to the

Satis House, Pip overheard Miss Havisham tell Estella "Well? You can break

his heart." [65]. By doing what Miss Havisham tells her to, she shows she

is just as heartless as her stepmother. She also represents manipulation in how

she played with Pip’s feelings, who has strong feelings for her eventhough he

also cannot stand her. She tells Pip "Come here! You may kiss me if you

like." [102]. Although the kiss may have meant a lot to Pip, it did not

mean anything to Estella as she was just playing with Pip’s emotions. The

character of Magwitch represents the symbols of isolation and the tragic hero.

In this case, he was physically isolated from society because he was a convict

and was looked upon with disgust. When Magwitch confesses and apologizes to Joe

for stealing the food, Joe replies "poor miserable fellow creatur."

[43]. Magwitch also illustrates the symbol of the tragic hero. Throughout most

of the book, Magwitch is looked down upon by Pip. Magwitch talks about his

gratitude for Pip when he helped him as a convict many years ago. "You

acted noble, my boy," said he. [356]. "Noble Pip! And I have never

forgot it!" [356]. He shows why he is a hero when he explains to Pip that

he was the benefactor and the one responsible for making him a gentleman and

helping him achieve his great expectations. "Yes, Pip, dear boy, I’ve made

a gentleman on you! It’s me wot done it!" [359-360]. After his death,

however, Pip feels guilt and sadness when he learns what Magwitch spent most of

his life trying do. As a result, he shows the readers why he was the tragic

hero. One character who represents the symbols of isolation and manipulation is

Miss Havisham. For most of her life, she has refused to let go of her past as

she continues to wear her wedding dress and keep her wedding cake. Her decaying

dress and cake are symbols of how her life rotted away. It also depicted the

state of the Satis House, where she was isolated from the rest of society. The

house is used as a metaphor to show how they decayed and crumbled as time passed

on. Miss Havisham also illustrates the symbol of manipulation. She had raised

Estella as a heartless stepdaughter whose main purpose was to seek revenge on

men. This central motivation of revenge resulted from the fact that she was a

rejected lover. Her plan is shown when she tells Estella to go play with Pip.

"Well? You can break his heart." [65]. As a result, she made Estella

into a human monster with no emotion. Near the end, Miss Havisham dies a

hopeless neurotic. The one character who shows the symbol of how people always

want to be someone else but than decide they are better off with whom they are

is Pip, the story’s protagonist. As a boy, Pip wishes to be a gentleman. With

unknown help from Magwitch the convict, Pip’s dreams come true. After attaining

his fortune and his expectations, Pip is miserable. "As I had grown

accustomed to my expectations, I had intensibly begun to notice their effect

upon myself and those around me." [305]. He noticed the negative effects as

he was in debt because of his lavish spending and he also realized how much he

neglected Joe and Biddy, his two best friends as a kid. In the end, Pip changes

as he becomes a loyal friend to Magwitch in his time of need, tries to repair

his relationship with Joe and Biddy, and goes from almost total destruction to

moderate business success. He also shows how people gain from giving. The only

good fortune from the money he received from his private benefactor, Magwitch,

was giving it to Herbert. As shown from the examples above, symbolism plays an

important part in Charles Dickens Great Expectations. Many symbols such as

isolation, manipulation, the tragic hero, and wanting to be someone else are

present throughout the novel and are brought to life by the characters. People

in today’s society must realize that a lot of what we do symbolizes something

about us and helps explain who we are as people.