Setting In Great Expectations Essay, Research Paper

The settings of Great Expectations have an important bearing on

the storyline; the settings also echo the characters in personality and

circumstance. The theme of the book seems to run parallel with the settings in

some respects, such as the plain but wholesome life-style of Rochester and the

beckoning but ultimately shallow habitat of London. Throughout the book

comparisons and relationships between story and setting are made, many subtle

and not evident unless reflected upon. The setting from the start of the book is very important, from the

bleak and stereotypical graveyard that give the book a starting tense and

exiting mood, and the humble blacksmiths that acts as a platform for Pip?s

expectations and the opposite setting to much of the grander scenery in London.

The graveyard at the start of the book is typical example of how the setting

contributes so well to the story and the atmosphere, this is just one of the

more obvious examples. Starting the book in a graveyard quickly informs the

reader of a lot of information about Pips history that under different

circumstances would have taken a lot longer to explain; things like Pips

parents and family were quickly and briefly explained to the readers via the

gravestones and Magwitches asking ?Where?s your mother?? and Pip?s response

being ?There sir? as he points to his Mother, Father and five sibling?s

gravestones. Throughout the book the settings reflect Pips moods and hopes;

such places as the blacksmiths and Satis house affect Pip?s state of thought profoundly.

Pip?s experiences of suffering and torture, both mental and physical, at the

hands of his sister were reflective of the surroundings being both rough and

uncultured were amplified by his later experiences at Satis house with Estella

and his craving for knowledge that neither the blacksmiths nor his apprentership could for fill. Pip begins to realise that the dull Rochester is

not able to accommodate his hunger for wisdom. At this point Pip sees that to

become noble and well educated was what he yearned for and a want to be in

better circumstances made a need for a better setting becomes apparent and a

large part of the story.? ?I think I might have had some faint doubts whether it was not

really rather ugly and crooked?? as Pip enters London what he sees is a little

of a disappointment to him, not the gleaming metropolis he had wished for, and

this becomes very clear as he enters little Briton where Jaggers office is

located. From Pip arriving at London the settings seem a little of a let-down;

Barnards Inn seems quite disappointment for Pip but the emphasis is taken away

from this point a little by the arrival of Herbert Pocket. The settings of

London?s escapades for Pip are an omen for the ultimate futility of his

expectations. The way in which Dickens portrays London is a reflection of his

real feelings about the city, and in the book London seems to be projected as

an epicentre of dirt and filth; not quite the peachy visions that Pip had about

the city and in particular the references to Negate seem to point out that some

of London is both filthy and depraved as do the quotes on places like little

Britain. It is not just Pips state of mind that is affected or represented

but the immediate surroundings; Miss Havishams state of mind and existence is

well projected by the bizarreness of her surroundings, in particular the

rotting wedding cake on the table at which she wishes her dead body to be

placed and her relatives to feast upon her own flesh. The tainted chambers in

which she resides equal these insane ideas. ?Are you not afraid of a woman who

has not seen the light of day since before you were born?? Miss Havisham claims

to Pip as he nervously replies in the negative; her ?lair? is covered in

cobwebs and the windows are boarded up so no natural light can enter her

chamber. The picture presented by Dickens seems quite stereotypical of how the

dwellings of an evil or mentally infirm person may live and this adds to the

effectiveness of the description of Havisham?s house. Jaggers is another person that is well represented by his setting,

his office in little Britain is much as he is, cold, clinical and precise.

Jaggers office serves as a monument to his personality and attitude to work;

his office is adorned only with a noose and some death masks that have been two

of his less fortunate clients. Jaggers un-adorned office serves as testament to

his character before Pip even meets Jaggers while he is at work. Jaggers office

reflects his personality well; it is almost sterile as he almost without personality

and totally without humour. Jagger?s office is with only two chairs, a grand

one for himself and a comfortable but plainer one for the client, this shows a

certain amount of egotism on Jagger?s part and perhaps a resentment of his

clients for their inferiority to him. The death masks may show that Jaggers is

not a totally moral man, and that he is willing to take cases that are

blatantly guilty and he is not afraid to admit this.? Conclusion: In conclusion it is obvious that much of the storyline

and characterisation is augmented by the setting in which Dickens has placed an

event or person. The relationship between setting and storyline has taken a

very important part in Dickens?s Great Expectations; much more than the

superficial role that the setting takes in the vast majority of novels and

stories. Perhaps Dickens added much of the relationship between setting and

story without realising, or that he inadvertently moulded the characters to the

desired settings he had created and knew so well throughout his colourful

life.?