Abel Magwitch was not always the hardened Convict he has often been portrayed as; rather, he is a self-described product of social and cultural stigmas, an involuntary offender born of a perverted and diseased system. The disease of this system has even taken root within the courts. Despite the fact that Compeyson masterminded the crimes that he and Magwitch committed, Compeyson receives a lighter sentence on account of his gentlemanly demeanour. Similarly, Molly is acquitted, in spite of all the evidence that points to her guilt, because she does not fit the look of a murderer. Therefore the legal system, which is traditionally meant to ensure equality, has prejudiced the courts to weigh superficies above evidence. In this essay, I hope to extract the greater implications of the text’s corrupted courts. Through its sympathetic portrayals of Magwitch, the text expresses indignation against the legal framework in which it is set; a judicial system that no longer administers justice. The ramifications of this argument remain relevant today: the law should not amplify social ailments but rather strive to correct them.
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The second volume of Great Expectations follows Pip as he speculates as to the identity and nature of his mysterious benefactor and Great Expectations. Convinced by his false assumption, he shuns former friends, endeavors to escape his past, and aspires to a future for which he is not designed. There are times, however, when he divulges uncertainty about the path that he has chosen, and his expectations prove more haunting than aspirational. Upon receiving his first letter from Estella, Pip, consumed by unrest, begins “haunting the coach-office in wood-street” (Dickens, 259). Soon, Pip describes himself as having “haunted Richmond” in pursuit of Estella during his stay at Hammerhead (Dickens, 274). He gloomily realizes more and more that his personal expectations may extend past those Great Expectations intended for him, and prophesies that should the “staid old house near the Green at Richmond… ever come to be haunted,” it will be haunted by his ghost, for “[his] spirit [is] always wandering” aimlessly and fruitlessly about that house (Dickens 300). Pip is also shaken by the death of his sister, whose figure “haunt[s] [him] night and day,” and he attributes these hallucinations to a “shock of regret” (Dickens 278). He dreams that his sister will “presently knock at the door” or “com[e] towards [him] in the street,” associating his rooms, which his sister has never occupied, with a “perpetual suggestion of the sound of her voice” (Dickens 278). All of his visions involve a visitation to London by his sister, and therefore, it follows that he regrets not having interacted with her before her death. Pip’s remorse for his dissociation with his past and fears regarding Estella reach a climax upon Magwitch’s revelation that he is Pip’s benefactor; this paradigm shift renders Pip’s haunting anxieties valid. Dickens uses subtle diction to provide the reader with a view of Pip’s psyche, and I think Volume III will focus on Pip's reckoning with these new truths.
The dinner with Jaggers in Great Expectations shows how Molly and Bentley Drummle remain beholden to their background. Pip notices that Molly “would remove her hands from any dish she put before [Jaggers]” and “dreaded his calling her back” (Dickens 213). The cause for her suspicious behaviour is quickly revealed when Jaggers, in spite of her pleas, sets her bare hands upon the table, musing that he “never saw stronger in that respect, man’s or woman’s, than these” (Dickens 214). As an attorney who has argued many criminal cases, Jaggers has “had occasion to notice many hands,” including those of his clientele who were sentenced to death (Dickens 214). Still, Molly’s hands are stronger: a hint that she was once a dangerous outlaw. As Molly withdraws from the room, her disposition is plagued by her past. Despite her efforts, she cannot evolve from the inhuman “wild beast” that Jaggers once “tamed” (Dickens 202). Just as Molly is secretive, Drummle is “reticent,” communicating minimally with his peers from Hammersmith. Jaggers, however, decides to “screw discourse out of him” by “wrench[ing] the weakest part of [his] dispositio[n]” (Dickens 212, 213). As he lavishes Drummle’s ego with praises and drinks to him, Drummle sheds his aloof façade, “show[ing] his morose depreciation” of his peers and greatly aggravating them (Dickens 215). In the cases of both Molly and Drummle, the “wood grain” or true nature of their characters prove immutable (Dickens 181). Thus, Dickens’ greater message––that “the more varnish” put on, “the more the grain will express itself”––suggests that attempts to hide oneself will only further expose oneself, a forewarning that Pip’s dreams of discarding his background as a labouring boy in the marshes to become a gentleman in London may be unattainable (Dickens 181).
Born into a family of commoners, Pip grows up in a blacksmith’s humble abode. Spending most of his time in the forge, he is accustomed to performing chores which shape his pleasant, initial identity. However, this all changes at Satis House.
At Satis House, he learns to find fault with every aspect of himself. From his body to his social class and his own vocabulary (ex: “knaves”), Pip beats himself up. His hands are too rough, his boots are too thick, his class is too low, and he is weak and dog-like. His ego plunges into a violent, emotional upheaval. Estella is the primary stimulus for Pip’s change. Pip, who was orphaned at a young age and spent many years searching for his identity, is sensitive and longing. Estella, however, is the opposite; hypercritical, cold, and neglecting, she absorbs only her immediate surroundings. Unlike Pip, she is not sensitive. Rather, she is callous and vocalizes her aversion to him by repeatedly denigrating, spurning, and laughing at him. Whether or not this is purposeful, she effectively shreds his heart and spirit into pieces. Pip returns home exhausted, broken, but with a newfound admiration for Estella and a lust for her and what she represents: the unattainable upper class. Pip becomes dissatisfied with himself and his background. He pines to mature into a gentleman, a wish that seems to him impossible. Slowly, this dissatisfaction extends beyond himself to his friends and family. Even strong, lovable Joe, who Pip has long admired, becomes peasantly and lacking to him. Nonetheless, Pip’s discontents seem, after a while, to be on the verge of dissipation. He slowly realizes the impracticalities of his dreams, and starts to consider Biddy as a candidate for his romantic companion over Estella, a scenario that may have become reality had his mysterious benefactor not stepped in. The benefactor elevates Pip to the status of a gentleman in the hopes that he may fulfill his Great Expectations, providing a secondary impetus that pushes forth his transformation by allowing him to overcome insurmountable obstacles to his ambitious aspirations. While Pip is able to achieve his goals, he remains consumed by shame of his upbringing––incognizant of why his family and friends take pride in their identity despite their lack of wealth and accusing them of jealousy when they try to help him understand. Hello. I am Alexander Jin and on this blog I will be talking about English. I really like English a lot. English is one of my favorite subjects. Sadly, I was forced to take a break from English because of the coronavirus pandemic, which caused our school to transition into a phase of remote learning. This experience has been very likable so far, and I especially like the remote learning English class because we discuss English in it and I really like English a lot. Feel free to talk about your love for English or Alexander Jin in the comments section below.
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