英美文学论文

Name：符佩

Study number: 32010013126

Course name：English and American Literature Instructor：Professor Pan Date：2011/11/10

The Characters’ Influence on Pip in 《Great

Expectations》

【Abstract】 Charles Dickens has disclosed the insincerity of capitalistic society by describing Pip’s pursuing Great Expectations. So it is of great value to analyze the influence which the characters in it impose on pip’ personality development

【Key Words】 Pip; Influences ; Capitalistic Society; Personality Development; Charles Dickens; Great Expectations;

1. Literature Review

Zhangjian. “He has analyzed deeply the major characters-Pip’s life and emotional development to reveal the unclad monetary of people and display the existence of paupers in the Victorian Age.” Analysis of Characters in《Great Expectations》.Science and Technology Innovation Herald. Nei Monggol: 2010. NO.0.

Zhuonifang、Lixin. “Charles Dickens was a master of characterization, skillful in drawing vivid caricature sketches by exaggerating some peculiarities. The paper describes Pip’s growth and maturity of soul and gives teenagers some advices on how

to achieve our value of life.” Analysis of Characters in《Great Expectations》.China Academic journal electronic publishing house.1994-2010.

Guorong. “Charles Dickens disclosed the inclemency of capitalist society by describing the break of Pip’s great expectation. It is meaningful to analyze the relationship between Pip and four female characters in《Great Expectations》” Study on thg Relatioship Between Pip and Four Female Characters. Hunan: Journal Of Harbin University. Öo* l 30 No . 5 May 2009.

2． Brief introductions

2.1 The plot

The story is divided into three phases of Pip's life expectations.

In the first expectation, Pip lives with his ill-tempered older sister and her husband, Joe Gargery. Pip is satisfied with this life until he is hired by an wealthy woman, Miss Havisham, as an occasional companion to her and her beautiful daughter, Estella. From that time on, Pip aspires to leave behind his simple life and be a gentleman. The life is suddenly turned upside down when he is visited by a London attorney, Mr. Jaggers, who informs Pip that he is to come into the \"Great Expectation\" .

The second stage of Pip's expectations has Pip in London, learning the details of being a gentlemen. He now is supported by a generous allowance, which he frequently lives beyond. He learns to fit in this new milieu, and experiences not only friendship but rivalry as he finds himself in the same circles as Estella. As he adopts the physical and cultural norms of his new status, he also adopts the class attitudes

that go with it, and when Joe comes to visit Pip, Pip is embarrassed to the point of hostility by Joe's unlearned ways, despite his protestations of love and friendship for Joe. At the end of this stage, Pip is introduced to his benefactor, again changing his world.

2.2 Charles Dickens (1812-1870)

Called “the Shakespeare of the Novel” by F. R. and Q. D. Leavis, Dickens left to the world a rich legacy of 15 novels, and a number of short stories, which offer a most complete and realistic picture of English society of his age and remain the highest achievement in the 19th century English novel.

Very few English writers have created such a great number of living characters as Dickens. There are about 19 hundred figures, some of them are really \"typical characters under typical circumstances,\" that they become proverbial or representative of a whole group of similar persons. Dickens was a master of characterization, skillful in drawing vivid caricatural sketches by exaggerating some peculiarities, and in giving them exactly the actions for the right person. George Eliot wrote that he \"can with a phrase make a character as real as flesh and blood.\"

2. The creator of “Great Expectations”-----Abel Magwitch

Abel Magwitch is a convict who escaped from the prison. The first time Pip was scared by him but helped him .Pip’s kindness made a deep impression on the convict who determined to help pip become a rich gentleman by his hand.

A fearful man , all in coarse gray, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, and shivered, and glared, and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin. （Charles Dickens Page 3）

From the first describe of the convict，we can see that the initial personality of Pip which is innocent, kind-hearted and timid. However, with the assistant of the convict, pip become snobbish and money worship. As the saying goes “money is so powerful for someone.”, the convict’s money has turned Pip into a selfish and snobbish man from a innocent kid.

3. Joe Gargery and Mrs Joe shape the original goodness of Pip

Joe is a kind blacksmith. He is willing to do anything for his loving person such as Pip and

his wife. He treat Pip as his brother and always protect him from Mrs Joe’s abuse. Under the influence of Joe, Pip learn to put up with all the hardship of life and never hurt others. At this time，he is innocent and virtuous and just want to become a helpful blacksmith like Joe.

Besides Pip’s elder sister was described by Charles Dickens like that “My sister, Mrs. Joe, with black hair and eyes, had such a prevailing redness of skin that I sometimes used to wonder whether it was possible she washed herself with a nutmeg-grater instead of soap. She was tall and

bony, and almost always wore a coarse apron, fastened over her figure behind with two loops, and having a square impregnable bib in front, that was stuck full of pins and needles.” （Charles

Dickens Page 7）. From the appearance and dressing of Mrs Joe ,we can infer that she is rude、doughty and irascible. But at least she has replaced Pip’s mother and build the basis of Pip’s future.

4. The bad influence on Pip form Miss Havisham

Having been abandoned by her first lover, Miss Havisham has been in a despair for love. The failure in love made she lose confidence and control of life. She begin to retaliate all the man. Unfortunately Pip become the victim. Miss Havisham use Estella’s beauty to play man’s affection. Estellla is a cool beauty who absorbed Pip at the first time. Face up with Pip’s sorrow, Miss Havisham just say“love her ,love her, love her! If she like you, love her! If she hurts you, love her! If she tears you heart to pieces, love her! 0 [ 2 ] ( P2)”. Because of Miss Havisham, Pip’s amour-propre begin to germinate and put all irons in the fire to entre the upper society.

5. Estellla causes Pip’s avaricious and arrogant personality.

Estellla is a orphan without any families. She is just a tool of Miss Havisham to retaliate all the man. With the attractive appearance，it is easy for her to absorb any boy she wants. But she is cold-blooded and live just like a machine.

When the first time Pip saw Estellla, she was like a beautiful but arrogant peafowl. “she was beautiful, and as proud as a queen. We went through many dark passages until we reached a door, where she left me, taking her candle with her. ” After it, Pip fell in love at first sight despite her mock. Gradually, Pip becomes selfish and arrogant to appeal for Estellla. He look down on his poor family and degrade tast friends. This is the reflection of the vice of Pip’s heart. However

Estellla is of course the culprit of Pip’s change. She make him crazy for money and being a generous gentleman.

6. Conclusions

Charles Dickens is one of the famous critical realists in England. In Great Expectations, Dickens port rays the vanishing process of Pip s great expectations and exposes hypocrisy and danger of the capitalist society. Analyzing the influence of characters on the development of Pip’s personality in Great Expectations has important significance on exposing the relationship between disillusionment of Pip’s great expectations. Pip’s cragged life and the break of great expectations reflect his change of personality from naivete to apartness, which is mainly associated with the major characters in his life. Beside every role in this famous novel has its own feature and meaning.

Bibliography References

Sanved, ed. The Oxford Book of American Literary Anecdotes[C]. New York: OUP, 1981.

Charles Dickens The Great Expectations Oxford University Press Charles Dickens Wangkeyi The Great Expectations [M ]. Shanghai Shanghai Translation Publishing House, 1980 .

Aixiaoling. The feature of 《The Great Expectations 》[ J] Sichuan University Press 2000.

Symons J . Introduction to Great Expectations [M ]. London : Pan Books Ltd , 1974

Charles Dickens The Great Expectations Yilin Press

Charles Dickens The Great Expectations FOREIGN LANGUAGE

TEACHING AND RESEARCHPRESS

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