There are many element of the Gothic in Great Expectations from elements
of the plot to the characters themselves.
The Gothic motifs include clashing time periods, although the book is
set during the Victorian era there is constant reference to events that
happened in the late Georgian, Early Victorian era. This was about Miss
Havisham being jilted at the alter. There is also power and constraint between
Miss Havisham and Estella, as Miss Havisham is shaping her daughter into this
man hating weapon and Estella resents her for what she has made her.
There is constant mysteries and puzzles within the plot such as identity
of characters and their background. There is also a constant concern for the
large sums of money, whether its with Miss Havisham or with Magwitch.
As well as the overall plot, many of
the characters have their own separate link to the gothic. Although it is
technically a part of the gothic setting, I think Satis house is a character
within itself. The house is frozen in time so holds the essence of what Miss
Havisham once was while also showing the ruin and decay of what she is now. The
house creates a eerie and dark atmosphere by using description of shadows and a
ghostly feel.
To juxtapose the large scale of the
house they then bring in the character Pip who is very small in comparison.
Pip’s character is similar to the Character Frankenstein as he is pursued by
the creature that made him. Magwitch is his creator and made him the selfish
character he became during the middle of the book.
Miss Havisham is probably one of the
most bizarre of the gothic figures in this novel. Although Great Expectations
doesn’t actually involve the supernatural/spiritual, Miss Havisham is probably
the closest to this type of figure. Due to her being on the borderline of
sanity and madness and her ghost like appearance she is the closest to the
realm of the spirits. This is also a way she resembles the grotesque as her character can be seen as quite unsettling. In other aspects such as her clothing she resembles that
of a Fairytale witch. She holds the beauty in detailing such as jewels however
she is decaying away. She resembles the characteristics you would link with
death. Furthermore her character was abandoned so she is a victim to her past,
yet she holds such power of Estella and Pip like a mother figure. Everything we
learn about Miss Havisham shows how grotesque a life for a spinster was in
those times. Something I want to look further in to.
Finally there is the character Estella
which means star. This is constantly associated with beauty something that
Estella holds much of. She entices men in with her beauty but she is cruel and
shallow and has been bent by her mother to hate men. Her character is
psychologically damaged from Miss Havisham’s meddling in her life. However when
her character is brutalised by her husband Bentley Drummle she learns of her
mistakes seen in the quote “I have been bent and broken but I hope into a
better shape.”
The overall plot of the novel follows
a popular pattern from the 19th century European fiction “The
Bildungsroman” this means a novel that depicts growth or personal development.
This links to Pip’s transition from boyhood to manhood and looks at how he
grows from this young poor boy to a gentleman. While Pip grows, Miss Havisham
stay’s the same throughout the novel, her only growth is her knowing she is in the
wrong by the end of the novel. Estella’s character transitions however she goes
backwards, from being this high selfish character she learns her mistakes when
Bentley Drummle brings her down by beating her. However there is a happily ever
after, between Pip and Estella as they finally end up together, not that
Dickens ever intended this when he first started writing the novel, he said he just
happened naturally.
Davies, S. (Feb 9, 2012). Estella: My Favourite Charles Dickens Character. Available: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/charles-dickens/9038873/Estella-My-favourite-Charles-Dickens-character.html. Last accessed 16th February 2015.
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