In Great Expectations by Charles
Dickens, there are several
symbols:
- Satis
House is, perhaps, the most salient of these symbols.
Satis, a Latin word, means satisfied; of course, the irony in this
name is that Miss Havisham, the occupant of the house is anything but satisfied, nor is
anyone else who comes there. - The
clocks arrested at twenty minutes to nine (8:40) are
symbolic of Miss Havisham's spiritual death after having been jilted as she freezes time
and refuses to change anything from that point. - Miss
Havisham's wedding dress and
cake are symbolic of her physical decay and spiritual
stagnation. - Her wedding veil
wraps around her like a shroud. - The brewery
in decay suggests the connection of commerce and wealth as well as the
evils Dickens perceived in the Industrial
Age. - The crumbling stones and rusted
gate of Satis House suggest the decadence of what Dickens considered a
frivolous aristocracy. That her relatives and the townspeople yet perceive the
eccentric Miss Havisham as superior also indicates the reverence given to materialism
which Dickens found offensive in his society. - The
mists on the marshes are symbolic of danger. It is there
that Pip first encounters the convict, and it is also on the marshes that Pip's life is
threatened by Orlick at the sluice house. Whenever Pip travels to and from London he
must pass through the mists; this suggests that his development as a gentleman may have
negative results. - The prison
ship represents what Robert Barnard in his essay "Imagery and Theme in Great
Expectations" calls the transference of guilt from one character to another.
For instance, after his encounter with convict in Chapter One, Pip is ridden with guilt
as he steals the food and file for Magwitch. When he later returns to the marshes Pip
is ridden with guilt for avoiding Joe on his visits and for his treatment of Biddy, as
well as his feelings that "had some hand in the attack upon my
sister." - The names of
characters are also symbolic: Estella, whose name means
star, is an unobtainable as a star for Pip, but viewed by him as
beautiful and desirous and one to be reached
for. Pumblechook, who is pompous and fawning before the
wealthy, symbolizes the rising middle class who wish to rise the higher social class.
When Pumblechook learns that Pip has acquired money, he congratulates him and treats him
with a new respect. Also, Bentley Drummle, a lout,
represents the falsity of class distinctions as this coarse and crude man is allowed
into what is seemingly polite society. Magwitch's name
suggests both his wicked past and his magical provision of Pip's "great expectations."
Pip's servant, whose name is Avenger suggests the
pretensions of Pip in having a servant. Avenger does not serve Pip at all; in fact, it
is difficult for Pip to get him to do
anything. - Fire, which is
often symbolic of cleansing, represents Miss Havisham's spiritual cleansing from her sin
of vengeance against men as she is burnt after asking Pip his
forgiveness.
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