Exploring Oigins Through Realist and Other Conventions in Great Expectations and Frankenstein

Exploring Oigins Through Realist and Other Conventions in Great Expectations and Frankenstein

Realism is the presentation of art to show life "as it is". Realist fiction is the platform which allows the reader to be addressed in such a way that he or she is always, in some way, saying, "Yes. That's it, that's how it really is." The realist novel, in trying to show us the world as it is, often reaffirms, in the last instance, the way things are. In Great Expectations, and Frankenstein, we are exposed to the harsh certainties of realism, albeit whilst exploring very different story lines. Each respective author has employed various techniques to make their stories more believable. Both novels are narrated in an autobiographical way which makes the build up of the central characters more personal. Both authors have produced absorbing stories that show life in the real world of class and relationships. Great Expectations is set in Victorian England, a time when great social changes were occurring. The Industrial Revolution had transformed the economy, allowing men of very humble backgrounds to achieve immense wealth. Although social class was no longer entirely dependent on ones origins, the wide divisions between rich and poor remained. The manners of the upper class were very severe and traditional: gentlemen and ladies were expected to have thorough educations and to behave appropriately in all social situations. These conditions are reflected and felt in almost every aspect of Great Expectations. Pip's rise from country labourer to city gentleman forces him to move from one social extreme to another while dealing with the strict rules and expectations that governed Victorian England. The story makes use of an omniscient narrator, the narrator being the central character, Pip. Through this technique, we are inside Pip's mind, sharing his consciousness, and experiences. We are exposed to Pip's origins and orphan status in the following passage: "As I never saw my father or my mother, and never saw any likeness of either of them……. my first fancies regarding what they were like were unreasonably derived from their tombstones. The shape of the letters on my father's gave me an odd idea that he was a square, stout, dark man, with curly black hair. From the character and turn of the inscription, "Also Georgiana Wife of the Above," I drew a childish conclusion that my mother was freckled and sickly. (Ch.1. p.3) This passage conveys Pip's thoughts as they mingle with his perception of the outside world. We are immediately sympathetic toward Pip not only because he is an orphan, but also because of his naivety and romantic idealism when describing his parents. Pip's wish to become a 'gentleman' begins when he meets Miss Havisham and the beautiful Estella. He doesn't desire to be anything else, but is then forced, by Estella, to see himself from a completely different perspective: "'He calls the knaves, Jacks, this boy…what coarse hands he has. And what thick boots!' I had never thought of being ashamed of my hands before; but I began to consider them a very indifferent pair." (Ch.8. p.60) He then sees himself in a new light, and becomes extremely ashamed of his status. The normality of his life, and the people he used to respect, now seem lowly and common to him. The words spoken by Estella seem "cutting" to the readers' ears, and we feel sympathetic toward Pip. When Pip hears the news of his new "expectations", he realises he is able to live his dream- and become the man he has longed to be. When he goes to London and receives his education Pip believes is worthy of acceptance to the Victorian society. Following his education his way of speaking has changed so much that when he goes back home, Trabb's boy makes fun of his accent: "Don't know yah, don't know yah, pon my soul don't know yah!" (Ch.30.p246) This change in voice is very much emphasised because all the way through the book Dickens writes direct speech in dialect. For example: "Darn Me if I couldn't eat 'em…and if I han't half a mind to't!" Although Pip is embarrassed by his origins, there are other characters in the story whose origins are also "less than perfect". Estella is not the natural child of Pip's social superiors, but the daughter of Magwitch. Pip loathes Magwitch because of his fear that Estella might associate him with the convict. Even as a child Estella seems a perfect lady, as she has the speech and bearing to complement her beauty. Her success is a defiance to those who believe good breeding signifies social grace. Miss Havisham's fortune comes from the brewery at Satis. Herbert notes that: "I don't know why it should be a crack thing to be a brewer;