The Convict and Magwitch in Great Expectations essays

The Convict and Magwitch in Great Expectations essays In the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the characters are carefully described in order to convey a certain idea about each one. The major characters are well developed and are given realistic tendencies of which the audience can vividly envision. The first convict, in particular, is one of the complexly developed characters in the novel. The negative characterization in Great Expectations of the convict- uneducated, dirty, terrifying, is imperative to the development of the deception on the audience of the convicts personality and actions. We are introduced to the convict in the early pages of the novel. Pip the narrator describes him as a person everyone generally tends to stay away from. He characterizes the convict as unpleasant, grouchy, menacing, dirty, fearful, and a criminal. The convict embodies the things people fear in life- crime, guilt, death, and being tied down. It is supposed the convict was in his fortys and that he has escaped from the prison ships. He limps when he walks because the massive iron is still attached to his leg. His grey clothes are battered and dirty. He shudders constantly from the cold and hugs himself for warmth. His shoes are broken and he has no hat, only an old rag tied to his head. He threatens to kill Pip the boy if he does not bring him a file and food, and Pip, as well as the audience, is terrified. His language is that of the uneducated, pronouncing words incorrectly. For example, instead of pronouncing the word particular he says partickler. He uses slang terms like aint an d hant. In chapter 39, however, the convict is described considerably differently. He is now sixty years old, but muscular and strong on his legs. He is substantially dressed, still a little on the rough side, though. He has iron grey hair growing from the sides of his head, and the top is bald. His skin is tan which leads to the as...