Great Expectations - Photo Post

     Great Expectations is a novel that is driven forward by the suspense of mystery. The mystery of what is going to happen next in the plot and other character's past histories. For example, in chapter 40, the reader finds that Magwitch, otherwise known as Pip's convict from his childhood, is the founder of his fortunes. This is unlike what Pip had expected and he becomes horribly depressed and disappointed that he was never meant to be with Estella. The tone that sets the motif of mystery is the weather that foreshadows the next few scenes of the story. The last sentence of part three states: "When I awoke without having parted in my sleep with the perception of my wretchedness, the clocks of the eastward churches were striking five, the candles were wasted out, the fire was dead, and the wind and rain intensified with the thick black darkness." (325) Overall this is a dreary dark, ominous setting that one might imagine from a horror movie. Because it is the concluding statement for the second part, it gives the reader an idea the part three is going to have more dark times ahead. This is not the first time that the author has given the description for a dark setting. In the beginning of the novel he describes the marshes as one too. The entire novel is based off this tone and the way the author describes it.

     With this in mind, for my picture to represent the entire novel thus far, I have chosen a simple black and white photo of a prominent black tree that seems to be dead but still standing upright. There are two reasons why I believe that this photo fits with this novel. First of all, The setting of the picture is very dark and you seem to have the feeling that suspense is around you. I feel like this is what Great Expectations is like, dark with an underlying motif or theme to it. Another reason why I chose this photo is because it has the tree as the focal point. It also casts a shadow into the water. To me Pip is similar to the tree. He is very egotistic and seems to feel like he is the the middle of everything and only his problems matter. The shadow that this tree casts into the river is like Estella. Pip cannot make her just disappear from his life ever since she was brought in by Miss Havisham. This tree seems to be portrayed as an old frail tree that has been through rough weather, just as Pip has, with the huge amount of debt he owes and guilt towards the family he left behind. The smaller, less prominent trees that stand around this one are similar to the people that are revolved around Pip's life. For example, Mr. Jaggers, Herbert, Magwitch, Biddy, and other characters that play a role in changing Pip's life.

     The photo above is, for me, a very accurate representation of the novel Great Expectations not only because of the overall tone of the picture that correlates with one of the motifs of the novel, but also because of the many similarities that the picture poses with the characters of the book.