Essay on Sympathy for Magwitch in Great Expectations

Great Expectations - sympathy for Magwitch. We sympathise for Magwitch a great deal in this book even though he is intimidating at first. As we see his softer side we begin to like him and are touched by the gratitude he shows to Pip later on in the book and the strong friendship they form with each other. The way Magwitch is exploited by the legal system upsets us a great deal and increases the pity we have for him. Dickens methods of satirizing the legal system and contradicting the stereotypes of convicts in the nineteenth century are very affective in making the reader feel pathos for Magwitch. In chapter 3 we begin to overlook Magwitchs appearance and threatening manner in the earlier scene because we see he is a†¦show more content†¦This is the first time in the book that Dickens makes any subtle reference to the legal system and already there are implications that the law is unjust. The moment that real pathos is felt for Magwitch is when we see he is on the verge of tears: Something clicked in his throat as if he had works in him like a clock The imagery that Dickens uses here is effective because it is repeated again and has double the effect: The something that I had noticed before, clicked in the mans throat again. It is touching that a grown man, who is also a criminal, is capable of crying and it is also moving that he attempts to hide his feelings. Especially since at the time Pip did not actually realise that Magwitch was crying, and it is only when he looks back he notices. When Magwitch shows gratitude towards Pip for bringing him food we see he is kind-hearted and when it is later revealed that Magwitch has repaid Pip greatly for his good deed we are even more moved. Magwitch thanks Pip for bringing him the food: Thankee, my boy We see he is not just using Pip and appears to have some compassion towards him. Not just because he thanks Pip but also because he refers to him as my boy which is quite friendly, suggesting an inconspicuous bond between the two. He shows more gratitude towards Pip by taking the blame for the stolen food: so youre theShow MoreRelated How the Views of Magwitch Change through the Course of the Novel734 Words   |  3 PagesHow the Views of Magwitch Change through the Course of the Novel Great Expectations is about a boy called Pip, who has Great Expectations and doesnt want to be poor all his life. Along his way, a lot of strange things happen to him, such as meeting strange people and getting money off unknown people. Great Expectations was wrote in 1860 and was Dickens thirteenth novel. 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