Foreshadowing In Charles Dickens Great Expectations

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Charles Dickens’ book, Great Expectations, is one of the most intricate pieces of literature out there. Many parts from the book are memorable. For example, Pip is mourning at his parents’ graves when a strange convict approaches him and asks for help to escape. As payment, a man at a pub gives Pip some money. This money leads Pip down a path of social climbing, where she meets Miss Havisham, an unmarried woman in a wedding dress. Charles Dickens uses foreshadowing to his advantage various times throughout the novel. From the mysterious man giving Pip the money at the pub, to the weather before something grave happens or Miss Havisham’s wedding dress, foreshadowing plays a key role for the plot and the book as a whole. As previously stated, the unknown man giving Pip money at the pub foreshadows Pip receiving money from a benefactor. Since the man was stirring his cup with the file he gave to Magwitch, the convict, Pip knew the …show more content…
Not much is known about her when she is first introduced, so she comes off as one who has lost her marbles. Since she is not married yet wearing this dress, this developes a contradiction of her character. This will foreshadow an impending explanation and flashback resolving the contradiction. This event and foreshadow is important to the rest of the book. For without it, Dickens would have to force sequences of the plot like imposing Pip to have a relationship with this bland, old woman. In summary, throughout countless pieces of literature, foreshadowing is not only used to hint at future events, but also to propel the plot. Charles Dickens definitely constructed a masterpiece of foreshadowing when it came to Great Expectations. Out of the countless instances of foreshadowing in this book, some of the most important ones are the encounter at the pub, the weather before an important event, and Miss Havisham’s wedding
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