"Making my Meaning Understood" : analysing metaphors in Great Expectations

Abstract

The aim of this investigation is to identify and examine the metaphors found in several specific extracts of Great Expectations, in order to explore the significance of these tropes and thereby analyse the impact they have on the semantics of the novel as a whole. The investigation begins by focusing on the opening chapter, paying particular attention to the description of the landscape given by Pip, as well as his terrifying encounter with the escaped convict Abel Magwitch in the cemetery scene. Next, it will analyse the range of metaphors included in the ironic depiction of Wemmick’s house at Walworth, as well as the later episode depicting his son’s interactions with Miss Skiffins (Chapter 37). Lastly, it will explore the metaphorical rhetoric employed in the description of Miss Havisham (Chapter 8) and the fire at Satis House (Chapter 49), investigating the significance that this has for the narrative. These inferences will shed light on the tone of the extracts and corroborate the rhetorical and stylistic mastery of Dickens as a writer.