Maddie on Frankenstein in Great Expectations

In comparing Great Expectations to Frankenstein, Pip seems to imply that Magwitch is his Dr. Frankenstein. Of course, in some ways Magwitch fits that role completely. After all, as Magwitch happily proclaims many times, he is the one who makes Pip a gentleman. Yet, in some ways Pip is his own Doctor…

Dickens’ choice to refer to Frankenstein is a peculiar one that brings of a whole host of issues. First, the literary reference itself is striking. Great Expectations is not completely lacking in references to literature, but they are not prevelant in the text. The only other one in this section is a reference to an unspecified Arabian Night’s like story. Therefore, the allusion to Frankenstein must be used for a reason. First, of course, any literary allusion reminds the reader that they are, in fact, reading. The choice of Frankenstein in particular brings up a whole host of references to a reader who may have read Frankenstein before. The most obvious ones are the role of science and reason in society—an issue that is interesting to ponder in relationship to Mrs. Havisham—but it also brings up the themes of nature and language…

Language in Frankenstein is very important—the monster learns language during the course of Frankenstein, and his efforts form the arc of the first part of the story and help him connect to his humanity. Pip too develops language over the course of the novel—loosing his dialect, learning to read and write in many languages. This parallel further supports the idea of Pip being the monster in this comparison, though while language helps the monster connect with his humanity, language development is not necessarily completely positive on Pip’s end…

[Excerpted by Rachel]