Pip

"I have never been absolutely certain whether I uttered a shrill yell of terror, merely in spirit, or in the bodily hearing of the company. I felt that I could bear no more, and that I must run away. I released the leg of the table, and ran for my life" (30).

 I had been waiting for him to see me, that I might try to assure him of my innocence. (38)

It was not at all expressed to me that he even comprehended my intention, for he gave me a look that I did not understand, and it all passed in a moment. (38)



Pip reminds me of Stanley from the classic That's so Raven.  He is portrayed as a very innocent and short-minded person that has no idea what could be the consequences of their actions.

-The Real English J

Joe

"Joe was a fair man, with curls of flaxen hair on each side of his smooth face, and with eyes of such a very undecided blue that they seemed to have somehow got mixed with their own whites. He was midl, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easygoing, foolish, dear fellow-- a sort of Hercules strength, and also in weakness." (pg. 6)

" Joe and I being fellow sufferers, and having confidences as such, Joe imparted a confidence to me the moment I raised the latch of the door..." (pg. 7)

"Joe's station of influence were something feeler (if possible when there was company then when there was none." (pg. 25)

"With my heart thumping like a blacksmith at Joe's broad shoulder..." (pg. 34)

A present day actor that I picture for the character Joe is Joe Dempsie. I think that he fits this character well because he fits the physical description, and I can picture him doing everything that Joe does.

Mr. Pumblechook

"I noticed that Mr. Pumblechook in his hospitality appeared to forget that he had made a present of the wine, but took the bottle from Mrs. Joe and had all the credit of handling about in a gush of joviality. Even I got some." (33)

"The sergeant took a polite leave of the ladies, and parted from Mr. Pumblechook as from comrade; though I doubt if he were quite as fully sensible of that gentleman's merits under arid conditions, as when something moist was going." (33-34)

"But Mr. Publechook said, sharply, "Give him win, Mum. I'll engage there's no Tar in that:" (32)

Mr. Pumblechook is a free-spirited, debauchery loving kind of guy. He's always throwing around the bottle of liquor and won't hesitate to bring out his best drinks to impress everyone, even Pip gets some wine when Mr. Pumblechook starts to hand it out. For this party-animal spirit, I believe Robert Downey Jr. would be perfect as Mr. Pumblechook.

Mr. Joe

"Joe was a fair man, with curls of flaxen hair on each side of his smooth face, and with eyes of such a very undecided blue that they seemed to have somehow got mixed with their own whites. He was mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy-going, foolish, dear fellow - a sort of Hercules in strength, and also in weakness." Pg. 8

"'I bolted myself, when I was your age- frequent - and as a boy I've been among a many Bolters; but I never see your Bolting equal yet, Pip, and its a mercy you ain't Bolted dead." Pg. 12

"But he always aided and comforted me when he could, in some way of his own, and he always did so at dinner time by giving me gravy, if there were any." Pg 26


The character Joe in "Great Expectations" reminds me of the actor Taylor Kitsch. He reminds me of this actor because Taylor Kitsch played a key role in The Show Friday Night lights as Tim Riggins, and was definitely a fair man, had amazing hair, and blue eyes just like my first quote. As soon as I read the quote it made me think about Tim Riggins. Also, Tim Riggins could be known as a "bolter" because he would leave his house when he got in fights with bis brother and even Joe referred himself to one too. Lastly, Pip was saying how Joe always comforted him whenever he could, and that reminds me of this same character Tim, because he would do a great amount of things to various different people to give them a helping hand. So that's why he reminded me of Joe.

The Convict

"A fearful man, in all coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head." (page 2)

- This quote shows that the convict is a rough and unforgiving looking man. He doesn't take care of himself very well and is very poor.

"What's a convict? Joe put his mouth into the forms of returning such a highly elaborate answer, that I could make out nothing of it but the single word 'pip.'" (Page 14)

-this quote shows that the convict was someone who was not really well known and someone who wanted to be or had any qualities that made them special or useful. 

"Mind! Said the convict, wiping blood from his face with his ragged sleeves, and shaking torn hair from his fingers...." (Page 36) 

-this is such a great description of the struggles this convict had to suffer and what he typically would look like and how he would act. Obviously these lifestyles were not ideal and not fun for them.

The actor I think is a good representation of this chracter is Jack Nicholson. He plays a lot of those scary (joker) and criminal characters and he seems like such a rough and tough actor that I think he would be perfect for this role! 

Oh Mrs. Joe How crazy you are

"I often served her as a connubial missile" (9).
Mrs. Joe is a crazy, strict woman who serves an an abusive wife. She has no boundaries and does not hesitate to use others to exhibit her frustration. She is a selfish person who is also self absorbed.

"It's bad enough to be a blacksmith's wife (and him a Gargery) without being your mother" (9).
She often victimizes herself and makes it seem like she is the one that should be helped. She will never take the blame for anything and believes that she can do no wrong. She is haughty and full of her self.

"She was not a good looking woman, my sister; and I had a general impression that she must have Joe Gargery marry by hand" (8).
She is a harsh looking woman who looks like an abusive, harsh person just by looking at her. She is intimidating and scary to look at.

For her role in a movie I would pick Tori Spelling. Spelling is considered an actress that could easily play a villain even though many of her actual movies were comedies. She has a harshness to her look and looks intimidating. She could be a great Mrs. Joe.

Mr. Wopsle = Danny DeVito

Mr. Wopsle is a secondary character in "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens.  He first comes into play when invited to a dinner party at the "Joe" residence.  First described to the reader, Mr. Wopsle is "united to a Roman nose and a large shining bald forehead, had a deep voice which he was uncommonly proud of (24)." His character later develops into a character that Pip can release his stress and anger on.  Though he does not express these feelings physically, "Mr. Wopsle's Roman nose so aggravated me, during the recital of my misdemeanors, that I should have liked to pull it until he howled (28)." During this scene, Pip finally expresses his emotions toward a character which seems to be Mr. Wopsle.  Many times after Mr. Wopsle has been introduced into the story, Pip takes several subtle shots at him.  For example, on page 35, "Mr. Wopsle had greatly alarmed me more than once, by his blowing and hard breathing," and on page 34 "And stimulating Mr. Wopsle not to tumble on his roman nose, and to keep up with us."  These subtle remarks by Pip show his dislike for Mr. Wopsle and develops him into a release of stress and anger for Pip.

I believe that Danny DeVito would be a perfect actor to play Mr. Wopsle.  This is because the character description is closely matched to DeVito's physical appearance.  Also, many roles that DeVito plays are extremely similar to Mr. Wopsle's character and his purpose in the story. 

Pip

""What does that mean, Joe?" said I. Mrs. Joe, who always took explanations upon herself, said, snappishly, "Escaped. Escaped." Administering the definition like Tar-water. While Mrs. Joe sat with her head bending over her needlework, I put my mouth into the forms of saying to Joe, "What's a convict?"...."Mrs. Joe," said I, as a last resource, "I should like to know –– if you wouldn't mind –– where the firing comes from?""Lord bless the boy!" exclaimed my sister, as if she didn't quite mean that, but rather the contrary..."That's the way with this boy!" exclaimed my sister, pointing me out with her needle and thread, and shaking her head at me" (13-14).

"I have never been absolutely certain whether I uttered a shrill yell of terror, merely in spirit, or in the bodily hearing of the company. I felt that I could bear no more, and that I must run away. I released the leg of the table, and ran for my life" (30).

"I had alighted from Joe's back on the brink of the ditch when we came up and had not moved since. I looked at him eagerly when he looked at me, and slightly moved my hands and shook my head"(38).


I would have Chandler Canterbury play Pip because he reminds me of someone that could look nieve and unsure of what they are truly getting themselves into.

Pip.

'When i saw him turning, I set my face toward home, and made the best use of my legs' (Page 7)
       - He is a curious boy but not confident enough to level all of his curiosity

"As i never saw my father or mu mother, and never saw ay likeness of either of them"  (Page 3)

"and were sacred to the memory of five little brothers of mine"

Pip is somewhat unrealistic and expects a lot more out of himself than he is capable. He is a passionate character with a good heart. He is always trying and wants to better himself knowing that he doesn't have the perfect background to grow off from.

If i had to compare Pip to an actor it would be Rupert Grint, because he reminds me of Ron Weasley, especially the way that he expects more from himself than he is capable of.


-English P

The convict

The Convict

    When we first meet the convict in the story he is a fierce looking individual with an abrasive side that comes out clearly when he " turned [him] upside down and emptied [pips] pockets." ( pg.4). The convict then goes further in showing his not s friendly side by saying "what fat cheeks you ha' got" followed by " darn me if I couldn't eat 'em" said the man, with a threatening shake of his head" (pg. 4). 

    Another side of the convict that is shown early on is his cunning way of thinking. After cornering Pip in the graveyard he begins to question his asking him where he lived, which Pip responded by saying he lived with  his sister and her husband the blacksmith. To anyone else this information would not seem important however to the convict disinformation was very useful. Due to him being an escaped convict he was wearing a metal brace which limited his mobility. However using his quick thinking and the fact that this boy was living with a blacksmith he said " blacksmith eh?"..."get me a file" (pg. 5). 

    Despite these very distinct characteristics that the convict shows early on, as the plot thickens he becomes more confusing in the showing of his emotions. After he is caught in the marshes by soldiers and his fate of going back to prison is clear he turns to the sergeant and says in almost a eerie  sort of manner, " I don't expect itto do me any good. I don't want it to do me more good than it does now" said my convict, with a greedy laugh" (pg. 36). Here the reader has no idea why he has this sense of confidence in this sort of confidence. 

  The actor that comes to mind when I think of a scruffy looking, yet tough at times with a cunning mind is automatically directed toward Johnny ; who not only has an amazing range in characters and their personalities however the character of the the convict seems especially fitting.

Joe

Joe was a fair man, with curls of flaxen hair on each side of his smooth face, and with eyes of such a very undecided blue that they seemed to have somehow got mixed with their own whites (8).

He was a mild, good-natured, sweet-tempered, easy going, foolish, dear fellow- a sort of Hercules in strength, and also in weakness (8).

I always treated [Joe] as a larger species of child, and as no more than my equal (9).

I think Daniel Radcliffe will be an almost perfect fit for this role.  Although he maybe be on the younger side to play Joe, he does have undecided blue eyes ("his mother's eyes" apparently...), he can also play characters who are easy-going and foolish in a way.

Pip development/Casting

Development of Pip in Great expectations

“To-night, Joe several times invited me, by the display of his fast-diminishing slice, to enter upon our usual friendly competition; but he found me, each time, with my yellow mug of tea on one knee, and my untouched bread-and-butter on the other. At last, I desperately considered that the thing I contemplated must be done, and that it had best be done in the least improbable manor consistent with the circumstances. I took advantage of the moment when Joe had just looked at me, and hot my bread-and-butter down my leg.” (11) This passage shows the development of Pip as a character because pip would normally be afraid to do anything like steal from his strict sister, however here Pip is showing his newfound courage and ability to prioritize.

“‘I’m afraid you wont leave any of it for him.’ said I in timidly; after a silence during which I had hesitated as to the politeness of making a remark. ‘There’s no more where that came from.’” (20) This passage shows the development of Pip as a character because it shows that Pip has evaluated the criminal and now has enough courage that he feels like he can talk to him within boundaries.

 “‘You mean you stole” said the sergeant. ‘And I’ll tell you where from. From the blacksmith’s. ‘Halloa!’ said the sergeant, staring at Joe. ‘Haolla, Pip!’ Said Joe, staring at me… ‘We don’t know what you have done, but we wouldn’t have you starved to death for it, poor miserable fellow-creature.--- Would us, Pip?’” (38) This passage shows the development of Pip as a character because this is the first time that Pip is really put into a situation that could potentially put him into trouble that he has not gotten extremely nervous and ended up making a rash decision such as running away or stealing. Here Pip just goes with everything that everyone is saying and gives no clues about his helping the criminal.

The best choice of an actor to play Pip in a movie would be Erik Per Sullivan. Erik Per Sullivan would be the best fit to play Pip because he is very experienced at playing young naive characters, exemplified by his role as Dewey in Malcolm in the middle. Erik Per Sullivan is now older, around the correct age of Pip and also has a little bit of a disfigured face. His face both that makes him look like a more timid person and makes him seem like he would not be from a good background, two qualities that would help him portray Pip well.

Convict

"A fearful man, all in coarse grey, with a great iron on his leg. A man with no hat, and with broken shoes, and with an old rag tied round his head. A man who had been soaked in water, and smothered in mud, and lamed by stones, and cut by flints, and stung by nettles, and torn by briars; who limped, and shivered, and glared and growled; and whose teeth chattered in his head as he seized me by the chin" (4). This gives a very in-depth description of the convict, and shows that he is clearly a pretty ragged-looking guy.

"'I'll eat my breakfast afore they're the death of me,' said he. 'I'd do that, if I was going to be strung up to that there gallows as there is over there, directly arterwards. I'll beat the shivers so far,  I'll bet you'" (19). This quote shows that the convict is very persistent and quite stubborn, and does not give up easily, if at all.

"'I don't expect it to do me any good. I don't want it to do me more good than it does now,' said my convict, with a greedy laugh. 'I took him. He knows it. That's enough for me'" (36). The convict does not want a reward for doing something good; for him, the knowledge that he did do something good is  reward enough.


I would have Hugh Jackman play the convict because he looks very gaunt and because he looks very fearful, just as the convict is said to look.

Spanish Bullfighting

Soldier's Home

One juxtaposition that is seem very frequently in Soldier's Home is war.  Krebs doesn't want to put the work in that he needs to get a woman.  He thinks that he no longer needs a woman.  Like Areesha said today, this reminds me of Seymour from Nine Stories, who lost touch with the world around him after coming back from the war. Krebs seems to be more subtle, not really getting himself to involved in anything.  Because of the war, it seems Krebs, much like Seymour, loses interest with the world around him.

LISTEN.LISTEN. Listen. LISTEN - His mom

In the short story "Soldiers Home", juxtaposition runs rampant. Hemingway uses Harold's mother to demonstrate how veterans are treated upon their return through juxtaposition. Her actions are juxtaposed in that (Dan miller says salutare) she says that she wants to hear from Harold, but has no interest in listening. 

Soldiers Home juxtaposition /

In the story Soldier's Home a major theme that you see in contrast is the setting. There are major differences between life at home, and life at war. Another theme that you see in contrast are the relationships in the story. You see this juxtaposition between Krebs's parents, Krebs and his parents, and the possible relationship between Krebs and girls. You also see Krebs's transformation from not wanting to talk about what happen when he was at war, to eventually transitioning into being comfortable enough to be able to open up about it. 

Soldiers Home

Three  juxtaposition that seem to be the main focus of this story are relationships, religion, and love. In Chapter 7, the solider talks about God (and for those of who you don't know is also Jesus) and this theme of God and preaching the word carries on into this story. In Chapter 7 he also talks about some girl and the main focus of this solider is having a girl and he really explained how he liked a specific girl. The last main theme that reoccurred in this story was the matter of love. Harry said he didn't love his mom, but then took it back and there was a whole scene dedicated simply to the relationship this mother had with her son. Overall the main juxtaposition was "love" and the different kinds of love and how people respond to being loved, being ignored, and devotion to love.
Thanks
Matt G. (:

Soldier's Home

An example of juxtaposition in "Soldier's Home" is the idea of Harold lying versus telling the truth. When he first returns home, Harold does not want to talk about the war at all. However, as time progresses, he finds that he does want to talk about it, but nobody wants to listen. In order to get people to listen, Harold feels that he needs to lie. However, after a short period of time, he begins to have "A distaste for the everything that had happened to him in the war" (69). This is important because it is not until he begins to lie about the war that he has a problem with it. It is therefore clear that the real thing that Harold has a problem with is lying.

A Soldier's Home

Work and Reward vs. Less Work and Nothing

In the story A Soldier's Home the protagonist, Krebs, is stuck within the juxtaposition of working for the love of a women and settling down like his parents wish versus refusing to put in any effort towards building a relationship and therefore his future. In the early portions of the story Krebs shows his interests with some of the girls he has seen walking outside of his home except the problem is "he wanted a girl but did not want to have to work to get her" (pg. 71). With this attitude instead of going and approaching these girls he is seen watching them from a far showing little interest in putting any effort towards them. While Krebs shows little effort in beginning any relationships his parents try to show him the benefits of pursuing a women in order to start a family and begin his future. In a final plea Krebs' mother tries to convince him into pursuing a family by saying "Charley Simmons, who is just your age, has a good job and is going to be married" (pg. 74). Ultimately despite the well made argument by his parents, Krebs still views his decision based on how much work he wants to put in: only seeing a relationship as too much effort while simply watching girls from afar requires little to none. 

Soldier's Home

One juxtaposition in Soldier's Home is wanting a girl versus not wanting to work for a girl. Harold reveals that he likes the French and German girls. However, he struggles with the fact that he may have to work in order to get a girl. Harold even supplies a list of things he does not want to do which include not wanting "to spend a long time getting her. He did not want to get into the intrigue and the politics. He did not want to have to do any courting"(71). I think this juxtaposition is important because this theme also reflects in the story The End of Something. Nick decides he no longer wants to be with Marjorie anymore so he slowly pushes her away by not caring, almost like he just doesn't want to put in the work, similar to Harold not wanting to work for a girl. 

A Very Short Story

In "A Very Short Story" the reader can see the juxtaposition between close and distant. When the characters are near each other, their love is strong and they are always talking about "getting married in spring" (65) and how they need to focus on being together. When they are close, they talk about how much they love each other and everything is well and good. However, as soon as they become distant, you see the barriers going up and then Luz has an affair with someone else and says its only "boy and girl love" (66). This would never happen if both characters were together, however this happens and then "the major [does not] marry her in the spring, or any other time. Luz never [gets] an answer to the letter to Chicago about it. A short time after he contracted gonorrhea from a sales girl in a loop department store while riding in a taxicab through lincoln park" (66). Once distance is a factor, the promises and commitments all fade away.

Soldier's Home

 Juxtapositions in "Soldier's Home"

A major juxtaposition and theme in "Soldier's Home" is being in the war versus being at home.  As Harold tries to cope with living at home, he often reflects back on his life during the war and how it differentiates with his life in Oklahoma.  For example, at first, while he was in the war and returning home, he didn't want to talk about it at all.  But as time passed, he felt like he needed to talk about the war-at that point, it was too late.  Since he arrived in the United States with the Second Division, his town already heard the many war stories and didn't allow Harold to tell his own.  This also lead to the juxtaposition of truth and lies.  Since he felt like no one was listening, Harold often twisted the truth and lied to his community about the war so that they would actually listen to him.

A Very Short Story

An example of juxtaposition in "A Very Short Story" is the idea of love versus lust.  In this story by Ernest Hemingway, each character symbolized each of these traits; Luz being lust and "he" being love. In the beginning on the story, both "he" and Luz co-existed with each other and they were both in love.  Though, once "he" was sent off to war, we learn that Luz had an affair with another man and stopped loving "he". "He" was faithful to Luz because he loved her while Luz, symbolizing lust, became unfaithful.  Soon after "he" found out about Luz's unfaithfulness, he contracted gonorrhea which shows love alone is a disease. Love and lust together is a healthy relationship. Though, when one does not exist anymore, the relationship dies.  This is such an important juxtaposition in the story because many other stories in "In Our Time" deal with loving relationships.

A Very Short Story

In the short story, "A Very Short Story" by Ernest Hemingway an important juxtaposition would be distance versus trust. For example, "he" going all the way to New York and leaving Luz in Pordenone  to get a job is thenjuxtaposition for distance. Luz will not go with him unless he gets a good job, and in the meantime she is opening up a hospital. Another example of distance is when Luz would write him the letters saying how much she loves him. But he didn't see them until there was 15 of them when he got out of the armistice. However, for trust it comes around near the end of the story. Luz trust him that he is going to find a job on New York and contact her when he does so. It just so happens that he gets gonnerhea by a sales girl and never talks to Luz again.

Juxtaposition in "Solder's Home"

In "Solder's Home" Hemingway presents a strong juxtaposition with the protagonist, Harold. In this story Harold likes the German and French girls who he has taken photographs with, however he doesn't like any of the American girls. Harold likes the looks of the American girls better than the looks of the German or French girls, however he doesn't like the fact that they are all "complicated" and like to talk. Harold enjoyed being with the American girls more than the French or German girls because none of them talked. This juxtaposition is important because it shows that something is wrong with Harold that makes him not want to talk about his past or about anything in general. It also shows that Harold doesn't really care about anyone else. The juxtaposition really shows the emphasis of the effect that the war had on Harold more than other techniques could have.

Tuesday's Night's Blogging Assignment

After you've read chapter 1 of Great Expectations as well as Chapter 1 and "Indian Camp" in In Our Time, respond in a comment to this post. Be sure to read what those before you have written so you don't repeat the same ideas but instead carry on a conversation. 

Respond to any (or all) of the following questions: 

Try to characterize Hemingway's and Dickens'  writing styles given what you've read by each.What characterizes each author's "voice and vision"? 

How is the writing similar? Different? 

Does the content or style of either of these authors remind you of other books you've read? 

What are your first impressions?