Symbols
1) MIST
The mist clouding the landscape around Pip's village symbolizes psychological uncertainty. As it obscures the view, it represents a lack of clarity, insight, or knowledge. Pip's four most formative experiences all take place in the mist. Early in the novel, Pip runs terrified through the mist to bring stolen food and a file to the convict. Not only is Pip uncertain and afraid of the convict's threats, he is completely unaware of the immense generosity his actions will inspire in the convict over the next twenty years. Likewise, Pip moves through heavy mist as he first leaves his village for London, not knowing how different his life there will be from the grand, genteel life he has fantasized about. Later, Pip walks through the mist on his way to meet his anonymous informant, who turns out to be Orlick lying in wait to kill him. Finally, Pip passes through mist to visit the razed site of Satis House where he is surprised to find Estella and the promise of a new life.
2) THE LEG-IRON
The Leg-Iron symbolizes justice. Most literally, the convicts' legirons physically constrain them within the terms of their courtdecreed prison sentences. Yet Pip also compares the damp cold of the marshes to a leg-iron in Chapter 2, foreshadowing the sense of constraint he will feel in the village as he ages. For much of the novel, Pip treats the village and its working class lifestyle like a prison he tries his best to escape. The leg-iron becomes a symbol of perverse justice when used as a weapon, as when Orlick uses it to strike Mrs. Joe brutally on the head, exacting his horrifically overblown revenge.
3) SATIS HOUSE
Satis House is a symbol of frustrated expectations. The word "satis" comes from the Latin word for "enough," and the house must have been given its name as a blessing or as a premonition that its residents would be satisfied with the lives they led between its walls. Yet throughout the novel, Satis House houses nothing but dashed dreams and bitter disappointments. Miss Havisham turns the house into a shrine to her betrayal by Compeyson for twenty years. Likewise, Pip's most tenderly cherished expectation—that he will marry Estella—is formed and destroyed at Satis House. The disappointments Satis House contains can only be repaired at the expense of the house itself. Thus, Miss Havisham rediscovers her heart just as her wedding chambers are destroyed by fire. Thus, Pip and Estella look towards a happier relationship only after the house is razed.
The mist clouding the landscape around Pip's village symbolizes psychological uncertainty. As it obscures the view, it represents a lack of clarity, insight, or knowledge. Pip's four most formative experiences all take place in the mist. Early in the novel, Pip runs terrified through the mist to bring stolen food and a file to the convict. Not only is Pip uncertain and afraid of the convict's threats, he is completely unaware of the immense generosity his actions will inspire in the convict over the next twenty years. Likewise, Pip moves through heavy mist as he first leaves his village for London, not knowing how different his life there will be from the grand, genteel life he has fantasized about. Later, Pip walks through the mist on his way to meet his anonymous informant, who turns out to be Orlick lying in wait to kill him. Finally, Pip passes through mist to visit the razed site of Satis House where he is surprised to find Estella and the promise of a new life.
2) THE LEG-IRON
The Leg-Iron symbolizes justice. Most literally, the convicts' legirons physically constrain them within the terms of their courtdecreed prison sentences. Yet Pip also compares the damp cold of the marshes to a leg-iron in Chapter 2, foreshadowing the sense of constraint he will feel in the village as he ages. For much of the novel, Pip treats the village and its working class lifestyle like a prison he tries his best to escape. The leg-iron becomes a symbol of perverse justice when used as a weapon, as when Orlick uses it to strike Mrs. Joe brutally on the head, exacting his horrifically overblown revenge.
3) SATIS HOUSE
Satis House is a symbol of frustrated expectations. The word "satis" comes from the Latin word for "enough," and the house must have been given its name as a blessing or as a premonition that its residents would be satisfied with the lives they led between its walls. Yet throughout the novel, Satis House houses nothing but dashed dreams and bitter disappointments. Miss Havisham turns the house into a shrine to her betrayal by Compeyson for twenty years. Likewise, Pip's most tenderly cherished expectation—that he will marry Estella—is formed and destroyed at Satis House. The disappointments Satis House contains can only be repaired at the expense of the house itself. Thus, Miss Havisham rediscovers her heart just as her wedding chambers are destroyed by fire. Thus, Pip and Estella look towards a happier relationship only after the house is razed.