Many long novels with multiple settings challenge for students with changes in setting and characters. Stories with many settings are also difficult because each setting portrays unique insights into the world of a specific character or group of people. Settings are as important as characters and, therefore, deserve tracking in detail. When followed closely, students can find rich symbols associated with settings and characters.
To help students grasp deeper meanings from setting, it is helpful for them to create a setting map that will allow them to document important characteristics of places throughout the novel. In the example that follows, students can use the setting map to see how each setting relates to its character:
| The Forge | This is Joes' workshop. Its characteristics are warm, bold, and sturdy. The definition of a forge has double meaning for Joe, as it is where he forges iron, and forges strong ties with others. |
|---|---|
| Satis House | Latin for "enough", lore claims that anyone who lived in this house would have enough to satisfy them. However, when Miss Havisham was left on her wedding day, her home became a decaying time capsule; clocks were stopped, her wedding cake left out for years, and she continued wearing her wedding dress. |
| Walworth | The name of Wemmicks’ home. He has built a literal moat and a metaphoric wall around himself. Who Wemmick is at home, and who he is at work, are completely different. His house is a miniature castle with draw bridge, a small farm, and a rooftop cannon that fires as specific times of day to mark the time. |
| Jagger's Home/Office | Jagger’s home and office are much like his personality: cold and barren. They have no personal items, and are described as cold, dark, and dreary. No light is provided, and thick stale dust coats everything. Although his house is large, it is relatively unfurnished and seems empty; much like Jagger’s soul. |
| Barnard's Inn | Pip and Herbert’s first apartment is a modest flat in a decent area of London. Like the two men just starting out, it is modest and humble. On the outside it looks presentable, but the interior looks is in need of updating. It represents the façade that Pip puts on. His outward appearance has changed, but he is still Pip on the inside. |
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that depicts the important settings of Great Expectations.
Ask the students to study the history of different places mentioned in the novel as architecture and settings change over time. Students can understand the story better if they know what the author is describing and talking about.
Show the students some pictures of the places such as “The Forge”. These places are hard to come across in real life due to the advent of technology hence students will get a better understanding if they know what the described setting in the novel actually looks like.
Since there is a lot of symbolism and metaphors used in the novel to describe various settings, ask the students to draw these places according to their own imagination. This can be a fun activity for students can at the end they would also be able to see the difference in perspectives.
Settings may have a big impact on conflict. For instance, the disparate surroundings of the marshes and London have an impact on Pip's internal conflict between his modest upbringing and his aspirations. Encourage the students to read between the lines and analyze these small details.
Examine the physical characteristics, atmosphere, and effects on characters of various places. These comparisons might highlight emerging themes and trends.
The wetlands offer a sharp contrast to Pip's subsequent experiences in metropolitan areas. The idea of crime and punishment is introduced, and Pip's first contact with Magwitch in this barren setting foreshadows the unforeseen turns Pip's life would take.
Miss Havisham's emotional degeneration and resentment are represented by Satis House. The dilapidated home, stuck in the past since she was dumped, is a reflection of her sickening thirst for retribution. Additionally, it contrasts with the lies she tells Pip and Estella. This setting also plays a big role in forming great expectations for Pip.
Characters from different socioeconomic backgrounds come together at The Three Jolly Bargemen. Pip first learns of his "great expectations" there, and he subsequently runs across Magwitch there once again. The connection between the characters and the events is highlighted by the environment.