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Oxymorons
Definition of Paradox
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar Wilde's famous declaration that "Life is... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel of truth or reason. Oscar... read full definition
A paradox is a figure of speech that seems to contradict itself, but which, upon further examination, contains some kernel... read full definition
Book 1, Chapter 11
Explanation and Analysis—Wintry Branches :
Images of candlelight in Miss Havisham's museum-like house are paradoxically described as "dark" and "wintry" in two instances. When in Chapter 11 Havisham sends Pip into an unfamiliar room that contains the rotted remains of her wedding feast, the narrator relates that
Certain wintry branches of candles on the high chimney-piece faintly lighted the chamber: or, it would be more expressive to say, faintly troubled its darkness.
The candles, although lit and flaming, are depicted as "wintry branches," provoking sensory confusion in the reader. They don't light the dim, stuffy room, they just "faintly trouble" its darkness. This image of dark light is so striking that it persists for Pip when he returns to Satis House to see Havisham in Chapter 10:
The old wintry branches of chandeliers in the room where the mouldering table was spread, had been lighted [...] and Miss Havisham was in her chair and waiting for me.
This paradoxical lighting, which barely illuminates the same "mouldering table," makes Pip feel a strong sense of the past returning. Like Havisham's wedding arrangements, although Pip knows that time has passed, history seems to be frozen in this space, including the quality of the light.
When Pip returns as an adult in Chapter 38, he observes this paradox again. The light from the candles in Satis House somehow makes a "pale gloom." The author makes the torpor and tragedy of life in Satis House seem even more overwhelming than it would be otherwise in moments like this. Miss Havisham's aura of stagnation is so strong that even the light in her house is hushed and rotting.
Book 2, Chapter 29
Explanation and Analysis—Wintry Branches :
Images of candlelight in Miss Havisham's museum-like house are paradoxically described as "dark" and "wintry" in two instances. When in Chapter 11 Havisham sends Pip into an unfamiliar room that contains the rotted remains of her wedding feast, the narrator relates that
Certain wintry branches of candles on the high chimney-piece faintly lighted the chamber: or, it would be more expressive to say, faintly troubled its darkness.
The candles, although lit and flaming, are depicted as "wintry branches," provoking sensory confusion in the reader. They don't light the dim, stuffy room, they just "faintly trouble" its darkness. This image of dark light is so striking that it persists for Pip when he returns to Satis House to see Havisham in Chapter 10:
The old wintry branches of chandeliers in the room where the mouldering table was spread, had been lighted [...] and Miss Havisham was in her chair and waiting for me.
This paradoxical lighting, which barely illuminates the same "mouldering table," makes Pip feel a strong sense of the past returning. Like Havisham's wedding arrangements, although Pip knows that time has passed, history seems to be frozen in this space, including the quality of the light.
When Pip returns as an adult in Chapter 38, he observes this paradox again. The light from the candles in Satis House somehow makes a "pale gloom." The author makes the torpor and tragedy of life in Satis House seem even more overwhelming than it would be otherwise in moments like this. Miss Havisham's aura of stagnation is so strong that even the light in her house is hushed and rotting.
Book 2, Chapter 39
Explanation and Analysis—A Smile or a Frown?:
In Chapter 39, when Pip's true patronage is revealed, Dickens describes the unreadable feelings displayed on Provis's face through the use of a paradox. As the returned convict gazes at Pip, the narrator describes his expression as
A smile that was like a frown, and with a frown that was like a smile.
This description is almost an oxymoron, as the two similes would usually cancel each other out. A frown is usually considered to be the opposite of a smile. The fact that Pip cannot tell which expression the older man is making illustrates how discomfited he is by the interaction. The paradoxical nature of this expression also reflects Provis's dominance over the situation, as Pip cannot interpret his purpose. Provis has been waiting a long time to explain to Pip how he has been supporting him, and by making his face this unreadable, he prolongs the agony of suspense for Dickens's protagonist.
This exchange between Pip and an older man also echoes another more conventional oxymoron that refers to a facial expression—the one made by the pompous Mr. Pumblechook in Chapter 29. When Pumblechook gives Pip a "frowning smile," he is also showing his dominance of a situation by asking a series of leading questions to draw Pip to a desired conclusion.
Related Themes:
