Color Psychology in Great Expectations

               Regardless of time and place, visual cues and gestures are naturally understood. Know matter what language you speak a smile is a peace offering and a laugh is a sign of friendship. The same goes for colors, the visual perceptual property is universally symbolized with certain meanings; blue is calming, and yellow is joyful.   In Great Expectations the author, Charles Dickens, uses colors to illustrate underlying emotions, foreshadow the coming events, and enhance the characters.

               Generally speaking, the colors black and red provoke strong feelings and emotions, black is often seen as desperation and red is commonly portrayed as anger. More than once Dickens uses this color combination to foreshadow bad thoughts or feelings that are quick to follow. For example, Pip says, "...My sister, Mrs. Joe, with black hair and eyes, had such a prevailing redness of skin..." and soon follows up with his dislike of her hard upbringing. The black of desperation is a frequent theme throughout Pip's childhood, however; anger isn't as common, instead it lurks beneath the surface of Pips anguish. Black overshadowing red, is symbolization that the desperation Pip feels is nearer to the surface, while the brighter feeling or "color" is deeper down and harder to uncover under the desperation or "black." Similarly, Dickens uses this same combination to foreshadow the events of Pip discovering his benefactor. On the night of his discovery Pip describes the storm raging outside as he looks through the window "...when I shaded my face and looked through the black windows..., I saw that the lamps in the court were blown out, and the lamps on the bridges and the shore were shuddering, and that the coal fires in barges on the river were being carried away before the wind like red hot splashes in the rain." The emotions following this sentence are clearly disguised anger and a deep sense of desperation. At this point Pips expectations have fallen through, and he is still the same confused soul as the day he left his home; none of his core emotions have shifted. He still feels unhappy, disappointed and in search of fulfillment, overall he is angry. Angry that he became a gentleman and still feels common, angry that Estella still doesn't love him, angry that he never treasured Joe and Biddy, above all he is angry that he got what he wanted and still isn't satisfied; I think this burning fire is portrayed in Dickens writing as real "red hot" fire. The almost completely black night characterizes the desperation swallowing up the anger, the darkness swallowing up the fire.