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A Comparison Between The Characterisation Of Uncle Ernest  And Miss Havisham

Social outcasts should be stamped out. This is the law which society  has and contniues to rule us with, one which both authors challenge with equally powerful pieces. Personal tribulations have frozen time and sense of progress for the two main characters, thus creating a 20th century parallel to a prejudice society.

      The difference between what the author tells us about the character and what he implies about them founder a much more complex sort of characterisation. This statement applies more obviousley to Uncle Ernest, where in several areas the audience are presented with parts of description which could be interpretted for their sinister connotations. In effect, we ourselves are made to wonder the intentions of Ernest. For example, noticeably on the first line he is described as a “middle-aged man wearing a dirty raincoat” which is certainly no crime but has connotations which present him as a seedy, sinister character. This is implied and we are made to feel in such a way towards him. He also emerges from a “public lavatory”, certainly not painting a picture of a normal person who the reader would instantly warm to. Throughout the story what is implied constantly hangs doubt over his intentions, escpecially with the two girls who he gained “great satisfaction from” from watching eat. At the end of the story, Sillitoe lashes out at the ignorant, prejudice society. The audience is moved because they, like the insecure society were also made to cast doubt on the intentions of Ernest. To an extent Miss Havisham is not too dis-similar ; Dickins has used words and phrases which have similar connotations. The reader is again made to wonder whether Miss Havisham really is a danger to others or a threat to herself. “I sometimes have sick fancies” she says. “I want to see some play” she continues making the reader wonder whether her requests are kosher. In both of these characterisations the constant hanging of doubt over them devises a more complex characterisation which is acheived by these ambigous descriptions.

      Uncle Ernest is aclear example of how lonelyness can destroy a man ; alone with his distorting memories of his time in the war. This is all he knows, all he lets himself think about. To the extent that his visit to the cafe is almost a battle personified, like a routined drill, the fear he felt years ago is regurgetated. To the way he “instincly lowers his head when he enters, to his ritulal eating. The ritual eating procedure at first told me that eating is something he uses for idulgence and one of the few ways he now gains some sort of fufilment.But at closer examination

it becomes clearer that he infact incredibly dislikes eating. I can almost see a look of disgust on his face as he devores his meal, like a soldier at war. As though it was a duty of sorts, something he has to do ; all he has left to do. The way he does everything so precisely conveys how he is engrossed completely in what he is doing and presents an obsessive nature which is often present in lonely people.  The way he “took up the knife with the sharp clean action of a craftsman” and made each “geometric cut” also makes links with his profession. It is very powerful scene and could make an extremely tremendous piece of film it were directed correctly. Miss Havisham, although detailed is extremely exagerated making the humour element a key factor. A strange old lady refusing to forget the man which she probably has no memory of. There are some places which may be read as serious but even the typical Victorian death references are presented comically and perhaps mocked by the story. It can be interpreted to be making similar parallels as Ernest but much more subtley ; therefore perhaps more clever.

      The author uses time in Uncle Ernest to convey his lonlyness. The 30 years since the war are described as an “empty void”. For him, time has stopped similar to how Miss Havisham has frozen time after the emotional trauma of her inexistant wedding day. They have both refused to move on and instead have devoted their lives soley to something to diregard time. Miss Havisham has taken out her unhappines on the male race as a whole, even raising young Estella to “hate” and “brake” the hearts of men in the future. In a not too dis-similar fashion Ernest has filled himself with memories to the point where he is still in the war. Everything around him he relates to the war, and trying to leave behind his memories and tackle living the present is a constant battle.

Because time is frozen in both pieces, the two characters appear to be existing rather than living, with no goals, the future is irrelevant.

      Ernest and Miss Havisham both expirience different kinds of lonelyness.

Ernest is alone, but in no way “accustomed to lonelyness”. I think his sense of time and concept of “the future” is distorted because he doesn’t feel he belongs there and according to his two ingrained philosephies, he truly beleives he should be dead with his friends.

      Ernest has been written as a third person narrative ; Dickins as a second person narrative. Although the Dickins’ despcription is very detailed, the repetative “and...and...” of the third paragraph re-inforces the child like  view point (Pip’s memories of his childhood). Other simple comparisons like “but her hair was white” which also contribute to the longer sentences also add a sense of seemingly “imature, raw” account of what Pip expiriences.

      I think both Sillitoe and Dickins deal with the theme of lonelyness in very different ways. Dickins is more subtle and therefore perhaps more clever ; he also incorporates humour. Sillitoe’s piece is much more powerful with some tremendous pieces of description make an extremely vivid account.

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