The Stagnant Life in The Street.
In chapter 8 of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the local tradesmen including uncle Pumblechook, the Saddler, the coachmaker, the baker, the grocer, and the chemist, pass through a chain of idle life, each observing the other.
The saddler keeps his eye on the coach-maker, who in turn watches the baker, represent the stagnant, sluggish, nature of small town Victorian life in the marshes.
Except the watchmaker, who is actively bent over his desk, none of these men are actively engaged. Instead, they exist in a self-absorbed loop of watching one another.
This chain of watchful, static complacency contrasts with Pip's yearning to a break in life. Much like the seeds kept by uncle Pumblechook in the brown packets in the drawers. The seeds represents dormant unfulfilled life -- much like Pip who possesses inner potential but is restricted completely by his environment
Comments