13. Great Expectations

"In my fancy...saw the wicked Noah's Ark lying out on the black water" (229-230).

Charles Dickens may have included Noah's Ark into his novel, Great Expectations, to get the point across that the boat was rather large in size, much like Noah's Ark. It could have also been used as a reference to demonstrate Pip's feeling that he has committed a sin, and he is not the one on the boat, but the one ready to be washed away by the flood. Charles Dickens has included this reference to portray the amount of guilt Pip has lying on his shoulders throughout his story. At this point in the novel it appears that Pip's actions are now coming to a full circle and he is realizing the truths about his life. He understands that in order to save himself, he is going to need to jump on some sort of life boat so that he can ensure that he will be here another day to right the wrongs in his life.

"Noah's Ark and the Flood." About.com. 3 January 2010. 2010.
http://christianity.about.com/od/biblestorysummaries/p/noahsarkflood.htm